Now, I’m not making a checklist for the WHOLE day… this is just a checklist for the BRIDAL PREP TIME. I normally photograph the bride and the bridesmaids getting ready for about an hour and a half before the first look! This gives me time to shoot ALL of the bridal details WELL and still capture the girls getting ready together. After the details are done and we’re about 30 minutes away from the first look, I photograph the bride getting into her dress and the day begins!!  This bridal prep time is a GREAT time for me to get warmed up AND for the bridesmaids to get used to me being around. I know it’s VERY tempting for brides to cut this part short when they are only working with a certain number of hours but this time is VITAL. It’s important for ME to get warmed up, it’s important for the sake of your images and the story I’m telling through them and it’s NEVER a good idea to START rushed.  So an hour and a 1/2 minimum is what I suggest for bridal prep time!

After I arrive and give the bride a big “It’s your WEDDING DAY!” hug, I begin to get settled and these are the items I start looking for! I realize not EVERY bride is going to have ALL of these details…. these are just the most common items I shoot:

– DRESS (I also shoot any specialty hangers. HUGE TIP: Even if you don’t have a custom hanger, make sure you have a decent hanger for your beautiful gown. Your wedding dress deserves more than a plastic/metal hanger and believe me, having a classy wooden hanger makes a HUGE difference in your images. If you forget this, most hotels and venues have extra “nice” hangers in coat closets… I “borrow” them all the time!)

– RINGS (All 3 of them! Many times, the best man has the bride’s band at the start of the wedding day. I love getting the ring shots with all of the other detail shots and so I try to have my brides keep all of the bling with her until the bridal party is together after the first look! THEN the ring shots are done and the bands can go back where they belong!)

– VEIL & HAIRPIECES

– SHOES (Some brides wear heals but only for a few portraits and then they switch into something more comfortable. I’ve even had some brides have me take pictures of beautiful, uncomfortable heels that they NEVER even wore on their wedding day but man, they looked good in the album! How funny is that! Whatever works! :)

– EARRINGS (I asked brides to wait and put on ALL jewelry once their dress is on! It just gives me one more chance for some beautiful bridal shots!)

– NECKLACE

– OTHER JEWELRY

– KEEPSAKES (handkerchiefs, heirloom pins, something blue, etc)

– PERFUME

– INVITATIONS (and other stationary)

– BOUQUETS & BOUTS (If you’re sharing a FIRST LOOK…which I encourage all couples to consider, they are amazing!…. Then you need to have your bouquet delivered to wherever you’re getting ready so that it can be ready when you leave for portraits! )

– GIFTS (This can be gifts shared between the Bride and Groom or even just gifts that were given to the bridal party! I also make sure I photograph any letters that may have been exchanged between the bride and groom:)

– BRIDE’S CLUTCHPURSE

Hope this helps all of you brides out there as you prep for your big day!! Here are the items listed together:

-DRESS

-RINGS

-VEILS & HAIRPIECES

-SHOES

-EARRINGS

-NECKLACES

-OTHER JEWELRY

-KEEPSAKES

-PERFUME

-INVITATIONS

-BOUQUETS & BOUTS

-GIFTS

-PURSE OR CLUTCH