What to Bring for Wedding Detail Photos
Your details are some of the first things that your photographer will take pictures of when they arrive on your wedding day! Your rings, your invitations, your jewelry - all of these small little pieces that you’ve carefully chosen are worthy of some special photos. They can be arranged in a styled flat lay if you have a lot of items, or even if it’s just one or two things that are extra important to you, they can still be captured by your photographer! Many wedding couples aren’t sure exactly what should be photographed as far as their details go, so that’s where this list should come in handy.
I always recommend putting these items all in one place ahead of time so that your photographer can easily grab them. You don’t want to be frantically searching the room for your shoes over here, rings over there, etc. Have a designated bag or shoe box to store everything!
Talk to your photographer to find out how much time they typically dedicate to detail photos so that you know how to structure your timeline and their arrival. Many photographers take 30 minutes - 1 hour depending on the number of details and styling involved.
And remember that if these photos aren’t that important to you, that’s ok! You absolutely do not need to gather all of these items or have your photographer take pictures of them. I work with plenty of clients who would rather I spend that extra 30 minutes getting pictures of them with their family and friends. (There are going to be hundreds of pictures of you in your wedding dress that day, if you don’t want a photo of it hanging on a hanger that’s fine 😂) But these photos are a nice addition to your wedding album if you have the time and interest in them!
I’ll start with the basic checklist, and then go into more detail with tips about some of the specific items. And again you don’t NEED everything on this list, it’s just meant to be a helpful guide to start your plans and you can determine which items are important to you.
Wedding Detail photos Checklist
Dress/suit
Hanger
Invitation + envelope
Program/other stationery
Rings (all rings)
Ring box
Jewelry (earrings, necklaces, bracelets, hairpieces)
Perfume/cologne
Watch
Cuff links
Tie
Pocket square
Shoes
Socks
Vow books
Wedding party gifts
Gifts/letters to each other
Something borrowed/something blue
Flowers (bouquet, boutonniere, loose florals)
Styling supplies
Dress/suit: If it needs to be steamed, make sure that’s done before the photographer gets there! I usually recommend doing it the night before if you can.
Hanger: Some people choose to purchase a personalized hanger with their name on it, but even if you don’t get one of those, just make sure to bring a NICE hanger. The cheap plastic one that your dress comes on is not a great look for photos.
Invitations/other stationery: If you want that classic flat lay look, the invitations are the centerpiece for those designs! Bring all parts of your invitation suite, including the envelope and RSVP card, and you can bring your Save the Date if you’d like as well. If you’ve got other stationery, like a program, menu, cards from your welcome gift bags, you can include those too.
Rings: Be sure to have ALL the rings together (engagement rings and wedding bands), in the getting ready room where the lead photographer will be arriving. It’s a good idea to have them cleaned before the wedding day if you can!
Ring box: If your rings came in a nice ring box it can be used in the detail photos, and some couples choose to buy a ring box specifically for the pictures! Etsy has a lot of great options, and even Amazon has some decent velvet ones.
Watch/cuff links/tie/pocket square: These can easily be photographed while you’re wearing them (and I often photograph them this way), but if you want them included with the rest of the detail photos just remember to put them aside before putting them on.
Jewelry: Whether you’re wearing a necklace, bracelets, earrings, a hairpiece or all of the above, jewelry adds some extra sparkle to your detail photos!
Perfume/cologne: If you’re wearing special perfume or cologne for your wedding day, especially if it’s in a cool bottle, this can be a nice addition to your detail pictures.
Shoes: If you’ve worn them before, clean them before the wedding day. When they’re on your feet no one is going to notice some smudges, but if you want these close up detail shots just make sure they’re clean.
Socks: If you’re just wearing plain black socks you probably don’t need a picture of them 😂, but I’ve seen all kinds of fun socks that are definitely worth a photo. Featuring favorite sports teams, pets, and even faces of the wedding couple!
Vow books: If you’re using vow books these are also great to include. Write your vows in them ahead of time 😂 Plenty of couples are still writing these the morning of the wedding which is totally fine, but you don’t want to be racing to finish them before handing the books to the photographer for photos.
Wedding party gifts: Not all gifts make sense for detail photos, but if they do they can be a fun addition to this part of the day.
Gifts/letters to each other: Some couples exchange gifts or letters to each other on the wedding day, so I always like to capture those if you have them!
Something borrowed/something blue: If you’re following this tradition on your wedding day, it’s a good idea to have the items included in your detail photos.
Flowers: I always love including bouquets and boutonnieres in detail photos, as well as any loose florals if your florist is able to provide them. The biggest thing to remember if you do want these in your pictures is to ensure the florist is dropping the flowers off at your getting ready location before your photographer needs them.
Styling supplies: Some photographers and wedding planners carry styling supplies with them to every wedding - they bring hand painted styling mats, a variety of colored ribbons, multiple ring boxes, vintage trays. I personally do not bring these - I lean more towards using items that the couple owns and things that are present at the wedding venue. But if you love those super styled flat lays, have a conversation with your photographer and wedding planner to see if they bring those supplies or if you should provide your own.
And then of course, bring any other special small items you’d like to include! If it’s a meaningful item to you, it’s a great to idea to have your photographer capture it during the detail photos.
