The morning of your wedding will be buzzing, and a little chaotic (it always is). You’ve got hair and makeup vendors showing up and getting set up, you’ve got food spread out, music on and everyone is so excited because it’s WEDDING DAY!! You will have a million things on your mind – going over the day mentally, trying to remember to eat and drink water, checking on your dress, talking with your girls and soaking it all in! Then the photographer shows up. Most photographers will start by shooting your details so they’ll ask you where they are. I speak from experience when I say this • Have them together and ready to go•

The night before, or even a couple days before your wedding, get a box or a bag and put ALL your wedding details together in one place. It is honestly the EASIEST thing to just hand your photographer your details bag and your dress. Boom, done. Otherwise you have to stop in the middle of getting your makeup done to gather all of your things, or you have to ask a bridesmaid to help find it all among all the dress bags, overnight bags and general stuff that is scattered around the room. It also saves the photographer time back and forth if you forget to give them something the first time through. So let’s walk through all the details you should have prepped, packed and ready to go the morning of your wedding!

1. All 3 Rings

I cannot tell you how many times the bride will forget to grab the groom’s wedding band before the morning of the wedding. There’s so much emphasis on making sure the best man has the rings, that people often forget they need to be photographed first! haha

2. Shoes

You spend good money on your gorgeous wedding-day heels! We want to make sure we capture those beauties!

3. Invitation Suite

When I say “invitation suite” I mean ALL of your paper goods. The envelope, invitation, RSVP card, details card, escort cards and any other piece of paper you had designed.

4. Bridal Bouquet

Be sure to ask the florist to have your bouquets delivered that morning. It is also SUPER helpful if you ask the florist to provide a few loose blooms of whatever they used in the bouquet for detail styling. Trust me, your photographer will LOVE you for that.

5. Perfume

Did you buy a special wedding-day scent? We want to capture that too! Bonus if it’s in a pretty bottle like this elegant Chanel perfume!

6. Any Jewelry

If you are wearing any jewelry (other than your rings) on your wedding day, we want to photograph it! Earrings, necklace, bracelet, etc. Even if you have ANOTHER ring you are going to wear because it’s special or holds sentimental value, we want that too 😉

7. Wedding Dress + Veil

Everyone needs a beautiful photo of their wedding dress! Bonus tip: Get a pretty hanger for your dress! You don’t want that cheap plastic hanger to take away from how beautiful your dress is! It doesn’t have to be fancy with anything written on it, just a simple white wooden hanger is perfect.

8. Hair Comb or Accessories

This could be anything else that is included in your ensemble for the day! If you have something going in your hair like a comb or pearl pins; if you have something that will be pinned to your bouquet that is special and sentimental. This anchor pin was my late grandfather’s pin from the Navy that my dad gave me to have pinned on my bouquet along with one of his own pins from his time in the Marine Corps.