"Feeling the Need to Retake: Lessons from Experienced Brides on 'Regrets About Pre-Wedding Traditional Attire Photos'"

2020.09.16 published

Regrets about Pre-Wedding Shoots in Traditional Japanese Attire...

Because I will wear a dress at the actual wedding, I thought it would be happy to have both types of photos if I do a pre-shoot in traditional attire ♡

Since I was born in Japan, I would like to wear the traditional bridal costumes of Japan, such as the shiromuku and irotōkai, at least once ♡

Therefore, pre-wedding shoots in traditional attire are popular...

《Important Notice！！》

In this article, I would like to share some regrets expressed by previous brides regarding their pre-wedding shoots in traditional attire, aimed at brides who are planning to do the same.

Let's prepare to ensure that we have a pre-shoot that we won't regret after hearing various regrets from others ♡

Regret #1: I Might Not Have Needed All Those Props

I did my pre-shoot three years ago.

I thought, "Since this is a special pre-wedding shoot in traditional attire, let's bring a lot of props!" and handmade various items that were trendy at the time, such as a red thread, fan props, garlands, and initial objects.

At that time, I was very satisfied with the cute photos we took ♡, but when my brother's bride, who just got married recently, asked to see my pre-shoot photos and I opened the album after a long time, I felt embarrassed to see so many handmade props and posed shots that felt forced...!

Upon closer inspection, I was shocked to realize there weren't any normal commemorative photos where we were just looking straight at the camera.

(Since I was so enthusiastic with my props, maybe the photographer felt obligated to use almost all of them in every shot...)

When my brother's bride remarked, "These props were trendy back then, right~~?" I found myself explaining, even though she hadn't asked, which made me feel a bit sad.

Regret #2: I Was Given Props I Didn't Want to Hold

Recently, I had a shoot at a photo studio.

I didn't prepare any props, but the staff kindly lent me various items like red thread and fans during the shoot.

Honestly, I didn't want to hold things like the red thread or a fan that said "husband" and "wife" (since these were items that were trendy about five years ago, right??), but I felt I couldn't refuse when they were handed to me, and if I made a displeased face, I thought my husband would feel sad, so I reluctantly held the props for the shoot.

My husband didn't realize I was uncomfortable and seemed to think, "Well, this is about it..."

The plan allowed for 80 shots, but about 30 of them were with these silly props, which was shocking...

(The photo with a heart-shaped paper cup and a string phone is truly a mystery!)

I want a more mature atmosphere for our wedding, so I don't want to include those photos in our profile book or even in the album; they're relegated to the back of the cupboard.

With a limit on the number of shots and time for the shoot, having to hold props I didn't even want was incredibly frustrating.

However, I couldn't refuse in that situation, so I realized I should have told my husband in advance, "I don't want pictures with props, so please refuse by saying, 'That's embarrassing...'"

Regret #3: Too Many Mood Shots

I think we had too many photos that only captured parts of us, like my feet, my hands, or back shots of us chatting, or us laughing while gazing at each other among leaves!

I thought natural-looking, mood-focused photos were stylish and that they would be easy to include in the profile book or decorate in the welcome space, so I requested many of them.

But...

Looking at the finished photos, I was satisfied with the number of stylish mood shots, but there were very few standard photos where we were looking straight at the camera or close-up shots, and I wished we could have had more typical photos taken.

While mood shots are fashionable and cute, to be frank, they don't clearly convey "This is the person!" so when shown to grandparents, they seemed puzzled...

Even though there are many photos, I'm struggling to find one suitable for sending in New Year's cards to relatives to greet them.

Regret #4: The Bouquet Was Unnecessary

When I did my pre-shoot, ball bouquets were trendy, but I felt something was off...

At that time, a famous hair and makeup artist was pairing a large dried flower bouquet with traditional attire, and I thought, "This is it!!" so I prepared it.

Later, when I showed the photos to my grandmother, she said, "So this is the kind of flower arrangement now, times have changed."

I learned from my grandmother that dried flowers used to symbolize withering or dead flowers and were taboo at weddings, and that brides traditionally hold a fan (suehiro).

(Also, I learned that while everyone displays their fans opened, doing so is actually a breach of etiquette.)

She taught me that the suehiro means "May happiness continue to spread," which I had also worn but kept pinned to my chest the entire time.

I regretted that I didn't know the meanings of dried flowers and the fan, thinking that if I had known, I would have adhered to tradition for my pre-shoot.

While trends do exist, as this is traditional bridal attire, I now think I wanted to wear it properly.

Regret #5: The Blush Was Too Light

I asked a friend who is a hairdresser to do my hair and makeup!

Since she's someone I always rely on for occasions like weddings, I felt confident leaving it to her, but when I looked at the finished photos, I regretted that my blush looked too light and made me appear unhealthy...

Since it was a studio shoot, the light washed everything out, and my face looked ghostly.

(When I looked at myself in the mirror, the blush looked fine and was applied just right.)

Although I asked for a generally deeper makeup than usual, it seemed to not have sufficed.

I came to realize that photo studio hair and makeup artists might take lighting into account for applications much differently than regular hairdressers from salons.

Regret #6: I Failed to Order My Hairstyle Correctly

I didn't like the hairstyle I had for my pre-wedding shoot and want to redo it.

I asked for a simple, standard updo, but for some reason ended up with:

✅ Top in wave curls

✅ A loose and fluffy finish with a lot of hair pulled out

✅ A low bun that hid my nape

✅ Loose strands around my face (which I asked to have gathered behind)

Resulting in what seemed like a trendy hairstyle for traditional attire...

When I said I wanted an updo, I was asked, "Are you thinking of a standard loose and fluffy style?"

I expected a natural finish with just a slight amount of hair pulled out, so I responded that it was fine, but I never imagined it would turn out this way...

I believe the hairstylist took it as, "This is what loose and fluffy updos are," and decided to style it that way, which was not what I envisioned...

I realized that hair and makeup artists tend to stick with trendy styles, so I need to communicate my desired hairstyle properly with "photos" when explaining.

To Avoid Regrets in Pre-Wedding Shoots!

I’ve shared regrets from previous brides regarding their pre-wedding shoots in traditional attire.

In particular,

✅ Trendy Props

✅ Trendy Hairstyles

✅ Trendy Bouquets

✅ Mood Shots

It seems that incorporating things that are currently in style often leads to later feelings of "This might have been tacky..." or "It feels outdated..."

While it’s certainly wonderful and fun to incorporate trends and one’s ideal style, since they're lasting memories captured in photos, I feel it’s better to respect Japanese traditions and create photographs that won’t feel out of place years down the line.

If You're Considering a Pre-Wedding Shoot in Traditional Attire ♡

If you are considering a shoot in traditional attire, please reach out to the marry LINE advisors＊

They can introduce you to photo studios that fit your needs, whether it’s for a shrine shoot, location photos in gardens, or studios that match traditional attire 💍

The studios and shooting plans introduced by the advisors are strictly selected by marry ♡

Since doing all the research on your own can be challenging, definitely make use of this service＊

➡Consult with a LINE advisor about pre-wedding shoots in traditional attire💍