Bridal Shoots

I could clearly remember the day of our bridal shoot even though it was more than a year ago. From the initial hype of searching for my ideal bridal studio, to getting the best deal and the prettiest wedding dresses and evening gowns. I was excited about taking pretty pictures with my most loved person on earth. Just the thought of looking through beautiful pictures of the pass as we grow old together sends shiver through my spine. I was determined to get the best pictures any bride could ever dream of and I knew I would with the help of my sister. But little did I know was an ordeal awaited me on the day of the shoot.

But how could taking pictures and looking pretty be an ordeal, you might ask. Well, to start with, my sister and I did a wonderful job in convincing the bridal studio manager to give us 7 gowns instead of the 5 gowns from the package we paid for. So on the day of the shoot, I had to change into 7 different gowns - 2 wedding gowns, 1 wedding gown for outdoor, 2 evening gowns and 2 traditional costumes, which was fun as every gown made me look different from the other. Each gown was accompanied by a different set of accessories, hair-do and make-up. The photographer would then take an average of 40 shots per gown. Each shots were taken with finese and carefully constructed pose and attention to detail. Until today, the voice of the photographer reminding us to keep our shoulders down, chin up and smile is still ringing in our ears.

By noon, I was already feeling tired. Shan and I eagerly waited for lunch time to come. But when it did, we were only allowed 30 minutes lunch break as the studio employees had so thoughtfully ordered McDonald's for us. The rest of the afternoon was tough as we struggled to keep smiling and carry ourselves up to look our best. When the photographer motion us to lie on our the fur carpet for one of the shots, we almost wanted to sleep of. The carpet were soft and comfortable and we were exhausted. When that scene ended, I almost begged him for more of that scene just so we could rest longer.

Our ordeal finally ended at 7.30p.m. We started at 9.00 a.m. and ended at 7.30p.m. That was a good ten hours of photoshoot minus the 30 minutes of lunch break we got. We thank God that we survived.

But that wasn't exactly the end. Next step was to choose the photos that we wanted to develop. We had to choose photos we want in the big album, then the medium album, then one for the big photo frame and one for the table frame, 6 sets as favors to close friends and relatives. That too, took longer than we expected. We arrived at 2.00p.m and left after four solid hours of look at thumbnails of our pictures. Finally the pain of the bridal shoot has ended.

If you are thinking of a bridal shoot, it's a good idea, but consider first if you are willing to go through the hours of standing and posing and smiling and choosing and the list goes on. Many of our friends did not go for a bridal shoot but still had nice photos of their wedding to keep nevertheless. However, they did not have the memories of a challenging and eventful photo shoot coupled with pretty bridal pictures to go with memories of a beautiful wedding. All in all, we actually enjoyed the whole bridal shoot process despite the challenges and exhaustion. If given a chance, we would still go for it because it was an experience on its own.

Our final advise to all of you who are in favour of a bridal shoot, just prep yourselves before you go. And remember, shoulder down, chin up and smile!