Wedding Chat with Sande | Wedding Gown Hanger

I love arriving to a wedding early and shooting all of the bride's beautiful details. Her shoes, jewelry, bouquet, veil, garter. And because I'm obsessed with wedding gowns, I love shooting the bride's dress most of all! I search around to find the best place - background and light - to photograph that gorgeous dress. I may take several photos from different locations. Love love love.

This may seem like a small thing to write a blog about but I always send a little suggestion to my brides prior to a wedding that they may not think about - the hanger. Most wedding gowns come from the bridal shot with either a plastic hanger or a cardboard covered hanger - neither which photograph really pretty. You have paid a lot of money for this dress and it deserves to be hung in style!! When my daughter got married, I bought her a personalized hanger from Etsy. They have thousands to choose from! You can find a hanger that fits your style, color and theme of your wedding. If that is not in your budget or you've waited too late to order one - then just bring a wooden hanger! You can even do a little DIY decorating with a ribbon and/or some flowers. It will make a difference - I promise!

I also like to photograph the bridesmaids dresses if they are available. That photo looks much prettier as well with matching, pretty hangers. And it would make a nice gift for your bridesmaids!

When choosing a hanger, try to remember to purchase one that has the little notches on each end. That will help keep those strapless dress loops from sliding right off. If your hanger doesn't have notches, no problem - just put some clear grippy tape!

As I said, you can get personalized, pretty hangers from Etsy. There are literally thousands of choices!