10 Posing Hints and Tips for Plus Size and Full Figured Brides
As someone who has struggled with their weight I know the insecurities that you can feel especially when you know your wedding day is coming and you didn’t lose the weight you wanted to lose. Now! Before I get all the empowered women’s groups out there hating me, let me state that I love myself and I ROCK whatever my weight is.. which right now is 16. I get it.. we need to normalize beauty in all sizes and we have to start loving ourselves at any size.. I’m all about that. BUT!!!! We all want to look our best on your wedding day.. ALL OF US! At any size! Personally I am sick and tired of seeing every blog post about posing on a little tiny Boho white girl with perfect long gold trussles of hair that bounce perfectly with every photo. The girl without a single bulge or trace of cellulite. I’m sorry but nearly all my brides wear spanx and they all spend hundreds on flawless make up and large flower bouquets in the hope of a thinner face and flowers that help slim the bellies and beautiful wide hips. Every girl I know.. and I know lots… panics at the idea of looking “fat” on her wedding day. As a matter of fact one of my beautiful plus size girl friends just got married and she told me how she cried just trying on dresses because she did not feel comfortable in anything… and DAMN why do wedding dresses have to be WHITE!!!!
Ok so here are my tips for my beautiful plus size / full figured brides so they can look slimmer and more confident. So YOU.. the little size 2 girl… you can move on and read another blog.. this blog is for the girls that need a little room sway those gorgeous hips.. who want to look and feel their best on their wedding day and have gorgeous plus size bride poses that make them look slimmer! With these simple tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years you can make yourself look slimmer than ever without having to step foot in the gym. One VERY important not before we get into it is that if you are on the curvier side I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend wearing shape wear on your wedding day. Most brides on their wedding day wear some form of spanx so they can look their best and smooth their bellies and some problem areas and it can make a WORLD of difference. No one can see what’s going on under the dress so why not look your best any way you can.
Ok so let’s start
#1 The Turtle Neck
You don’t have to worry about this technique if you do not have a double chin some girls especially girls that are pear shaped tend to have thinner faces but normally girls that have apple body shapes or triangle shaped bodies tend to have a little more face chub. So here is what you should do my little Goddess… put your face forward and slightly tilt your chin down. It makes such a huge difference!
#2 Standing Correctly... Sideways, Front Facing or Three Qaurter
Depending on your body shape there are ways that you should stand for the camera..
If you are narrow facing front and you carry fat in your front belly area then you don’t want to turn your body.. it’s best to face forward and angle your body so that you book curvier. Like this
If you are wider like I am… it’s best that you turn your body either three quarters or sideways towards the camera like this..
#3 No matter what you should always do something with you legs and arms.
So many people get confused as to what to do with your hands and I could literally I have a whole day workshop on just hands but I do want to tell you that normally you do not want to have your hands at your sides. You can clutch your waist to make it look smaller. You can also scatter your hands so one is at your waist and one is a little bit lower by your thigh. Really the point is to try to expose your waist so that either we can make it a little smaller in Photoshop or just so that there’s breathing room and you don’t look blocky by having your arms right next to your sides. On your wedding day you really want to accentuate your curves. You can also play with your hair. If you have slim arms but bigger hips you can always hold your elbow in front of your body and that hides a bit of your hips and tummy. You can clutch one side of your waist with your hands and then the other side can come forward in front of your leg that always looks nice if you’re trying to hide a bit of your body. My biggest concern is always to leave a little room around the waist so that I can go in with Photoshop and make the waste a little bit smaller.
Or both hand on your waist with fingers outstretched so that your waist looks a little smaller like this
With 30 years of professional wedding photography experience I think I can tell you how to look better in your wedding photographs. Here are the 10 plus size and full figured wedding poses that are going to make you look curvier and slimmer and fabulous for your wedding day photos. You know, at the end of the day… Your wedding photographs are all that you have left over from the wedding day. Your wedding day photos are timeless and I think we all deserve to look our best if this day is going to be documented for life eternal.
