Why You Need A Getting Ready Detail Checklist For Your Wedding Day

Getting ready details are often overlooked because in the grand scheme of things they don’t seem to be all that important. However, we love capturing your details because we know they play an essential role in telling the complete visual story of your wedding day.

Its honestly one of our favorite parts of the day because this is where we get into our rythmn and are able to visualize everything you’ve carefully chosen to represent your wedding colors/theme and all of the unique touches that reflect your style as a couple.

These photos are what enhance the look of your wedding and help all of your images flow consistently in your wedding album. With this in mind, here’s a quick glance into what this looks like on the wedding day, some helpful tips and as promised our “Details Checklist”.

When Lee and I arrive on the wedding day, we’ll usually come greet you, meet your family and your wedding party, and spend just a few minutes chatting before settling into photography-mode. Then, we take your getting ready details off to a well-lit, quiet location to start photographing them piece by piece.

It’s SUPER helpful if you can collect all your getting ready items in one place before we arrive on the wedding day, as this ensures we don’t miss something you want photographed, and it prevents you from having to think about gathering up details in the midst of getting ready with your family and friends.

Sometimes our couples aren’t quite sure what to include in their getting ready detail photos. If that’s you, this checklist should help give you an idea of items most commonly photographed during this part of the day.

To be clear, you don’t need to have EVERYTHING on this list, but it can still serve as a good starting point to work from, so give it a looksie!

The Checklist

THE DRESS/ SUIT COAT
This is usually the first detail we photograph, and it’s almost always one of our favorite shots of the whole day!

THE INVITATION SUITE
This can simply be the invitation you sent out to your guests or it can include a lot more! Sometimes couples include things like the dinner menu, save-the-dates, RSVP card, the ceremony program, and more! If it’s paper and it’s meaningful to you – let’s include it here!

THE FLORALS
You invested a lot into your blooms, let’s make sure we get some awesome photos of them!

Bonus tip! Ask your florist to deliver your bouquet and/or boutonnieres at the same time we’re arriving so they’re readily available to be incorporated into your detail photos. If these florals arrive shortly before the ceremony it is much harder to photograph them in detail, because by then the day is moving at a pretty fast pace!

Bonus tip #2! Ask your florist for a few extra bits of greenery or flowers and keep them with your getting ready details. These pieces can really add a lot to your detail photos and be a beautiful constant pulling everything together in your images,.

THE RINGS
Perhaps more than any other detail, the rings represent your union and commitment to one another. This in our opinion, is seriously special. Needless to say, these are our favorite details to photograph!

So do your best to remember to set aside all of your rings at one location to be photographed together. This will be our best chance all day to get stylized, frame-filling photographs of your rings,

THE ACCESSORIES
You put time and effort into choosing these pieces so let’s not forget about them! This can include things like earrings, necklaces, bracelets, hairpieces, ties, cufflinks, belts, pocket squares, watches etc.

If you or your person are wearing it, and love it, then include it!

THE SHOES
Soon you’ll be walking down the aisle in them, so let’s make sure they get their chance to really shine!

THE VEIL
Your veil deserves to be beautifully captured all on it’s own, but it can also make a perfect accent piece to pair with other details, helping to tie everything together in a cohesive way!

THE MEMENTOS
If there is anything not covered in this list, but it’s special to you or your person (maybe something handed down from the family, or a special keepsake given to you by a family friend) include those here as well!

THE GIFTS
If you are exchanging gifts with your wedding party, or with each other, let’s get photos of those too! This is also a good place to mention that if you and your person are exchanging letters on the wedding day, we’d love to photograph those as well!

I hope this list can help you prepare for your wedding day so that when the time comes we are able to capture all of the little details that help showcase your colors/theme and enhance the story of your day.

If you’re reading this and you’re interested in having us photograph your wedding, give us a shout! We love to meet new people (and if you can’t tell) we love photographing getting ready details too!

With all the love,

L+L

P.S. If you enjoyed this blog about a getting ready details checklist, make sure to check out our post about How to Pick the Perfect Ceremony Start Time for your Wedding Day! Interested in booking your wedding, or an intimate engagement session with your person? Give us a shout right here!

Lacey + Lee Photography is a wife-husband photography team based in Austin, Texas who specialize in creating bold, intimate and emotive wedding, engagement and elopement photography. Within the Austin Area they serve South Congress, East 6th, South Lamar, The Seaholm District, Mueller, Dripping Springs, Kyle, Hutto, Georgetown, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, and Bastrop. They also serve San Antonio, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Waco, Dallas, Houston, and any State or National Park you get to by plane, train or automobile. They are available for destination weddings, proposals, elopements and micro weddings.

Get in touch today for more detailed pricing!