It’s The Little Things
What Detail Items Your Photographer Wants You To Have, and Why They Matter
Written By: Elle Simpson
If you are a Flat Ridge Photography couple just looking for last minute information for your wedding details… skip to the bold section below!
Detail pictures might not be the most important photos that we take on your wedding day.
The photos of your loved ones, the photo of your first kiss, and the photos when you’re first announced as husband and wife are much more important! BUT, the detail photos of your wedding will still hold a lot of importance to you in the future. These photos show the hardwork and planning that went into your wedding day. All of the effort that went into picking every detail that makes the day personal to you everything you’ve been planning. The small details are the things that you’ve picked to make you look even more gorgeous, the things that your future husband will wear to have him looking his very best, and every detail you picked together to turn your venue into the wedding of your dreams. You’ll want to remember these details in the years to come, and you’ll want to be able to share them!
What if you haven’t been planning your details for years?
Now, I know there are probably a few of you who didn’t dream of this day since you were little, and you may not have been as meticulous in your planning. The only thing you were concerned for about your wedding was that you’d be married at the end of it! Even if you fall more into this category, you will still want to have memories and photos of your day in as much detail as possible, and I’m sure you still had to put more effort into the planning than you even expected to. It’s our job to make sure you have memories to preserve every part of your day, because even if it doesn’t seem as important at the time, there might be a day that you wish you could remember the necklace you wore to your wedding because your daughter wants to wear it to hers. Or even that you can’t quite find the words to describe your wedding day but your grandkids are desperate to see it! These memories will be important for years to come, even if you aren’t someone who thought that you would care about all the minor details.
So, if I’ve convinced you at all to care about the details of your wedding day, we’re going to cover how to make this process easy and make sure your photographer is set up to capture everything!
We will already know to plan the time needed to capture the effort you put into details, from small details to the venue. We will also already know to capture details throughout the day like welcome signs, seating charts, table decor, and other things like this that we come across (you can always tell us if there are specific details that are really important!). All we need from you is to put a little bit of thought into your smaller details for the day, and get them ready for us before the big day! I will typically send a reminder so that my couples remember to do this in the week leading up to the wedding, but you may want to keep the following things in mind when planning the details for your day! Everything that you choose will be specific to your wedding day, so if some of these don’t apply to you don’t worry - they’re just suggestions and things to have ready for your wedding day.
It’s helpful to have the following things set aside for your photographer before they arrive to capture your wedding day! Keep them together in a bag or a little box so that you know everything is there. Most photography wedding day timelines will have a clear portion set aside for detail photos - this is when they’ll need this! Most photographers have additional styling items (old keys, stamps, ring boxes, ribbons, etc..) that they’ll bring, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you have something specific in mind.
If you’re a Flat Ridge Couple, we typically schedule detail photos at the very beginning of our wedding day! You’ll want to make sure you have your details gathered and ready to go for when the photographer arrives.
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1. Rings
It’s easier if all three rings are together on the day of the wedding. We’ll make sure that the bride get’s her engagement ring back, and we can even help make sure the wedding bands make it to the ring bearer, but have all three rings together with your other details to start!
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2. Jewelry
Necklace, earrings, bracelets… any jewelry that the bride will be wearing for the wedding.
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3. Shoes
This one is pretty straight forward! Just your shoes. If you’re changing to different shoes for your reception, include both.
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4. Perfume
Perfume is something that we encourage as photographers partially because it makes your photos pretty! BUT, there is a benefit to choosing a wedding perfume, even if you don’t typically wear perfume. If you have a perfume that you wear for your wedding, in the future you can wear the same scent to remind you of the day or wear it for special occasions like an anniversary.
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5. Invitation Suite
Make sure to bring a full set of your invitation suite! Please include an envelope as well if you can. And… feel free to include any other stationary items that were related to your day (programs, menus, etc…)
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6. Dress & Veil
THE DRESS! Your photographer will likely try to bring a hanger, just in case, but if you have a personalized hanger, or a pretty hanger, please bring that too.
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7. Bouquets
Please try to make sure that your flowers will be available by the time the photographer needs to shoot detail shots! Typically we will just need the bridal bouquet, not all of the bridesmaid bouquets.
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8. Extra Flowers
Ask your florist if they can bring extra clippings for your photographer from your flowers that weren’t used - they typically will not mind doing this! The flowers can make a huge difference in the overall appearance of your detail photos.
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9. Ring Box
Most photographers have decorative ring boxes in their “styling kit” that they will bring with them to make your detail shots more photogenic. Although the photographer will typically bring a ring box that matches your color scheme, I always encourage couples to look into ring boxes that match their personality and are special to them so that they can keep the ring box after the wedding. For example, my sister wood burned her wedding date into a wooden ring box. This made gorgeous detail photos, and allowed them to keep a special ring box that they used on their wedding day!
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10. Hairpiece
A hair piece to clip into an updo, or twist into your hair, a headband, or even a tiara of some sort!
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11. Sentimental Items
Please mention any items from the list above that have sentimental value, so that your photographer is aware of the significance of that item! We also encourage you to include other keepsakes and sentimental items in your day. If you carry a photo of a loved one, or carry a handkerchief of your grandfather’s, anything like this - we want to know about it and want the chance to include it in your photos!
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12. Vow Books
If you’re writing your own vows, or writing letters to one another, these can make great detail photos. Think about including this - especially if you’re writing them in little vow books, or cute cards.
Photos of the Groom’s details for the day are slightly less common, but also encouraged! If you are interested in having a few photos of the groom’s details as well, follow the list below.
Groom’s Shoes
Groom’s Tie
Cologne
Boutonnieres
Watch
Cufflinks
Socks (Especially if they’re “fun” socks!)
Hopefully this helps give you some ideas about what details to include in your big day, and gives you a checklist to help you remember everything. All of your detail photos will be perfect because they’ll reflect all the choices and planning that you made for your wedding day!
