Hey, heyyyyy,

Your wedding day is one of the days you look forward to the most. The one thing that shouldn’t really exist on your wedding day is stress. It all seems surreal until the hairdresser and makeup artist arrives. That’s when it starts to sink in. Today is your wedding day. It’s happening!

One of the reasons why I wanted to start doing a For Brides series is because I remember my wedding day as well as I’ve photographed over 50 weddings in the last 5 years and I’ve learned that when the bride has all the details together the morning of, it is soooo much smoother.

My day begins with arriving at your getting-ready location as you are getting your hair and makeup done, and as soon as I give you your “IT’S HAPPENINGGGGG!” hug, I get situated and begin photographing all the details you have put aside for me.

Here are the items I photograph at each wedding to capture and tell your wedding day story.

• WEDDING DRESS – I mean, this one is a given, but what I always recommend is taking it out of the bag the night before, hang it, and let it the wrinkles smooth themselves. You don’t need to get yourself a custom hanger, but a nice wooden one goes a long way.

• SHOES – Whether you wear them just for portraits, I want to take a photo of them! One free tip: Most of you will wear your wedding shoes for your dress trial and alteration or wear them around the house to break them in, remember to wear stocking with them so they don’t get dirty before the wedding day.

• INVITATIONS – This is one of the most forgotten pieces of wedding detail. Your wedding invitation and save the date were the first things that people received that showed them what your wedding day will be like, so it’s absolutely important to have it in the morning. If your invitation has a front and back, have 2 suites put aside to photograph the front and back together.

• VEIL AND HEADPIECES 

• RINGS – Make sure you have all 3 bands; engagement ring, 1 or 2 bridal wedding bands (if you’re fancyyyy), and the groom wedding band. Don’t worry about them making it back to the best man for the ceremony, we’ll make sure to put a bridesmaid or parent in charge of passing them back to the best man before the ceremony begins.

• JEWELRY – Wait to put any jewelry until the dress is on. That includes bracelets, necklace, and earrings.

• KEEPSAKES – This can be anything from something blue, something borrowed, handkerchiefs, hairpins, etc. (Miranda’s pearls have been in the family for manyyyy decades!)

• BOUQUET AND BOUTONNIERE – I understand that sometimes the flowers don’t make it to the venue until a few hours prior to the ceremony but if they are ready in the morning, have them both be with the bride and bridesmaids.

• PERFUME

Also, have extra elements.

Sometimes, depending on the look of your wedding day, there may be some extra elements that you could include. For example, if you’re having a casual natural wedding, you could include a couple stems of foliage.  If you’re having a rustic themed wedding that includes some wooden elements, maybe save a small piece of wood for me to use when I’m shooting your rings and jewelry.  This REALLY makes for beautiful, consistent album spreads!

And to make your day that much easier, here is the full list for you to copy and have ready for to go over a few days before the big day!

• dress
• shoes
• invitations
• headpiece and veil
• rings
• jewelry
• keepsakes
• bouquet and boutonniere
• perfume
• extra elements

I hope this was a helpful post of you, and I cannot wait for your wedding day!