Education
For a while, we would show up and style the details with whatever was available in the bride’s getting ready room. But as you can imagine, no two rooms are created equal and we were often left with very few options to create the elegantly styled photographs that we wanted! So rather than leaving it up to chance, we decided to craft the ultimate Wedding Styling Kit filled with everything we need to capture our brides’ details to perfection! We’re so excited to use this kit throughout the upcoming season and we hope that today’s post inspires you to create one of your very own!
What’s In Our Wedding Day Styling Kit
1) Styling Boards: This is the first and increasingly necessary of all the items in our kit! How many hotel rooms have you visited that are filled with limited surfaces to photograph the details? (Chairs that clash with the bride’s color palette or side tables that are simply too small for a full display of the invitation suite!? Been there, dealt with that!) Now we carry a bag of double-sided boards covered in neutral fabrics and one with a marble pattern surface just incase we run into a situation like this. If you’d prefer not to carry boards with you, we’ve also styled invitations and other details on the fabric of a bridesmaids dress! Just be aware that some dresses may leave a slight color cast on your detail photographs, which is why we generally prefer a neutral linen or fabric.
2) Command Hooks: These have been a life saver at a few of our weddings in the past when we have struggled to find a good place to hang the dress! Simply attach, hang the dress, and shoot. Once you’re done, they remove without leaving any damage to the wall so they are perfect for use in hotel rooms and on exterior surfaces!
3) Dental Wax: This may sound like a super odd thing to carry in our kit – but it can make your ring shots go from a 10 minute struggle with stacking the rings, to a two second simple task, so that you can get back to focusing on your photography and less about the balancing act on that bouquet or invitation card.
4) Assorted Silk Ribbon: We love to carry an assortment of silk ribbons to create movement in detail photos. We stick to neutral colors that we know will complement any wedding day colors!
5) Wooden Hangers: We ordered a pack of these earlier this year to have “just incase” we arrived to find the gown and bridesmaid’s dresses on a plastic hanger! A gorgeous gown deserves to be displayed beautifully for that heirloom photograph and having a wooden hanger on hand is a great way to ensure you won’t have to worry! Be sure to purchase hangers with small divets and without a wooden bar across the center.
6) Wax Seals: We a set of 10 gold wax seals with a floral bundle as the design for a neutral touch to add to any invitation suite.
7) White Envelopes: Because we often use natural light to photograph the bride’s details, we bring a envelopes to use as a reflector with us for the first portion of the day for ring shots and other jewelry detail shots. White envelopes can also be used to layer invitation suites a little more if need be.
8) Vintage Stamps: Having a wide range of colors of vintage stamps can make your invitation detail shots come to life! It adds character and helps tell a story.
9) The Extras: All those little pieces that you don’t need but accumulate just incase the perfect opportunity presents itself! We especially love: wine corks, stationary props, and hand calligraphed gift tags.
A few weeks ago, we shared How to Photograph Your Wedding Day Details and today’s post is written to take those tips one step further and refine your detail shots even more! If there are items you bring with you for your wedding styling kit – be sure to share them in the comment section below!