The morning of your wedding day is the best! You’re surrounded by all of your best girlfriends, sipping on mimosas while getting your hair and makeup done while Beyoncé is most likely playing in the background. The excitement and anticipation is at an all time high as you prepare to walk down the aisle in a few short hours! It’s one of my favorite parts of a wedding day for sure.

As much fun as this part of the day is, the morning-of can sometimes be a little crazy. There are so many things running through your mind, and you are most likely not going to remember to gather things like your rings or invitations so that your photographer can get photos of them during the prep time. Getting these detail shots is often something that is overlooked as you prepare for your wedding, but they are SO important in telling the entire story of your day!

This is why I always encourage my brides to gather these items in one spot the week leading up to the wedding! Before your big day, I always send an email with a list of items to gather for your detail shots. I recommend collecting them all in a box or bag, so on the day-of I can show up and get right to work instead of searching for everything! If these are all in one central spot and ready to be photographed when I arrive, I can get through the detail stuff quicker so that I can focus on you getting ready and having fun. This will also help you to make sure you have everything you need in one location!

I love to start photographing the bride and bridesmaids getting ready for at least an hour and a half before the first look (or ceremony if you don’t opt for a first look!). This gives me plenty of time to thoroughly shoot all of the bridal details, while still having an hour or so to photograph you and your girls getting ready together. Things like putting on your dress often take so much longer than expected, so it’s so important to have enough time scheduled at the beginning of the day for this so you don’t start the day out rushed!

Here are the details to have ready the morning of your wedding day:

• THE RINGS: Make sure you have all of the rings together in one spot – including your groom’s ring! These are the most important details to get photographs of on your wedding day. Pro tip: get your engagement ring cleaned before the big day so it’s nice and sparkly for it’s close-up shots!
• STATIONERY: Have your full invitation suite and any other important stationery together so I can get some gorgeous shots of them! Think of including things like: your invitations, RSVP cards, outside envelopes, stamps, save the dates, programs, and vow books! Since these things usually tie in with the colors and aesthetic of your wedding, they can really help tie the entire day together.
• YOUR DRESS: You definitely want at least a few photos of your dress before you put it on! Also make sure you have a decent looking HANGER for your dress. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but something like a simple wooden hanger really makes a huge difference in the photos, and your beautiful dress deserves more than justa cheap plastic hanger! I try to always remember to bring a hanger with me just in case, but I don’t always have enough room to bring it with.
• JEWELRY: Don’t forget to include any jewelry that you will be wearing on your wedding day! You spend so much time carefully choosing the perfect earrings or necklace to match your dress, so I want to be sure to grab photos of these items! Especially if they are heirloom pieces that have sentimental value.
• SHOES: If possible, try to avoid wearing your shoes outside before your wedding day so they are still clean and pretty for their photographs! I always LOVE seeing the shoes my brides pick out to wear on their day, and they are so much fun to photograph!
• VEIL/HAIR ACCESSORIES: Your veil always adds some fun dimension and makes a great background for these detail photos. Bonus points if it has pretty lace on it!
• FLOWERS: If possible, have your florist deliver your bouquet and boutonnieres to your getting ready location so you can get detailed photographs of them! They are always so beautiful and definitely deserve to be photographed since they won’t last forever! If you remember, ask your florist to also bring a few loose flower stems or pieces of greenery to use in the detail photographs – the best way to completely uplevel these photos!
• Other items to consider: PERFUME, HEIRLOOM ITEMS, SOMETHING BLUE, GIFTS (gifts shared between the bride and groom, or gifts given to bridal party or family members!)

Not every bride is going to have ALL of these details, and that’s totally okay! This is just a list of the most common items I photograph on a wedding day. If you have any other personal or special items that you want photographed on your wedding day, go for it! I love it when my couples incorporate unique items to bring their personalities into their photographs.

I hope this post helps you prepare for a smooth and exciting wedding morning!!

xo,
Lindsey