If you’re anything like me, you love all of the beautiful little details from a wedding day! I love flipping through an heirloom album and seeing how the entire day unfolded, beginning with all those beautiful details you just spent months planning and perfecting!

The dress, the shoes, the flowers, the invitations, the rings…these photographs are quintessential in telling the story of your wedding day! One of my favorite parts of photographing weddings is the creative process behind all of the detail photos. I love putting together a good flat lay design, complete with the invitation suite, rings, flowers, finding a place to hang your dress and highlighting those killer heels you bought for the big day.

Getting those quality detail photographs requires a bit of preparation. I’ve compiled a little list of tips and tricks to help you get the best detail shots from your wedding day!

Set aside time in your timeline. I ask all of my clients to set aside 1 hour of their day, prior to photographing the getting ready, for me to be able to photograph all of their details. This ensures that I have enough time to find the best light, gather florals to use for flat lays, and take my time setting up a killer dress shot.

Gather all your details beforehand. Gather up all the details that you would like incorporated into your detail photos and have them set aside so that when I arrive, it’s easy for me to scoop everything up and get to work! Don’t forget about the groom’s details, too! Some things that you might want to include on your list:

Two clean copies of your wedding invitation. (This allows it to be styled with both sides showing in the same photo)
The rings
The bride's perfume
Details of the bride's apparel, including the veil, shoes, jewelry, garter and clutch
Bouquets & boutonnieres
Details of the groom's apparel, including shoes, tie, watch, cuff links, and pocket square
The groom's cologne
Gifts or favors for the guests
Welcome bag

Order an extra invitation suite. Make it fancy! If you absolutely adore the flat lay photographs with the pretty paper goods, ribbons and flowers (see some in the photos below!) then I highly suggest ordering a super fancy invitation suite for this occasion! Obviously, you don’t have to send the super fancy ones out to all your guests, but having that pretty set for photographs really amps up the details and brings everything together. I always refer my brides to Lauren Clements over at Line Avenue Calligraphy. Her work is amazing!

Get a pretty hanger for your dress! Seriously. This makes all the difference in the world! There’s nothing worse than a gorgeous dress on a plastic hanger. I always bring a beautiful gold hanger as part of my detail shots kit, and all of my brides are welcome to use it!

Get your rings cleaned! I’ll be taking some seriously gorgeous detail photos of your rings, and having them all nice and shiny and sparkling will just add to the wow factor of a ring shot!

Consider having your florals delivered early so they can be incorporated in the photos. Ask your florist to leave some loose florals and greenery for me to use for flat lays.

Help your photographer out! It’s so important for me to capture all of your details to the best of my ability. Having your help in that is key! If there are any special heirlooms that you would like photographed, be sure and let me know! A special heart sewn into your dress, something cute on the bottom of your shoe, or a special locket tucked into your bouquet…whatever it is, be sure and point it out to me at some point. Part of my job is being able to capture special moments, but knowing what to look out for is always helpful and appreciated!

The most important thing to remember is that the details that you choose for me to photograph are the ones that will tell the story of your day and they should reflect YOU. Whether you choose details for meaningful reasons or for styling purposes, keep that in mind when making your selection!