In two days, I am taking graduation photos, and I truly feel like I am preparing for prom again. There is so much to think about in regard to graduation photos. Should I get my dress altered? How am I going to do my hair? What color nails should I have? Should I wear open-toe or closed-toe heels? And I could go on and on.
This time last year, I was a junior, and I thought, “Oh, seniors, just take photos in the graduation outfits and call it a day.” That is far from the reality, unless for me. For starters, my friends and I booked our photographer in January. I remember, in January, saying to my friend that we have plenty of time to think about this. However, she informed me we were already late to the game. A couple of days later, I was talking to another friend and she told me that she has had a photographer booked since early December. That’s when it hit me that these pictures are no joke.
Over the last couple of months, my mom kept asking me if I had started to look at graduation dresses. I told my mom about 15 times that I hadn’t started looking but I knew exactly what I wanted and it shouldn’t be hard to find. Yet another thing I was wrong about. It was hard to find. I wanted just a simple strapless white dress. Not simple at all. It took me at least 2 weeks to find one that I was imagining but that also wasn’t over $200.
Once I realized how long it took me to find my dress and I had an idea of what I wanted, I urged my friends to start looking. Your friends finding their graduation dress shouldn’t be stressful for you, right? Yet another thing I was wrong about. I was so stressed my friends weren’t going to find a dress before the pictures. One of my friends would look for about 15 minutes and then wouldn’t look for another week. Another one just wasn’t looking period. I kept telling them that when the dresses came in they might not like it in person and would have to start to process over again. Ultimately, all my friends got their perfect dresses and the dress portion was over with.
Figuring out how exactly I am going to look has been quite the test. I have done two different trials with two different makeup and hair looks. And I think a third trial is on the way. The only thing I have nailed down is that I am getting a French manicure. Now, with my hair, I can’t decide between a classic blowout or fun curls. My thought process is in 10 years a blowout will still be in style, but in 10 years will I even be looking at my graduation pictures to hate my fun curls? With my makeup, I don’t know if I should do heavier makeup because it will be on a good camera. But, I am not really a fan of big, almost stage makeup.
Getting graduation pictures done is truly not for the weak. I would have never thought of taking graduation pictures to be this much of an event. Not to mention taking a good chunk of my bank account. But here I am thinking of more things I need to bring with me.
ShoutOut! James Madison University 