*Disclaimer* This post is for couples who WANT to emphasize their details and capture those images on their wedding day. Detail images aren’t important to everyone and that’s okay! Don’t think after reading this post that you HAVE to include detail items in your wedding day if it’s not your thing.

You put a lot of love, effort, and thought into your wedding day – that includes all the little details that bring your joint personalities into the wedding in fun and creative ways. If you haven’t thought about the little details I highly suggest checking out Apricity Ink! She has so many beautiful ways to incorporate super special details. Maggie from 618 Events is also a great resource for finding cute ways to incorporate details!

But in this post I’m talking about your wedding detail photos and how to make sure you get amazing shots that show off all the work you put into your day!

1. Determine which Detail Photos are important to you

What are detail photos? It’s a broad term but, in my opinion, the “details” portion of the day happens at the very beginning when I arrive on a wedding day. The detail shots are the items I won’t be able to capture later because they are being used for decor, worn all day, etc. Details like the ceremony and reception decor happen later and there is more flexibility to capture images of that stuff.

I like to specify that it’s the items that can’t necessarily be photographed later because detail photos are not just flat lays to me. They are your dress hanging in a window, your bouquet in its vase, your shoes in the sunlight etc. Typically when I capture “detail photos” I do a variety of flat lays and item images.

2. Gather The Materials

Have all the items you want to be photographed for your details together and in a bag or box that you can hand to your photographer! That makes it so much easier for your photographer as they don’t have to hunt around for those items and can have more time to assemble and capture the images!

Things you could include:

• Shoes
• Jewelry
• The rings/ring boxes
• A record of your first dance song
• Perfume and/or cologne bottle
• 1-2 copies of your invitations with envelopes
• Loose stems of florals and/or 1 bout and 1 bouquet
• A copy of your Save The Date
• Gifts you are giving each other
• Your vow books/written vows
• Dress, veil, suit, tie, cufflinks/attire
• Extra elements from your general decor like candle sticks, floral elements, etc.
• Printed photos of you together that you love
• Charms or trinkets that you are carrying/including with you during your ceremony (bouquet charms, tie clips etc.)
• Your “something old, new, borrowed, and blue
• A bottle of the champagne you will toast with
• Anything that shows off your relationship or is meaningful to you both

 

You can see in this example that there are a variety of items to add dimension and texture to the image. The background is a blueprint of the venue (a historic home a man built for his wife, dreamy, I KNOW), the invitation suite had a lot of pieces and was able to fill so much of the space as well, and its topped off with the jewelry and additional adornments like the gold frame and magnifying glass.

Don’t feel that you HAVE to include all the items listed – this is more for inspiration so you can determine what you want, what matters most to you, and guide you to think of things you want to be included – and make sure you communicate to your photographer which items matter most and why.

3. Make Sure You Have A Spot Your Photographer Can Use

As a natural light photographer, I am always looking for s natural light source. If you’re getting ready in a hotel suite there’s typically less space/options. Try to leave an area near a window free of clutter and have all your items together in that spot for the photographer.

Similarly, if you are getting ready in an air bnb or other space that has more room/options determine a good spot you could keep clear. If you find a table or spot with a nice texture/backdrop your photographer can use – reserve that for them! The more time we spend gather up things and clearing out space the less time we spend actually photographing. If you are getting ready at your venue there should be more options for areas to take pictures of the dress/attire and other items.

I don’t say this to tell you to pick where your detail shots will be – but if you at least identify a spot your photographer can start from based on your getting ready space it really makes all the difference!

4. Include Your Partner’s Stuff Too!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to do detail photos with only one person’s items. While it can still make for great photos your wedding day is about BOTH of you and you both want to be represented! If you ensure you provide enough time for your photographer to be at both getting ready locations to do detail shots – that’s great!! If your timeline is tighter or your photographer is only coming to one getting ready spot make sure you have BOTH rings, BOTH sets of attire, and have someone in your bridal party be in charge of getting those items to the other person when the photographer is done.

Getting ready at the same hotel or geographically near each other is ALWAYS what I suggest. But, it isn’t always doable. That’s why its important to be realistic about how much time you book and what you want to have captured on your day.

5. Have A Tidy Space

I know we kind of touched on this already but it’s a good idea in the 30 minutes before your photographer arrives to have your bridal party help clean up the general getting ready space. Move everyone’s bags/personal items to one room or corner, clean up garbage, move food to one out-of-the-way spot, etc.

Detail shots can happen throughout the getting ready process and it’s a good idea to have a clean, good-looking space to be captured in!

No matter what – just make sure you are being genuine with what you include for your detail images. I am super guilty of always wanting to include things just because they are pretty/I like them. Your wedding day is a time of intention and using things that are meaningful and impactful to you will make those images so much more cherishable for years and years to come.