About a month before the wedding, I do a final run-through with all of my couples of their wedding questionnaire. We go through the details of the day, do a last check of the timeline to make sure it’s still good, and go over any questions. One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “What details should I bring?” Every couple is different, and how much priority you want to put on bridal details is totally up to you! But, for the sake of giving you some ideas and a jumping off point – this blog is all about the details. What to bring, tips for styling and how much time you should factor in for your wedding photographer (me!).

When are details photographed?

At the beginning of most wedding days, I’m meeting the bride who’s still getting ready with her friends and family. After we’ve had a chance to check in, I collect her wedding details. Once I’m done, I usually move on to taking candids of the bride and bridesmaids finishing getting ready, or meet up with the guys for their getting ready photos. It just depends what works best for that particular wedding.

What items are typically included?

It all depends on the bride and what’s important to her! But, here is a list of examples. By no means does everyone bring all of these things. The number of things you should bring largely depends on how much time you want to allow for detail photos. Below are just things to consider.

Dress
Rings (his & hers)
Veil & Hairpieces
Bouquet & Boutonniere
Shoes
Any other jewelry being worn (earrings, necklace, bracelet… etc.)
Invitation Suite
Keepsakes
Perfume
Vows
Gifts (between the couple, to the bridal party, or to the parents)
Purse/clutch

Do you photograph groom’s details too?

Yep! The easiest way to do this is if I have some extra time before taking his getting ready photos or if it’s easy to include with the bridal details, I shoot them at the same time. Here are some other things that have been included you could think about.:

Watch
Cufflinks
Tie
Shoes
Pocket Square
Funky Socks
Cologne
Cigar, flask, and/or bottle of what the guys are drinking

Tips for Styling

It isn’t necessary, but sometimes it can be nice to tie in other elements to detail photos to make them more cohesive with your overall wedding design. While these photos aren’t usually what ends up hung up on a wall, a lot of people include them in wedding albums. So, when styling flat-lays of your details, it can be nice to have some extras included to carry out more of your theme. Here are some examples, but you can be super creative here!

A nice dress hanger for your wedding dress (I usually have a plain wooden one on hand, but a lot of brides opt for a custom one or something nicer than the plastic one from the store.)
Extras from your florist (i.e. extra flowers, pieces of greenery, ribbon)
Pretty ring box or ring dish
Unique stamps that go with your invitation suite

Where should these items go?

It’s super helpful to collect these items ahead of time and have them in a box or bag ready to hand off. With a lot of wedding prep, it’s good to pack as much as you can before your rehearsal and venue setup. Because this can be a hectic time with plenty of things to think about, whatever you can put together beforehand helps. If everything’s in one place, it saves a lot of time come wedding day.

How much time do you need to photograph everything?

This depends a lot on how much is included, if you opted to include a second photographer (also my second set of hands in this situation), and how important these details are to you to be photographed. But usually, I’m photographing personal details for around 40 minutes to include a good amount of items. This gives me time to collect everything, set it up in a nice location, shoot, and return it to you with a little wiggle room. Any extra time usually goes toward coordinating the day of and taking candids of you and your bridal party!

Tips for Wedding Details