The day is finally here!! So much time and planning has gone into this day and now it’s actually happening! There are a handful of items you want to have ready for your photographer as soon as they show up. While you’re finishing up with your hair and makeup, your photographer is photographing all of those pretty little details, that pull the look of your entire wedding together! As minuscule as some of these little items may seem, it’s our job as photographers to curate them into beautiful images that completely set the tone for the entire day! And, let me also mention, shooting details is photographers “warm-up lap” while we adjust our lighting, get our fingers moving and get into our groove for the rest of they day. Now, you’re probably thinking, “what else do I need to have ready besides my shoes, the dress and the ring?” Well girl, I’ve gotcha covered!
1. The Dresses
This one is a little obvious, but it’s important to have your dress and the bridesmaids dresses hung and ready to be photographed! You don’t necessarily have to have them hanging in a great photo-spot (we will probably move them to a couple spots anyways!) Just as long as they’ve already been steamed and they are ready to go when we arrive!
2. Hangers
This is one of the most commonly overlooked details I’ve found when brides are getting ready. You have these stunning dresses that I can’t WAIT to photograph…but they’re hanging off cheap, mismatched plastic hangers. Now, I know this may sound like a petty detail, but girl, I’m telling you that you’ll LOVE the result when the hangers compliments the dresses! It elevates the photos and makes everything look very classy, clean and put together. No need to go all out with custom-ordered hangers from Etsy, I would even just recommend matching basic wooden hangers, just like these found, HERE! $20 for 20 hangers? Girl, YES PLEASE!
3. All THREE Rings
Another commonly overlooked detail is having all three rings with the bride the morning of the wedding. Don’t worry, we will get your wedding band to the best man before the ceremony! I love incorporating all three rings into the detail shots, and by having the rings early, this allows me to give you multiple ring-shot options as well! I’ll let you in on a little secret, the ring shots are always some of my favorite shots to shoot!
4. Invitation/Save the Date
If you don’t already know, I went to school for graphic design, so my love and appreciation for pretty little printed things is a little over the top! By having your invitation and/or save the date card, this is one other versatile piece that I can incorporate into your details shots! We all love options, am I right?
5. Jewelry
Another one of my favorite detail items to shoot is the jewelry! Okay, maybe I just love the bling, but this is hands down, a must for detail shots!
6. Veil/Hair Piece
Believe it or not, the veil is a photographers best friend the morning of a wedding (aside from the coffee) Aside from actually photographing the veil paired with the dress, we can actually use the veil as a soft, neutral background for some of your detail shots! It’s light, fluffy and airy, and you can never tell that it’s the veil, but it gives your images that soft and dreamy look, just by having the veil placed in the backdrop of our detail shot images! If you’ve opted out of a veil (that’s okay!) just be sure to include any hair pieces with the jewelry!
7. Perfume
Don’t get nervous when you see this detail, it’s definitely not required, but if you have a certain perfume that you’re wearing on the wedding day, we’d love to include it in your detail shots! Especially if it’s in a pretty glass, or intricate bottle, you’d be amazed how pretty we can make a bottle of perfume look!
8. Shoes
Whether they are flats or 6-inch heels, I want to photograph them! This one doesn’t need a whole lot of explaining, because just like the dress, this detail is always there the morning of!
9. Bridal Bouquet
I left this one for last because it’s one of the most important details to make sure you have available the morning of your wedding! I know some florists may suggest delivering the flowers to your ceremony location, and this is totally fine if you’re getting ready at your ceremony location, but if you’re not, make sure at least the bridal bouquet is delivered to the getting-ready location! It’s worth having the bridal bouquet the morning of because they are one of the main centerpieces of your detail shots! So many intricate details in the flowers themselves, and let’s be honest, they are SO pretty to look at! It’s 100% worth it for your detail shots, I promise!
There you go, girl! All the things, pretty details to have the morning of your wedding, to ensure that the photographer can give you those beautiful, Pinterest-worthy detail shots the morning of your wedding. I know that there’s so much going on during a wedding day, and sometimes smaller details can easily get overlooked, and my goal is for you to be able to go back, look at those beautiful details and remember how much you loved them and why you chose to incorporate them into your wedding in the first place!
Happy gathering!
Cristina
