Nobody teaches you how to walk down the aisle.
So everyone does the same four things wrong, and it's in every photo.
200 weddings. 17 as a bridesmaid.
Belly button. Not your chest.
I don't know if it's nerves, but brides creep that bouquet up until it's at their chin. And then nobody can see them, or their dress. The dress you spent months on is behind a bunch of flowers in every single aisle photo.
Assign someone to give her a subtle cue as she walks. A hand signal, low, from a seat near the front. She will not feel it creeping up on her own.
Hold the bouquet lower than feels natural.
Practice it at the rehearsal. Arms relaxed, elbows soft, flowers resting at the belly button. It feels too low. It photographs correctly.
They walk way too fast.
Frozen, staring straight ahead, moving at a clip. Not looking at their guests. Not gracefully floating down the aisle, which is the thing they pictured for a year.
Walk slower than feels natural. Look at people. These are your favorite humans and they all flew in. You get one pass down that aisle and the photographer needs the time.
- Practice pacing at the rehearsalactually walk it, twice
- Pick 3 faces to find on the waystops the frozen stare
- Breathe at the doors before you startthe whole day is behind that door
Two hands. Which means she can't be holding two bouquets.
The maid of honor takes the bride's bouquet, and hands off her own, before she touches the veil. You cannot fix a blusher with one hand and two bouquets in the other. I have watched people try.
- MOH hands off both bouquets firstto bridesmaid #2, decided in advance
- Blusher lifted and laid down properly in the backit photographs from behind all ceremony
- Train straightened for picture placementone quick visual check
- Practice this exact handoff at the rehearsalit takes 90 seconds to learn
Decide what kind of kiss you're doing. Out loud. In advance.
You don't want it staged. You also don't want a big slobbery mess with lipstick everywhere, and then the groom walks back down the aisle with makeup on his face in front of 150 people.
And it looks weird when you can tell one person is going for a peck and the other is going for it. That mismatch is on film forever. It has to be discussed.
The bouquet rule applies on the way back out too.
Give the bouquet back after the ceremony, and remind her. It's fine to celebrate and hold it high coming back up the aisle. Just not at the chin again.
Four things. None of them cost a dollar. All of them are in every photo.
Ctrl+P / Cmd+P. Bring it to the rehearsal.