5 Preparation Tips
The Week leading up to Your Wedding
After months (or years!) of preparation, your wedding is only a week away! There are only a few small tasks left to do, which will enable your wedding photographer (me) to capture each portion of your day in a timely and efficient manner. Keeping your timeline on track and maximizing your contracted hours will ensure you receive the dream wedding album that you are envisioning.
*If you have booked my unlimited hours package, you can skip these steps, sit back and relax – we will have more than enough time on the day to capture all the images you heart is yearning for!
your "details box"
Wedding Flat Lay images are a special and sentimental way to remember the small, delicate details and hard work that went into your wedding. As a wedding photographer, these are some of the sweetest memento shots I’ll take during the pre celebration portion of your day. Here is all the information you will need on preparing your Details Box and what to expect!
Q: What is a Wedding Flat Lay Photo?
A: It is a bird’s eye shot of the small details that embody the day to come – from your wedding invitation or save the date, to the rings, these cinematic images are a romantic prequel of what’s to come.
Q: What is a Details Box?
A: It is a box that I request my brides to have set aside and ready for me upon arrival on the wedding day, so I can style and capture these images before moving onto the action shots! It will contain all the detail items required for your Wedding Flat Lay.
Q: What goes into a Details Box?
A: You can incorporate any small item into these shots, but these are the standard items I’d like to incorporate, and will play around with to create a few different Wedding Flat Lay looks:
THE BRIDE’S DETAIL BOX
-Your wedding and engagement rings (you can keep the ring on, I will borrow it from you!)
-Ring boxes
-Your wedding invitation or save the date
-Your wedding jewelry
-The perfume you are wearing on the day
-Your veil
-Your wedding shoes
-Your bouquet
-Bride heart glasses, or other favors you are using on the day
-Bride hanger
THE GROOM’S DETAIL BOX
-The groom’s shoes
-The grooms tie or bow tie
-Cologne he is wearing on the day
- Boutonniere or pocket square
-Cuff links
-Your wedding invitation or save the date
-Flask, cigars or any other celebration favors being used
*Having access to both the Bride’s and the Groom’s Detail Boxes at the same time is beneficial for a combination of details that embody the entire event – if possible!
Family Portraits – Shot List
This portion of the wedding day can move efficiently if you are prepared with a list of who you would like in each shot, from each side of the family. It is highly recommended to create a list of family members for each shot. Depending on the amount of family members attending the wedding, and which family members you would like to include, requesting your maid of honor/mother of the bride or groom (whoever knows the names and faces of your family members), to hold this list and shuffle each family member in and out of each picture. Being organized makes these portraits move smoothly. Here is a standard
Family Shot List that may be helpful:
Bride & Groom – with Bride’s mom and dad
Bride & Groom – with Groom’s mom and dad
Bride – with Bride’s mom and dad
Groom – with Groom’s mom and dad
Bride & Groom – with Bride’s immediate family (mom+dad+siblings)
Bride & Groom – with Groom’s immediate family (mom+dad+siblings)
Bride & Groom – with Bride’s mom + dad + grandparents
Bride & Groom – with Groom’s mom + dad + grandparents
Bride & Groom – with Bride’s grandparents
Bride & Groom – with Groom’s grandparents
Bride– with Bride’s grandparents
Groom – with Groom’s grandparents
Bride & Groom – with Bride’s extended family (mom+dad+siblings+grandparents+aunts/uncles/cousins)
Bride & Groom – with Grooms’s extended family (mom+dad+siblings+grandparents+aunts/uncles/cousins)
Huge Family Portrait – both sides of the family together, Bride & Groom front and center!
*I’m perfectly happy to assist in this coordination, and will be positioning your family members for the best outcomes.
Timeline Confirmation
I always set a call with my couples roughly 5-7 days out from the wedding, to go over the wedding questionnaire that I send out to them (which covers timeline, surprises, key events & moments, the style of documentation they are looking for etc.), and confirm all of the details of the day. I keep a copy of my client’s timeline with me and gently move us along to ensure each portion of their contracted hours reflect the images they are wanting. Timelines are important and confirming that your photographer can work through all of your requested images for each key event, while staying on time is essential to setting both the client and the photographers expectations.
It is ALWAYS recommended to leave time for intimate portraits, and any other very important image set you are wanting documented, as timelines can quickly be pushed back and you do not want to run out of time for key reception images you may want.
Send Your Inspo Pix
As a full-time Wedding Photographer, I come fully prepared with a ton of romantic, fun and out of the box ideas for my couples and their wedding party, however, if you are looking for a specific image from your Pinterest wedding board – please feel free to send it over! I will do my best to incorporate as many of your preferred images, as your timeline allows for.
If you have nothing specifically in mind, have no fear – this is an unnecessary step and I’ve got your day covered! If you are open to trying new and fun ideas, better yet!
The Night Before
A well rested bride is a happy bride! Grab take out, watch a movie, go to bed early – do all the rest things. Doing something fun, low stress and non wedding related will calm your nerves and settle your mind for the beautiful day ahead. You’ve completed your tasks and your vendors are ready to go to work for you and we’ve got you covered! See you tomorrow!