Checklist for Wedding Detail Photos | What to Have Ready

As you’re thinking about the perfect wedding pictures, you’re probably envisioning wedding portraits of you and your sweetheart. And those couples portraits are absolutely the heart and soul of an incredible wedding gallery! But I also love to tell the complete story of your day, with all the beautiful details that will bring back so many memories. Which is where wedding detail photos come in!

Capturing wedding detail photos are some of my absolute favorite parts of the day as your wedding photographer. I get to use a lot of creativity and artistry with these photos, and I find that they add such intimate details to your wedding photo gallery and help illustrate the story of your day.

If you choose to order a wedding album, these photos also add so many beautiful elements that can highlight and complement your portraits.

What to Include in Your Wedding Detail Photos

So, what do you need to have ready for your wedding detail photos? Exactly what you want to include is up to you, but here’s an easy checklist to give you some ideas. These are commonly included items that often hold a lot of memories!

Bridal Details Checklist

• Perfume
• Wedding Dress
• Bridal Veil
• Shoes
• Garter
• Jewelry (like earrings, necklace, etc.)
• Bouquets
• Flowers and Greenery
• Family Heirlooms

Groom Details Checklist

• Cologne
• Shoes
• Tie
• Pocket Square
• Watch
• Boutonniere
• Cufflinks or Tie Clip
• Flowers and Greenery or Other Natural Elements
• Family Heirlooms

Couples Details Checklist

• Wedding stationary (such as invites, save-the-dates, or wedding programs)
• Vow books
• Rings (be sure to include both wedding bands AND engagement rings!)
• Ring boxes or ring dishes
• Anything else that would add that extra layer of detail and memory to your photos!

When Do Wedding Detail Shots Happen?

I typically take wedding details photos first thing in the morning during the beginning part of my coverage during your wedding day, while you are getting ready.

So that you can feel prepared and know that everything will go smoothly, it’s helpful to gather all your bridal details together in one place before the photographer arrives (dress, jewelry, shoes, bouquet, garter, veil, etc.) This will make capturing those detail shots much more efficient, so that you can start getting dressed as soon as possible and feel prepared for your day!

How Do Wedding Detail Photos Work?

When photographing your wedding details, I like to start off with a layout photo that includes all of the items together. I feel like this really helps to tell the full story of your day and all the important details you’ve worked so hard on designing to create the magic and story of your wedding day!

Once we have some beautiful layout shots, I work on capturing more individual detail photos that highlight specific aspects of your day. For example, I’ll often do all the bridal details in one image, all the groom details in another, some photos of both your rings together on your wedding invite, a closeup of the bridal bouquet, the bride’s shoes with her wedding veil cascading down in the background, etc. If there’s a particular shot you’d love to include, just let me know!

Is There Anything Else I Should Have Ready for Wedding Detail Photos?

Aside from gathering all your items together, the other thing that helps the most is to make sure there is lots of natural light (window light) in the room where the bride will be getting ready. This is where I usually do the detail shots, and natural light makes a world of difference in your photos, I promise you!

Aside from that, all you have to do is enjoy the excitement of your special day! You’ve already done all the hard work of creating a gorgeous and magical wedding—right down to the last detail—and this is your moment to enjoy it. I’ll take care of capturing all those special elements so that you can continue to enjoy and remember them for years to come.

What to Do With Your Wedding Detail Photos

It’s easy to know what to do with portraits. There are so many options for framing them, including them in an album, creating a canvas or other special artwork, and gifting them to friends and family. But what exactly do you do with your wedding detail photos?

While images of your wedding details might not be the star of the show, they can really do a lot to add depth, interest, and memory to the couples portraits, wedding party shots, and family photos. Here are a few ideas for how you can use them:

As I mentioned above, wedding detail photos are beautiful scattered through an album to highlight your portraits and bring back all the memories of the setting and special items that made your day unique.

They’re also beautiful as background images, or as inspiration in the future for anniversaries and special dates as you celebrate your love story and keep the romance alive! (Check out my posts on ideas for a cozy date night in and date night ideas in Colorado Springs for more inspiration on that!)

And my personal favorite use for these wedding detail photos? They make the perfect cover photos for your wedding album! (You can learn more about my beautiful heirloom wedding photo albums here. These are included in the “I Love It” wedding package and can also be ordered a la carte.)

Whatever you choose to do with your wedding detail photos, know that they will be beautiful and add so much to your memories of this special day.

After all, it’s the details that make up every one of the moments and cherished memories of your life together!