Planning a wedding can feel like a lot of little details all coming together. The first few months of the planning process is typically full of vendor bookings, big details, and conceptual planning. But as you get closer to your big day there becomes so many little things to think about. Here are 8 specific things to think about on the day of your wedding. These are things you don’t want to forget before your wedding day.

1. Gather the goods

If possible, collect all of your details before we arrive so that we can begin quickly and have more time for some “getting ready” shots of you and your girls! We recommend putting together a special box that has all of these things so that when we walk in the door you can simply hand this over and we can get started as soon as possible.

2. Extra elements

Sometimes, depending on the theme and “look” of the wedding day, there may be some extra elements that you could include when you gather your details. This could be a linen from one of your tablescapes or some ribbon that you used on bridesmaids gifts. Anything that has great texture and flows with the theme of the day would be wonderful to have as options for detail shots!

3. Keep all three rings

The most common detail that we have to hunt down when we arrive is the rings! Moms, officiants, or planners sometimes tell you to hand over your wedding band to the best man before the day begins. However, it’s actually better to hand it over during the bridal party portraits (later in the day) so that we can shoot some great ring shots at the beginning of the day! If you forget, no worries, we’re clearly experts at this point at finding the elements we need.

4. Bring the bouquet

Don’t forget the bouquet! Have the bouquets and boutonnieres delivered to the bridal suite before the first look so that you can have your bouquet in your portraits. No worries if it’s hot–we’ll be sure to keep it in water as much as possible before the ceremony!

5. Add relax time to your timeline

When you’re planning a wedding day timeline, the best advice I could give is to ADD CUSHION TIME! Sometimes the most simple things can take an extra 20 minutes and then all of a sudden, the whole morning is thrown off. We have seen “getting the bride in her dress” take almost 40 minutes because of room logistics. It’s a smart idea to add in an extra ten minutes here and there so that we have some wiggle room to work with! This way, if one part of the day gets thrown off by 20 minutes, we can help you compensate for that time in other areas.

6. Travel time

Be sure to think about the travel time and TRAFFIC to and from your getting ready location, your ceremony venue, and your reception venue! Also, consider planning out who is doing the driving, how certain details are being transported, etc.

7. Hair and make-up

We typically don’t do a lot of shooting until you are about 90% ready (because who wants pictures without any make-up on?!) So, while we know you want to be fresh for your day, we still recommend you go near the middle during your line-up of hair and make-up. This ensures you look good when we arrive AND if anything is running behind it won’t be you (the bride) who is last to get done up.

8. Groomsmen prep

If we have a second shooter for your wedding they will photograph the guys getting ready if they are getting ready in the same location as the bride. Be sure to let the groomsmen know exactly when they need to be in the suite getting ready.