Hey photographer friends! Welcome back to our Photography Blog, Mastering the Wedding Photography Biz with Hunter and Sarah! We know that not every wedding couple will supply you with a huge selection of high-end wedding details, but you still want to produce beautiful detail photos! So today, we’re sharing our secret for how we capture beautiful “getting ready details” during ANY wedding day!

 

 

How ALL Our Weddings Seem to Have High-End Wedding Details

We remember what it was like in the early days of our career. We wanted so badly to be able to fill our portfolio with high-end wedding details. We dreamt of beautiful invitation suites surrounded by expensive shoes and gorgeous florals. Plus, all of the smaller details that made detail photos really POP, and feel like they were from a high-end wedding.

 

Yet week after week, we would show up to getting ready suites, ready to capture those details, only to find that our couples didn’t care as much about those things. Sure, our bride would let us borrow her shoes and her engagement ring. And if we were lucky, she had read our prep emails and knew to have her invitation suite. But there’s only so much you can do with JUST an invitation and a pair of shoes!

 

Pretty soon, we figured it out! Yes, we were preparing our couples in advance by asking them to bring ALL of their details to the getting ready suite (here). But most of our couples didn’t have any high end details to bring us. And if we wanted future couples to desire these kinds of images, we’d have to fill our portfolio with high-end wedding details. But how could we get those images if our current couples didn’t provide those details?! Well… we bought our own!

 

 

Our High-End Wedding Details Box (aka Our “Bride Bag”)

Now, don’t be intimidated by the size of this box! It started as a much smaller canvas bag with just a single flatlay and a few ring boxes. But over time, we purchased more and more high-end wedding details and replaced our oldest items with newer, trendier items.

 

And this investment was well worth it! It instantly elevated our portfolio and mad every wedding we photographed look more and more high-end. But it also inspired couples who saw these types of images on our website! Before we knew it, we had couples bringing their own ring boxes and dishes, or supplying plenty of details unique to them!

 

 

So here’s everything that we keep in our “Bride Bag”, that we can pull out on a moment’s notice to incorporate into our detail photos.

 

1. Flatlays (Detail Photo Backdrops) in Multiple Colors

One of the hardest parts of photographing high-end wedding details is what to photograph them on. For years we just used whatever surface was available in the suite. Sometimes we even used a bridesmaid’s dress! But sometimes these backgrounds could be distracting, or only available in rough light.

 

So one of our first investments was in a few hand-painted canvas flatlays. We purchased them locally, but have seen similar ones all over Etsy. We purchased them in three colors: neutral grey, warm grey/tan, and light green. We figured that almost any wedding’s color scheme would fit with one of these three backdrops, and almost every image in this blog was photographed one one of those three flatlays!

 

 

One thing we underestimated with the first few flatlays we purchased (these are round 3) was how much size we’d need. These backdrops are BIG! At 27″x36″, they’re big enough for even the most complex invitation suites and detail layouts!

 

 

2. Ring Boxes and Ring Dishes

The next thing that we use on almost every wedding day are ring boxes and ring dishes. We started with a few velvet boxes in really simple colors: blue, blush, and ivory. However, over time we’ve purchased additional colors and shapes and size. Now, we have at least 20 ring boxes with us on any given wedding day! Plus, ring dishes in gold, silver, and white.

 

 

It’s really helpful to have some boxes with slots for a single ring, and others with two or even three slots! Sometimes, it’s earrings or cuff links that end up in or on these boxes. It’s also nice to have square boxes but also pentagonal shapes and round boxes too. And occasionally… we’ll get a little funky!

 

And by the way, don’t just use the bottom and set the top aside! The tops of the boxes make great place to rest florals or other details that don’t fit so easily in boxes.

 

 

3. Ribbon, Spools, and Ribbons Scissors

Another detail that can really elevate your imagery is ribbon. Plus, the spools and ribbon scissors (like these or these) that come with them! Just like ring boxes, we have all sorts of different ribbon colors and textures in our bag, which come in handy on different wedding days.

 

 

Plus, some petite ribbon scissors or wrapping the ribbon around a spool can add some class to your high-end wedding details!

 

 

4. Stamps and Wax Seals for Envelopes

Another thing we realized pretty early on was that the addressed-side of envelopes look pretty plain without any stamps. Plus, the opposite side can also look pretty simple without a seal! So we purchased a set of wax seals in a variety of colors, plus a few of the wooden stamps that you would use to create those wax seals.

 

 

And don’t just put a Forever Stamp with the American flag on those envelopes! 😂 We purchased a set of faux-antique stamps in every color, and keep them organized by shade. That way, any unstamped envelopes can find a buddy that will match the overall colors of the wedding!

 

 

5. A Carrying Case to Keep It All Organized

Finally, don’t forget that you’ll need something to keep all of this organized! While our “Bride Bag” is technically a sewing kit (and not a bag), we’ve found that it’s perfect for keeping track of all our high-end wedding details! We purchased one for around $30, then added on a second a few years later when our details were more than we could carry! Now, we have 5 compartments that we carry into the suite with us on each wedding day

 

And don’t forget about a durable document tube to keep your flatlays from getting all crumpled up in the backseat of your car!

 

 

Bonus for High-End Wedding Details: Don’t Forget About the Florals!

Now the final trick to shooting high-end wedding details is unfortunately something you can’t bring with you: flowers! However, one of the things we learned very early on is that if we ask nicely, we can usually get them. Most of the time, just coordinating with our couple and/or the wedding planner is enough. We just need to let them know what time we’ll be shooting details, and we often have a handful of loose flowers and greenery waiting for us!

 

But even if it isn’t arranged in advance, often the florist is on the property while we’re shooting details. We just find them and ask if they have a few extras we can use! Most of the time, we can usually get enough florals or greenery to help our images really stand out.

 

Just make sure you have a good pair of garden shears with you, so you can easily cut the heads off of those stems! One pair stays in our “Bride Bag” at all times.

 

 

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