Creating a Bride’s Dressing Room
January 14, 2011
Bride's dressing room
Most brides will want to capture every moment of their special wedding day in photographs. Whether your photographer will come to your dressing area, or you will be taking your own shots, set up your bride’s dressing room for a gorgeous but practical background. Here’s how.
1. Choose the right room. It should be large enough to accommodate all the people and activities, bridesmaids, flowergirls, mothers, make-up artists, hairdressers, photographers. Choose one with adequate natural light; north facing windows are best. If there is direct sunlight, you will need drapes or curtains to control it. A closet is a bonus.
2. Clear out the room and clean it thoroughly. Perhaps when it is cleared you will decide to apply a fresh coat of paint, keeping in mind that the colour will be your backdrop.
3. Add only the furnishings you will need. If the room must also be used for a bedroom, you will still need a bed, but perhaps you don’t need the whole bedroom suite. If there is no closet, add a rolling clothing rack to handle the gowns. A comfy chair or loveseat will be great for relaxing as well as posing for photos. A large full length mirror will be required as well as chair or two for makeup and hairdos. Unattractive chairs can be slip covered. Add lamps to ensure adequate lighting for both tasks and mood. A sound system, games or TV will help everyone relax. Last but definitely not least, add a table or desk to hold all the grooming items. Position an attractively framed mirror above it. An alternative is to use a low dresser with attached mirror.
4. Accessorize appropriately. You might dress your grooming table with a beautiful white satin tablecloth. Assemble all the necessary beauty products ahead of time and arrange them in orderly rows. Arrange items like cotton balls, Q-tips, bobby pins, safety pins and other small necessaries in glass jars or candy dishes. You might add an attractive hand mirror or create a display of your wedding day jewelry. Green plants, a table fountain or tropical fish are also good to have, but, don’t overdo it if space is limited. If you are getting dressed in a sparsely furnished bride’s room at a church make sure you will at least have a table and a mirror. Even a card table with a cloth will do in a pinch.
5. Set up for photography. Diffuse harsh light from the window by draping it with white curtains or sheers. Sheers also add a soft feminine touch to your decor. Notice what is being reflected in your mirrors and what is visible through open doors. Non-wedding clothing and footwear should be concealed. Keep all non-wedding mess cleared as soon as it’s created. Remove used cups, dishes and towels. Wedding “mess” such as wedding shoes, dresses, grooming items and flowers add to the scene. However their packaging does not. Unpack everything and remove all the boxes, wrappings and bags from the scene. You can do this even if you are getting dressed in a hotel room.
Author, Martha Stanton-Smith, is a Canadian Certified Staging Professional and owner of Rearrangements home staging, Kingston, ON. Visit www.rearrangements.ca, or call Martha at 613-539-3233.
