Wedding Day Details – Tips from Your Photographer

Creating Beautiful Photographs that Convey the Story of Your Wedding Day

You’ve spent weeks (or months) preparing and planning every detail of your wedding day. From the perfect shade of blue for the bridesmaid dresses to the heirloom earrings you’re wearing as you walk down the aisle, every detail is a labor of love. As your wedding photographer, my job is to document all of those little decisions in a way that conveys your vision for the day. First, let me walk you through the process. Then I’ll offer a few suggestions to make this part of your day as seamless as possible. Before you leave, be sure to comment and tell me – what detail of your wedding day is (or was!) the most significant for you? My veil used some of the lace from my mom’s wedding dress and that was so special for me!

The Plan

When I arrive at the venue on your wedding day, I’ll give you a quick hug and then photograph your dress first. As you finish up with hair and makeup, I’ll photograph your dress so it’s available when you need it.

After your wedding dress has been photographed, I’ll move on to the “flat lay” image. That’s the photo of all of your wedding details laid out on a flat mat or other surface. If there is a certain fabric you’re using throughout the day, we can incorporate that here. (The pink floral fabric in the image below was used during the reception as the tablecloth for the main table.) If you don’t have any fabrics to use, don’t worry! I’ll also bring a few neutral colored mats to use as needed.

After taking the standard flat lay photo, I’ll move into more creative combination images like these.

After I’ve finished with the styled photos, I’ll also create images focusing on individual elements like your shoes, perfume, etc. Every wedding and every bride is unique, so these images are as well. It can be such a fun way to creatively document your style.

Wedding Day Details – What Your Photographer Needs from You

I always try to make this day as smooth and efficient as possible so we can get through it and get you in your dress! There are a few things you can do to help me simplify the process while making sure nothing gets left out.

The Details Box- Keeping it all together

There are so many moving pieces on your wedding day. You’ll be keeping track of a dress, shoes, hair accessories, your water, your other shoes, your phone, and lots and lots of people. When I arrive, you might be sitting in a chair getting your hair and makeup done. That’s not an ideal time to get up to put together all of the detail items you want photographed. My suggestion is to have everything together and ready to go in a box or storage tote the night before so you can hand me the box and know you didn’t forget anything. (This also really helps me because it’s difficult to carry an armload of separate items to a different room to photograph, haha.) But what goes in the box?

The Item List – What are my details anyway? 

If all you have is your dress, a simple invitation, and your rings, that is just fine! Please don’t feel like you have to go out and buy a million trinkets to have a beautiful flat lay. This is all about creating an image that tells the story of your wedding day, not staging a photograph for a magazine. And if you have other details you want me to document that aren’t on my list above, just add them to the box! But just to get your started, here’s the base details list that I work from:

• Your dress
• Your shoes
• All three rings (your engagement ring and bride/groom wedding rings)
• Other jewelry (earrings, necklaces bracelets)
• Your perfume
• The invitation (Your full suite with envelopes, RSVP cards and any other cards. If there is a front/back design on anything, I’ll need two copies.)
• Other items you might have:
  • Heirloom jewelry
  • Handkerchief 
  • Special cufflinks
  • Something borrowed, blue, etc
  • A charm on your bouquet
  • Ring boxes
  • Ribbon, fabric, etc that is being used throughout the decor
  • Special wax seals/stamp
  • Reception dress or shoes
  • Loose floral stems from decor/florist

The Rings – A few things to remember

I’ll need all three of the rings to photograph. If you don’t have your engagement ring in your details box, that’s totally okay! I’ll just come and borrow it from you. But the most common mistake I run into with the rings is that your ring will already be with the groom, and he might not be getting ready in the same place. Please make sure that both wedding bands stay with you so we can include all three in photographs! It’s also a great idea to clean your diamond the night before so it’s sparkling and shiny like your brand new wedding ring. If you have pretty boxes that you want me to use, just add them to the box! If you don’t want to order your own, I’ll have some with me.

Florals, Ribbons, and Fabrics – Optional extras

Everything I’m about to mention is 100% optional. Do not feel the need to go out and purchase extra ribbon, antique stamps or cute little scissors. If you want to include some little trinkets like that, that’s okay! But if you don’t want to add that to your to-do list, I’ll have a few standard things we can use. If you do have a specific ribbon or fabric that you’re using at the reception or in the ceremony decor, I would love to have some pieces of that to use. Sometimes there are other elements around the venue that are easy to incorporate into your detail images (like the trail guide below) so I’ll be on the lookout for those as well.

Another thing you can include is loose floral stems. If you’re doing some DIY centerpieces and have extra blooms, be sure to have them accessible for your detail images if you’d like to include them. If you’ve hired a florist, you can check with them about the pricing for a flat lay box. (You may have read that your florist will give you the “extras” from your bouquets/centerpieces, but that isn’t necessarily true. Definitely check with them to see how they handle this and offer to purchase extra stems if this is important to you. Again, it’s totally optional.)

Heirlooms – Please make me aware of these!

Many times brides will have heirloom jewelry, hand embroidered handkerchiefs, personal Bibles, significant charms on their bouquets, etc. Please don’t forget to include those items in your details box, or at least make me aware of them! There are some items on a wedding day that are standard to photograph – your dress and rings for example – but other items are personal to you. Those are the details that make your wedding unique and special and I don’t want to miss them!

Summing it all up – Trust Your Wedding Photographer

This is the least stressful part of the day for you, so don’t overthink it! I’m going to come in, grab your details, and slip away to let you finish getting ready. You don’t have to smile or pose for these photos. Just a little prep in the days before will make this as quick and easy as possible. And if you don’t get everything together ahead of time? You’ll have a team of bridesmaids and loved ones (and me!) ready to track down shoes, carry your dress, and make sure you don’t break a sweat. It’s going to be perfect!