Renting Wedding dresses

[schnellimages]

I am thinking of hiring a model and setting up a series of 'Bridal Portraits'

for marketing purposes. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of places

renting (or loaning) bridal gowns? I am going to ask around locally, but

wanted to know if i was crazy for trying.

 

Thanks,

 

Bob

[trebor_navilluso]

I'm doing the same thing. Let's face it for marketing material you want someone who is beautiful representing you. Not that all brides aren't beautiful in thier own way but you know what I mean.

 

I was going to just buy a size 4 on Ebay $140. You can probably fit any model from a 2 to a 6 into that with some pins and ducktape ;-)

 

And a used tux size 42 reg will fit most male models, can be had used for $100.

[craig_shearman1]

Thrift shops and the classifieds or Craig's list routinely have used wedding gowns for next to nothing.

[schnellimages]

Never thought of Craigslist. Thanks.

[carli morgan]

I went to a class with Claudia Kronenburg last year. They do "fashion shoots" with the

participation of other vendors, ie dress shops, jewelers, florists. I'd try to make a deal with

the vendors. I have modeled wedding gowns before and the dress shops seem to love the

opportunity to have pictures of the latest gowns, not just the last season stuff they get from

real weddings.

[DEGREEFOTO]

I think it is a good idea in so much as networking with suppliers that are connected with the industry as such..jewelers, florists etc..

However and as one poster has already highlighted, that having beauitful models and thus beauitful images may increase your bookings. But I have known of a well established wedding photographer who designed all his albums and marketing around staged shots with pro models, leading one to think that they were shots of the wedding day itself. He was taken to task in the press by would be brides in his city as to why none of the brides were wearing their wedding bands, just to give you an example, thus show casing the fact that the shots were 'not real on the day event captures'. As long as we use the shots as a marketing tool and making it clear to the prospective couple that this is the type of work you are capable of delivering on the day and under the pressure of the actual event with its time restrictions etc...then by all means a very good idea. As Trebor has mentioned, all brides are beauitful on their wedding day, and I agree with this totally. But after perhaps seeing the staged shots that we may have put before them, they also have to be realistic as well, within reason.

 

Artur

[steve_levine]

Find a small bridal shop and "network" with them. That is get them to supply a dress and model in exchange for prints of your work.

[trebor_navilluso]

Artur makes and excellent point. By all means I believe marketing materials need to include "sample product" which would be actual wedding shots. But for those few attention getting shots, no problems with using models. Every other industry does it right?

[stacy]

Bridal stores will let you borrow them...you just have to be brave and ask :)