Don’t Forget To Bring These To The Getting Ready Room!

Sanford I. Weill said it best – “Details create the big picture.” The details of your wedding are woven together to create a unique vision of your day. They’re like the sprinkles on top of your wedding day sundae! And boy do I love sprinkles! I love the little details and enjoy celebrating them with my couples. I believe it is so important to preserve them in their images. Here are the top five details every bride should bring to the getting ready room:

1. Wedding Rings & Jewelry

Traditionally the best man is in charge of holding onto the rings before you exchange them during the ceremony. While the logistics make sense, it’s best if you actually keep all the rings together during this time of the day! This is when I’ll be capturing your detail shots and I love to photograph the engagement ring and wedding bands together. So many wonderful variations can be made with them all together! While it’s easy to overcome, having them together means there is no wasted time hunting them down or trying to capture detail shots later in the day when there’s more of a time crunch. Also, if you are wearing a special necklace, bracelet, or some other type of family heirloom, keep everything in a jewelry box or bag so that they’re all together for when I arrive. That way I’ll have more time to stage and shoot your meaningful details and you’re not worried about hunting through all of your stuff for them after I arrive.

2. Invitation Suite

Aside from sending a save the date, your invitation suite is the first impression your guests will have of your wedding day. You spend hours of time making sure every color, insert, envelope, and name is perfect, it’s only fitting you have memories of your hard work. Also, don’t forget to include your program and any texture items you used to decorate your invites, such as ribbon or lace. These look gorgeous and will serve to enhance your gorgeous invitations in the images! Put everything in an envelope and place it together with your jewelry, that way I can find your details quickly!

3. Florals

Most florists spend their time on a wedding day decorating the ceremony and reception locations, which means the bouquets and boutonnières almost always go along for the ride to the ceremony site. If you’re able, ask your florist to deliver them to the house/hotel/bridal suite you’re getting ready in, which gives me the chance to incorporate them in your other detail shots and they’re on hand when we move into portrait time. Have extra vases filled with water to store them in and they’ll be good to go all day long!

4. Custom Hanger

You’ve been dreaming of your wedding dress since you were a little girl. You’ve spent hours shopping, going to fittings, and finalizing accessories so you walk down the aisle in the dress of your dreams. I want to capture your perfect dress on your perfect day and the plastic hanger it comes on won’t do the trick. It can be distracting in the images and often doesn’t always hold up well depending on where I hang the dress for images. Investing in a solid wood or custom hanger will bring a clean, high-end look to your dress shot. Consider a hanger with your new last name written in wire, a sequin-covered hanger, or one in a color that compliments your wedding color scheme.

5. Perfume

I think this is the perfect item to incorporate as your something new! Each time you wear if after the wedding you’ll be transported back to the wonderful memories you’ve made during the happiest day of your life!

Photographing the details is one of my favorite parts of the wedding day because it allows me to get my creative juices flowing as well as the chance to showcase the details of your special day. Taking a little time to plan out what you need to have will help keep the day moving and ensure we’re capturing all those unique, beautiful details that tell your wedding day story!