If you are facing to the side and have your hands on your waist it’s best to try and hide some of your width by strategically placing your arm so that it hides some of the extra width. Check this example
If you need to watch a video on plus size posing
Check this one out on my YouTube ChannelThis is one of my favorite wedding photography poses and I have been using it for over 20 years! It’s sexy, curvy and very flattering. Nothing is better than to let gravity help out by pullling wrinkles and fat down and I photograph from up above!
#4 ACT NATURALLY AND HAVE FUN
Don’t be stiff! Nothing looks worse than being too stiff. Your back should be relaxed and your expression should be real no matter the wedding pose. If you try too hard you can see it on camera. Relax and have a great time. This is your wedding Day have fun and don’t worry too much about what you look like! We always have my amazing Photoshop skills to save the day if you feel that we need them.
#5 Sitting poses for a curvier look
Sitting is interesting because as plus size girls or full figured girls we know that we just look squatty when we are sitting. It is definitely the least flattering way to look. As a matter of fact anything standing is going to make us look better than anything sitting. But, there are ways to sit that can be very flattering. The first thing you want to do is add a little toss pillow to the chair so that when you sit you are already less a squatty and elongating yourself a little bit more. Plus it’s more comfortable! For my absolute favorite pose I normally ask my clients to sit on their side not on their butt but on their side on their hip on a chair that is facing sideways. So the back of the chair will actually be to the left or right and you will be sitting on the edge facing forward towards the camera. Once you’re sitting on your hip you’re going to bring the leg that is above forward. With the knee bent you can bring that knee up a little bit so that it gives your hips more of a curve and make sure to point your toes.
Another pose that I think is very flattering is instead of sitting on a chair the way your normally do with your booty up against the back and legs forward and bent. Place the chair sideways so that the back is either to the left or to the left of the photographer. Then sit on the edge of the chair with your hip not your booty and either place your arm on the top part of the chair or on the chair bottom and place your other arm behind the curve of your waist. Check out the sample wedding photo.
Listen… I know that there are people out there that hate the idea of Photoshop! I get it… it’s fake and it’s not a perfect representation of who you are… but really neither is posing. You don’t really walk around on a tightrope or with your hands on your hips. You don’t stand around at a three quarter angle or with your neck out and down. I don’t believe in OVER DOING Photo shop but I do believe in removing lumps and bumps so you look like a little bit better vesion of yourself! Not hing wrong with that right!
#6 There is always Photoshop
#7 a walking pose that makes you look slimmer
#7 Flowers are a godsend on a wedding day and the more cascading and large the bouquet the better. If you’re an itty bitty little tiny skinny girl you’re probably not reading this blog but if you are… you can go with any sized bouquet. But for my plus size girls that might have a little Pudge in the belly or hips that are a little big… I definitely recommend a beautiful large cascading bouquet. They are great for hiding all those areas that we may not be so proud of.
#8 A large bouquet really helps hide a troublesome tummy area
A large cascading bouquet can be strategically designed and carried in a way that draws attention away from the midsection, effectively minimizing the appearance of tummy fat. Here are some ways it can help: The large size of the cascading bouquet can create a focal point, drawing the eyes away from the midsection and towards the bouquet itself. This shifts the focus away from any areas you may be self-conscious about. A well-proportioned bouquet can create a balanced look with your body, making the midsection appear smaller in comparison. Opting for a cascading bouquet with long trails or a teardrop shape can elongate the silhouette, giving the illusion of a slimmer waistline. How you carry the bouquet can also make a difference. Holding the bouquet slightly lower, around hip level, can help cover the midsection without adding bulk to the upper body. This can be especially effective if the bouquet trails down your arm, providing additional coverage.
