bouquet for bridal portraits?

[photojenic]

Bridal portraits - what do brides usually do for a bouquet ? Real? fake? skip using one? A client is asking, so I assume she wants one.

Thanks!
~jen

[Erin Kathleen]

I usually recommend that they use silk flowers. You can't tell the difference in the pictures (usually) and they're cheaper. Sometimes a florist will include a bridals bouquet for cheap or free so she might want to check with her florist. She can also make one herself with real flowers if she's worried about it. They almost always have a bouquet. At least I haven't done any without the flowers yet. I've been trying to put together a few silk ones to have on hand in case they come without one, but so far it hasn't been needed.

[photojenic]

Thanks so much Erin, that helps a lot!

[MyKey]

I would have to agree to disagree on the fake flower subject. One thing we have found over the years of shooting is fake flowers no matter how good they look - look fake to some degree in the session and always seem to distract in your images. Yes it might be a small detail but any negative to me is an area where I can improve on in my work. We strongly suggest getting real flowers for years and about 75% of our clients did, now we have starting to tie in the price of the bridal session for a nice set of flowers from our perferred florist which has made our images much stronger and more real life in the long run. Works out well for you and the client as well as getting you some networking started with other individuals which are in the wedding field in your area.

[Holly]

Check out this thread for more info:
http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...ad.php?t=20371

[AjP]

thx Holly, I know we talked about it few days ago, but couldn't find it...

[photojenic]

Ok good, I talked to her and she is going with real flowers. She's going to do her own.

Awesome idea on working with the florist!

[Erin Kathleen]

Just as a piece of advice - bring scissors and some ribbon and tape if you think you'll need it. Brides who are doing their own flowers for bridals often leave the stems much too long or the ribbons are uneven or something and it's nice to be able to tweak it.