Hotel before wedding

Yes you are right 2 hours would not usually be enough time.

I have shot plenty of weddings where the bride has done all the prep at a different location and only finished off and put the dress on at the venue so it would work for you that way.

Brides just wear anything -tracksuit leggings are most practical but make sure your top is a button up one so you do not have to lift anything over your hair. Some I have seen just arrive in jeans and a top but already have the veil in place as it was put in by the hairstylist.

Regardless if you feel self consonous or not leaving the hotel in your dress I don't think its practical for you anyway because you will be arriving 2 hours early and just sitting around in your dress. And you couldn't leave it later because of the chance of bumping into early guest arriving.

Yes it is common for me to get shots at the place of getting ready but the shots only start to look good towards the end of the hair and make up and the dress going on after. But the "money shots" are the ones with the dress so in your case if I were shooting it I would suggest my best place would be to start at the wedding venue and get the shots of you finnishing getting ready there perhaps this would help and give you an idea https://photographybybillhaddon.co.uk/bridal-prep-photography - you see, not many curlers!

Fiona I would say that you stay at the venue with your bridesmaids / sister and the groom stay and get ready at his parents house with an aim to get to the venue at least 1 hour before the ceremony - whereupon he can go through the list of things YOU GAVE HIM that he needs to check in the ceremony/ breakfast room.

Either get ready totally at the hotel and then leave just in time to get to the wedding venue for the start of the service (no need to be self conscious - brides are seen getting into cars to leave for weddings all the time, and it will probably just brighten the day of the people who see you). Or get your hair & makeup done at the hotel and then put on something casual and easy to get out of to travel to the wedding - just make sure you either have a button front top or dress so you don't have to pull anything over your head.

I had to walk my dog before getting ready for the wedding, so I took her out in a cotton shirt & crop trousers and just stayed in that to get my hair done!