#9 Wear your hair down to hide bust fat or back fat
Wearing your hair down can someone make a big difference in hiding chunky shoulders or even the fat that accumulates around the upper breast area near arm pits… this hack is amazing. But one important thing to remember is that if you do wear your hear down you are going to have to schedule your hair to be curled again before reception. I don’t think in the 25 plus years that I have been shooting weddings I have ever seen a nice head of hair after a full wedding day. By the time it’s time to cut the cake your hair can look RAGGED! So make the time to re curl and re apply a bit of make up!
Wearing your hair down on your wedding day can create the illusion of a slimmer silhouette by framing the face and elongating the neck. When hair cascades around the shoulders and down the back, it adds volume and creates a sense of movement that draws the eyes vertically, rather than horizontally. This vertical line visually lengthens the body, making you appear taller and leaner. Additionally, soft curls or waves can soften facial features and create a more balanced look, further enhancing the overall slimming effect. By keeping the hair down, you maintain a continuous line from the top of your head to the tips of your hair, creating a seamless flow that contributes to a more slender appearance.
On that note a beautiful veil can also hide shoulders! And when else do you get to wear a veil?? Take the opportunity! Plus…Wearing a veil can help a bride look thinner and hide fat by adding vertical lines that elongate the body and draw attention upwards. Depending on the style and length of the veil, it can create a sense of height and length, which can visually slim the silhouette. A longer veil, such as a cathedral or chapel length, draping down the back, can create a vertical line that visually stretches the body, making it appear longer and leaner. Additionally, the soft, flowing fabric of the veil can create a flattering silhouette around the shoulders and waist, smoothing out any areas of concern. By adding an element of elegance and sophistication to the bridal ensemble, the veil can divert attention away from specific areas, such as the midsection, and focus on the overall bridal look.
#10 Sleeves on your wedding day help smooth lumps and bumps
Wearing sleeves on your wedding dress can smooth arm fat by providing coverage and structure to the arms. Depending on the style chosen, sleeves can range from fitted to flowing, offering varying degrees of coverage and concealment. Fitted sleeves made of supportive fabric can gently compress the arms, helping to minimize the appearance of any bulges or bumps. Additionally, sleeves with strategic design elements such as ruching, lace overlays, or illusion fabrics can further camouflage imperfections while adding elegance to the overall bridal look. By providing a sleek and streamlined silhouette, sleeves can create a more polished and refined appearance, enhancing the bride’s confidence as she walks down the aisle. If I were to ever get married again…I would definitely have sleeves on my dress.
Plus as a bonus for posing you can lift your arm an inch off of your body and this will also help make your arms look thinner in photos. By not having your arms right up against your body they will not be squished up against your body so they will naturally look slimmer!
#11 bonus advice... Choose the right photographer for your wedding
#10 This isn’t posing advice as much as it is advice about choosing a photographer. I mean I can sit here and thell you that if you are in the Los Angles or Orange County area then I would be a great choice because not only have I been plus size the majority of my life and I only want you to feel and look your best and I am the EXPERT when it comes to photoshop. No matter who you choose make sure that their portfolio shows normal looking clients. So many photographers now do what is called “Model Calls” where they hire models and these are not real weddings. Ask to see full porfolios or client galleries of plus sized brides. Make sure they have interesting angles that are flattering. You cannot pose tiny little skinny girls the same as someone plus size. There are angles that work better for someone full figured or plus size and curvy. We as the Goddesses that we are deserve to be treated special!
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I am in the historic home district of Whittier California in the North Orange County, South Los Angeles County area. The surrounding cities are
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But most of my clients are in South Orange County, Newport, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Portolla Hills, Dove Canyon and really from all over the WORLD!
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Wedding Photography | Before and After Retouching Photoshopping | Back fat and Acne! UGH!There is nothing worse than realizing at the end of the wedding and after you get your photos that you had back fat spilling out of your dress the entire day or realizing that all the investment in your make up didn’t make any difference towards your wedding day acne. After stressing for months for the big day you wake up and you find out that you have a huge pimple right in the middle of your nose. What a nightmare.. click for more