My entire life, I’ve heard the saying, “it’s all in the details” but what does that mean exactly? I believe it means the tiniest touches make the biggest impact. What better day for this saying to ring true, than on your wedding day. Your wedding details are the sentimental, emotional and often the most forgotten parts of the day. Some of the best memories we have are awakened by the aromas we breathe in. Smells transport us to childhood memories, vacations, places we’ve been, etc. Imagine flipping through your wedding album, seeing a photo of the perfume your spouse wore on your wedding day and reliving your first glance at each other, on that day. How special the moment was and how a little photo could stir up so many forgotten memories of the busy day.

Here’s a few items on the details list, just know these are the most popular items I’ve photographed. You don’t need to provide all of these items, however the more I have, the more photos you’ll receive back.

Here’s the list:

For the Bride: Dress + veil, custom hanger, any jewelry the Bride is wearing, wedding rings (his and hers), invitations, other paper goods (programs, menus, etc., this is anything on paper you’ve sent your guests), perfume, shoes, anything old, borrow, blue, hairpiece, bridesmaids’ dresses (if Bride prefers a photo of all dresses together), bouquet (ask your florist for the extra broken pieces of your flowers as well.)

For the Groom: Tie or Bowtie, Groom’s shoes, cufflinks, any special alcohol, watch, belt, specialty socks

When you choose me as your photographer, I gift you with a free hour of photography on your wedding day just to ensure we have time for detail shots. Yes, it’s that important to me for every Bride to photograph their wedding details. This is something I didn’t have when I was married and I regret now. I’ve been married going on ten years, so trust that I have a sense of what will be missed down the road if we don’t take the present time to do things correctly.

When I arrive, the first thing I start to photograph is the venue. I capture the whole setting. If your venue has a sign, I try my best to get a photo of it. The front of the venue is a must, along with a distant shot that includes the sky. I strive to shoot the venue at all angles so you can choose your favorite shot.

Photographing the Venue

My next step is to move on to the Bride’s dress. This can take a chunk of time since sometimes it requires me to move furniture, balancing on unsteady ledges or wobbly stools. Plus, the dresses are delicate and require slow movements with bunched up material and long trains. This part looks easy but there’s a lot of breath holding, clasped hands and whispered prayers that the dress stays in place. If time allows, I like to move the dress around to a few nice locations and give the Bride options for the wedding album. If you haven’t learned, by now, I’m all about options. However, if you’re the kind of Bride that knows exactly where and how you want the dress, please let me know. I’ll accommodate your wish. Hanging dresses from the stairway is a popular choice but I love the front or back of doors. It gives a clean, classy look.

Photographing the Wedding Dress

Pinterest boards are always welcome with me! I love knowing exactly what you want and what you expect in your photos. A picture is worth a thousand words and getting exactly what you envisioned is priceless! This photo here is the only time I’ve been able to photograph the Bride with her dress. Mainly because the bridal room is too cluttered or the timeline didn’t allow for extra photos. One thing I stress to every Bride is to have an area of your bridal room clear for photos.

By this point, in the hour timeframe, I only have thirty minutes left and I need every bit of that time. This is where I move on to photograph the “details.” Your details can look as simple or as fancy as you wish. I like to work with two different styles when working with details. One style is with my marbled design matt, you see here, in the photo. What you don’t see, is that this is a piece of rolled up, marble style display I have laid out on top of the wooden porch. This wedding was an upscale, classy wedding, so I wanted the style of details to match the “theme.” The second style I like (and prefer to use) is the natural elements. I do this a lot with country theme weddings. I mix the details in with the surroundings around me. I’ve found most Brides prefer this style but again, I like to offer options.

I began the process by photographing all the invitations and rings as a whole….one big group. I include everything I can in one photo. Maybe a few more photos at different angles. Then I slowly remove items and photograph the stationary in smaller groups. If you communicate with your florist, often times, they will provide you extra pieces of your florals they didn’t use. Photographers LOVE these small pieces to work with and add to the photos. Sometimes, these little pieces give the look a little extra pop.

Photographing the Invitations & Rings

Shoes! Yes, the shoes! Don’t leave those out. It’s all the details. I’ve even photographed sneakers.

Photographing the Shoes

Now for the most anticipated photos are the ring shots! I photograph the rings with every single thing I can. These are so much fun to play with and rings in the bouquet are a must!

Photographing the Rings

Let’s not forget to focus on the Groom’s details as well. So often the Groom is left out and all the focus is on the Bride. I call for a change and always try to include the Grooms as much as possible. It’s his wedding day as well.

Now most of my wedding days, I don’t see the cake until the reception…..but having it arrive early is always good for us photographers.

Photographing the Cake (If It Arrives In Time)

I hope I’ve given you some insight on what details are. These almost seem pointless on the wedding day but they really give your wedding album LIFE! The details will show the full story of what your day entailed and have everyone feel like they haven’t missed a thing, as they flip from page to page of your wedding album. If you’d like to see more examples of this click here https://paulashtonphotography.com/portfolio

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