A while ago, I was scrolling through Instagram and came across a post from a fellow photographer that I found super helpful for future brides! It was a list of details all brides should have with them in their getting ready space for the photographer to photograph when they arrive on a wedding day, so I thought I would share it on here for my #erinmariebrides as well!
Picture this…it’s the morning of one of the biggest and best days of your life. You’re probably feeling a giant sense of surrealness (Is that a word? I don’t think so. Anyway…) It’s the day you’ve been planning for months, maybe even years and it’s finally here! You’re making sure you’re up and dressed, ready to get hair and makeup done while your maid of honor is forcing breakfast on you so you have fuel and energy for the rest of the days events (sidenote – that’s a good maid of honor right there!) The hair and makeup artists are about to put their final touches on when the photographer walks in to start documenting the day. It’s getting real! Then, just as the makeup artist is about to apply your lipstick, your photographer tells you he/she will start photographing the details while you’re finishing up and asks where they are…you freeze for a second, trying to remember what you did with everything only to realize it never got organized the night before…whomp whomp…so you send your MOH on an Easter egg hunt for everything you want photographed, your jewelry, shoes, invitation suite, the sentimental pin your grandmother gave you that she wore on her wedding day, all of it. She comes back with everything and hands it off to the photographer to start doing their thing, no biggie right? Think again! That was 15 minutes that the photographer could have been setting up your details and getting a variety of shots to include in your final gallery. I know, 15 minutes doesn’t seem like that much time, but on a wedding day 15 minutes is gold! This is why I always always ALWAYS encourage my brides to get their bridal details (everything they want photographed) collected and together in one spot by the time I arrive to the getting ready space in the morning. I’ve seen a lot of my brides put everything in a shoe box and that has always worked really well!
My goal as your wedding photographer is to provide you with as many shots as possible of everything that is important on your wedding day and details are definitely important! Below is a list of things to help get you thinking about what you might like to include in your own “shoe box of bridal details”!
- Jewelry – wedding rings (both his & hers!), earrings, bracelet, necklace, hair piece, etc.
- Perfume bottle
- Invitation suite – save the date, response card, invitation, envelopes, decorative stamps etc.
- Full bouquet – brides and bridesmaids (bonus points if you ask your florist to provide you with loose flower petals! (this allows for a soft, clean and cohesive look when styling your detail shots!)
- Shoes – both ceremony and reception if you have two pairs. The groom will have his shoes in his own getting ready space, so no need to worry about that!
- Wedding dress & bridesmaid dresses
- Veil
- Something sentimental – whether that be a pin, a piece of clothing, a military patch, a ring, etc.
If you are currently knee-deep in your own wedding planning, I hope you found this helpful!
