When planning your wedding, you spend so much time thinking about all the details. From choosing the invitations, accessories, florals, and more, you want everything to be a reflection of you and your love story!
As a wedding photographer, one of my favorite parts of the day is photographing details. Think of detail photos as the opening credits of your wedding day photography. These photos set the tone and overall mood for the rest of your gallery. Plus, they document the important details like where and when you’re getting married. Details also capture personal elements of a wedding, like family heirlooms (like grandma’s pearl necklace) or something blue or borrowed.
Generally, detail photos are one of the first things to be photographed on a wedding day. This lets the details have their moment while you finish getting ready. I highly recommend gathering all your detail items before the wedding day in a box so everything is together when your photographer arrives. If you do this you wont have to stop what you’re doing and stress about finding these things while getting ready.
If you’re wondering exactly what items should be included in these photos, I’ve got you covered!
The best items for wedding detail photos
Invitation suites & other printed items
Your invitation suite will usually be the focal point of your detail photos. Invitations help to establish a time and place for your wedding day and set the tone for the feel of your wedding gallery. If you don’t want to worry about having this on your wedding day, ask your photographer if you can mail them an invitation for your detail photos!
Extra Tip: If you’re hosting a destination wedding of any kind, add items like postcards, maps, or souvenirs from the location in with your details. This helps establish the feel of your destination and makes your photos just that much more personal.
Vow Books
Vow books are some of the most meaningful and sentimental items you will have on your wedding day! Whether your vow books are simple or more personalized, they will help emphasize the overall aesthetic of your wedding day. I’d recommend either writing your vows in your books the day before your wedding or the day of, after getting ready. If you’re writing in your vows in the books on your wedding day, be sure to tell your photographer so they can photograph you writing them, which is another element of telling the story of your wedding day that’s super important.
Rings
This one seems a little obvious, but you never know! If your ring needs a little bit of TLC before the big day, you can easily purchase a ring cleaning kit (here is my favorite and the one I purchased for my own wedding day) to make sure that your pieces all shine! If your ring came in a box that doesn’t fit your vibe, don’t worry, photographers like me carry nice ring boxes in a variety of colors for wedding detail photos!
Jewelry
Jewelry can be sentimental and fashionable, and is a great way to set the vibe of your wedding day! Great pieces of jewelry to include are earrings, necklaces, bracelets, watches, and even cufflinks. This in addition to your actual wedding rings helps tell the story of the day and show how much thought you put into the styling of your outfits!
Custom hanger
If you want to add a little more personality to those dress shots, think about a custom hanger! If you don’t want to get a custom hanger, no worries, as a wedding photographer, I always carry extra pretty hangers for any dress or suit shots!
Perfume or Cologne
If you or your partner have a signature perfume or cologne these are the perfect items to include in your detail photos! Not only do they create more dimension and interest in your images but the smell probably reminds you of your spouse! Having them photographed will add to the uniqueness of your detail shots!
Bouquets, Boutonnieres, or floral scraps
This one is so important and often forgotten about! Florals are a very important element in so many weddings! Have your florist include some of the scrap florals and greenery from your bouquet or other florals for your detail shots! These small pieces of florals add more texture and tie in the rest of your floral details in the images! Ask your florist to include these scraps for your detail photos!
Shoes
These are classic detail shot items and for a great reason! Wedding shoes are typically some of your best. Whether they are worn-in boots or your nicest heels they can say so much about you and your personal wedding style and you know I’m all about that!
Veils & accessories
Just like jewelry, accessories can be the perfect elements to include in your wedding day detail photos! These accessories can include veils, capes, special socks, handkerchiefs, and personalized jackets are perfect for this! These things might not be your super-typical wedding attire but if you are bold and unique enough to be wearing one of these let your photographer know so they can make your final gallery as unique as your wedding really was!
Heirlooms or sentimental items
These are some of my favorite items ever to photograph on a wedding day! Will you be wearing your grandmother’s ring along with the rest of your jewelry? Or do you have a photo of a loved one who will not be there to celebrate with you? Include those sentimental items in your detail shots so that you will have that memory for decades to come!
Those are my top 10 wedding details that you must have for your wedding day! Detail shots are some of my absolute favorites to photograph and if you would like to work together you can inquire about wedding photography here!
