Anyone who has lived through a wedding morning knows that any way you can save time on that important morning is a chance you should take! 😉 As photographers, we can’t stress enough how vital it is to prepare as much as possible before your wedding day so that your wedding morning is a total breeze!
We’re all about providing resources for other brides out there, both our own amazing C&L brides and other brides who are just as stoked about their wedding day! So, today we’re sharing the list we send our brides of all of the details we want them to have gathered in one place on their wedding morning… our list is printed in the beautiful Bridal Guide we send off to each of our brides after they book with us, but we wanted to share this list with our blog readers, too! Without further ado, here is what every wedding photographer wants you to have ready when they arrive on your wedding day!
Wedding gown & a beautiful hanger
Hang up your dress with a beautiful hanger so that your photographer can grab some stunning shots of just your dress before the day begins! We love Etsy for personalized hangers for wedding dresses… many shops let you personalize everything from the stain of the wood to the color of the bow on your hanger!
Veil or hairpiece
A beautiful wedding veil with some detailing is one of our favorite backdrops for detail shots… don’t forget to have this important detail waiting for your photographer! 🙂
Your Shoes
Whatever your style, be it Kate Spade flats with a bow, Valentino Rockstud pumps, or those ever-popular Badgley Mischkla heels, have them waiting! 🙂
All Three Rings
Yes… all THREE! 😉
Bouquet & Boutonniere
If you can have your bouquets and boutonnieres delivered to the location where you’re getting ready, that’s ideal for your detail shots! If not, your photographer can capture these photos later… but trust us, you want that bouquet included in your detail shots!
Perfume
You’ll always remember the scent you chose for this sweet day… plus, those bottles are just so darn pretty, aren’t they?!
Jewelry
Give us alllll the sparkle!
Entire Stationery Suite
Yes… everything! This includes an envelope, any special stamps, your RSVP card, the invitation, etc. We ask our brides to bring TWO copies of the invitation so that we can photograph the front and the back simultaneously, as well!
Gifts & Notes
If you and your groom are exchanging notes or gifts before your first look or before your ceremony, your photographer wants to photograph them! Nine times out of ten, photos of these sweet notes and unopened gifts end up in our brides’ albums, too, which we absolutely love.
Old, New, Borrowed & Blue Items
Whether it’s your mama’s pearl bracelet or the blue handkerchief you know you’ll be making good use of all day long, your photographer wants to include these items in your detail images!
. . .
Typically, we recommend that our brides place everything in their shoe box because it’s super convenient, but if there’s not enough room there, a bag or plastic box will do the trick, too!
So, to sum it all up, here’s a little list of everything to have ready for your photographers when they arrive on your wedding day:
shoes
garter
perfume
all jewelry
bouquet & boutonniere
all THREE rings
veil / hair pieces
dress & pretty hanger
2 copies of your invitation suite (invitation, envelope, and anything else included when you sent off your invitations)
old, new, borrowed & blue items
gifts & notes to each other
Did we remind you about something you might’ve forgotten to have ready for your photographer on your wedding day? 😉 We want to hear about it, so leave us a comment below and let us know if this was helpful for you guys!
