As your wedding photographer, my team and I are here to photograph every detail of your amazing day, down to the final details of what you are wearing!  Every piece that you are planning on wearing, every element that you put time and meticulous thought into putting together to create your day will be documented. Maybe it’s the necklace that your mother wore on her wedding day, the veil that you had custom made that matches your dress perfectly,  the shoes you spent months finding, even the scent that you picked out that will forever take you back to this day!  I know that you took time to think about all of these details, which means I want to have the time to photograph each and everyone one of them on one of the biggest days of your life!

When I walk into a bridal suite or onto the location where the groom and groomsmen are getting ready, the very first thing I do is start photographing all of those amazing details. Doing this first thing does 2 things, it ensures that I’ve documented all of your important little details and it leaves time for all the awesome people we are photographing later in the day!

My team and I simply adore pairing all of your details together! We will place your rings on top of your invitations, showcase your amazing perfume bottle, highlight your gorgeous dress, and show off those stunning shoes! Plus don’t forget your bouquet, because having your florals woven into the pictures will really help create the story of your wedding day.  We just LOVE playing with sparkly and pretty wedding details, I mean who doesn’t really!?

Use this blog post as a guide to help you prepare for your wedding day and make sure no detail gets left behind! Plus feel free to use this guide as a place to find new ideas that you may not have even thought of.  Don’t feel obligated to have all of these details, it’s really just a suggestion and we want to make sure that you are being authentic to yourself.

How to Get Me Your Details
Once you have selected all of your details, the best and safest way to present them to us is having them together all in one box/bag. This way we don’t have to search around the suite for your details on the day of your wedding.  Might I also suggest that you prepare this bag for us at least 2 days prior to your wedding day. That way everything is together, happy, and ready to be photographed and you don’t have to stress about it the morning of.

THE BRIDES DETAILS

1. THE DRESS | One of the most important bridal details that you probably will have (besides your wedding rings, of course!) is your wedding gown. Have your dress out of the dress bag, hanging up with tags removed and each layer fluffed to ensure that when we step into your bridal suite, we can jump right into photographing it!

2. HANGERS | Your wedding gown deserves to be hung with care and what better way then to give it a beautiful and classy hanger.  If you really want to go the extra mile, you can even get matching hangers for your bridesmaids to hang their dresses on! I love getting shots of all the dresses hanging up next to each other before the big day begins and if each one had a different, mix matched, clear or black plastic hanger, that could be very distracting to the photo!

3. VEIL & HAIRPIECES | Big tip for your veil, first thing in the morning or even the night before, hang up your veil with your dress so it has time to flatten and straighten out! Also, have your hair artist wait until we have photographed your details to install your hairpieces and vail.

5. SHOES | It’s all about the shoes! Ok, but really, I’ve had some brides who wore these extravagant and gorgeous heels for her ceremony, and then switch to something more comfortable for the reception! I will absolutely photograph both sets of shoes, if you’d like, just be sure to have them in your details bag!

6. JEWELRY | Are you ready to show off your wedding day style? That’s right, with the right earrings, necklaces, bracelets on display you’re about to show the world what your wedding day style is, so let’s get it photographed. This would be a perfect opportunity if you wanted to incorporate a special heirloom into your day or something that has been passed down in your family!  

7. PERFUME | Not only are there so many classy styles of perfume bottles, this is one of the things that will help take you back to your wedding day every time you use it. Certain scents trigger your memory and the time and place you first smelt it. I definitely would recommend splurging on a more high end perfume that will last all day and one you’ve never wore before! You don’t want a fragrance that you already have a memory attached to it! We also have a beautiful perfume bottle we bring along, just in case!

8. PURSE/CLUTCH | Certainly something you won’t be holding onto all day, but I know I’d rather have my phone, lip stick, mirror, etc. in a cute little clutch rather than floating around.

9. VOW BOOKS | If you have chosen to write your own vows to each other, I highly recommend having them in a beautiful vow book. This is the very thing you will read from as you express your love to each other and this can be even passed down to your children for them to use as well!

10. HEIRLOOMS & KEEPSAKES | There are many family heirlooms and keepsakes that are passed down and shared for weddings. Maybe you’ll be wearing your grandmother’s wedding band, or using a handkerchief that was made from a family member’s wedding dress.  These are the details that most definitely need to be photographed! They’ve made it through the test of time and has landed in your hands on your most special day. Having these photographs will be cherished just as much as the item itself.

11. BOUQUETS & BOUTONNIERES | This is actually a 3 part section. Having your wedding florals delivered to where ever you are getting ready is extremely important. The first reason goes with the heirloom section. Sometimes I’ve seen brides have special pieces attached to their bouquets like strips from her mothers or grandmothers wedding dress, or a neck tie that was her fathers that is no longer here with us, or photo lockets of special people tied to the stems of the flowers. I’ve seen so many ideas and having these photographed with the rest of your wedding details is so special! It helps having that piece not forgotten to be photographed because during the day, there are so many things happening, that one tiny (but huge!) detail can easily be forgotten.

 

12. INVITATION SUITE | This is one of the biggest things that brides don’t think of in their “bridal details” category. When really, this is a huge detail! The invitation suite is sent to all of your family and friends and, if you think about it, you spent a ton of money on these. The Save The Dates, the actually invitation, the RSVP cards, the hotel information cards, the stamps, the calligraphy addressed envelopes! So much money and thought went into these, they most definitely need to be photographed. Make sure you have a full set in your details box! If pieces have two sides, make sure two of those make it in the box! TIP* : Have one of the envelopes stamped! It is such a fun detail that will be so cool to watch the styles of stamps change over the years! Then you can see what the postage looked like the year you got married!

14. GIFTS – Bride/Groom and Wedding Party | Giving gifts on your wedding day is such a fun way to say “thank you” or “I love you” to your special people in your life. Even if the gift was opened prior to me arriving, it is still a fun part of your day and I would love to photograph them!

THE GROOMS DETAILS

Grooms get to have special details too!  The same thing goes for the men, the first thing I will photograph when I arrive on a wedding day are his details. These pieces tell HIS side of the story! Some groom details might include …

1. Suit or Tux|  This is it, you’ve got yourself a new suit or tux and you’re ready to say “I do”. But not too fast, be sure you aren’t wearing your suit/tux before I arrive. That’s right, be sure you have it hung up nicely with your shirt too so that when I arrive I can simply grab it and photograph it. Yes, it’s being photographed without you in it. Just sit back and hang with the guys!

2. The Shoes| Guys tend to pride in their wedding day details, all the way down to their shoes. So gents, get ready to show me those awesome kicks that you’ll be wearing down the aisle! Now’s the time to step it up with a pair of cool socks!