Maine & NH Wedding Photographer // Why the Getting Ready Room Matters More Than You Think

(Aka: Please Stop Putting the Groomsmen in the Basement)

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get enough attention: where the heck everyone is getting ready on the morning of your wedding.

I’ve photographed grooms and groomsmen in janitor’s closets. Literal. Janitor’s. Closets. No windows. Mop in the corner. Smelled like Pine-Sol and regret.
I've shot in golf course clubhouse basements where I had to squat between old storage boxes and mystery chairs just to get one angle that didn’t look like it was from an episode of Dateline.

Meanwhile, the bride is usually in some beautifully curated bridal suite with natural light pouring through giant windows, champagne flowing, and a whole glam squad working their magic.
And the guys? Tossed into the darkest, weirdest corner of the venue like, “Yeah, you dudes will be fine next to the vending machine and the industrial mop sink.”

Let me say this with love (and maybe a little bit of trauma):
Lighting matters. Space matters. And the getting ready room MATTERS.
Especially if you want these photos to look like anything other than an FBI surveillance sting.

Here’s the thing: I don’t need perfection. You don’t need a Pinterest-worthy suite with custom neon signs and velvet couches. But what I do need is decent light and enough room for me to not be three inches from someone’s face with a 35mm lens.

Big windows > fancy decor. Every time.
Even if the room itself isn’t "pretty," if it has some solid natural light, I can work magic (okay, okay, I won’t say that word again).
I can make it look good.

Or, even better? Let’s go outside. I’ll take your groomsmen out into the fresh air, get those relaxed, fun shots where everyone looks like a damn cologne ad instead of a hostage situation in a dim-lit closet.

Better room = better energy = better photos.
It’s that simple.

So if you’re planning the wedding and thinking, “Eh, the guys don’t really care where they get ready,” just remember: they might not—but your photos do.

And I definitely care.
Because I’ve already paid my dues in janitor closets, and I’m not looking to renew that membership.