So What's the Big Deal with Flat Lays & Detail Images for Your Wedding?
I’m 100% positive that I’ve had clients before who wondered if they maybe even needed detail images? Well the answer is that this is all up to you as my client. What’s most important for me is that I’m capturing what you’d like for your day. I will say most people choose to at least have a few details photographed since it can be a special and sentimental piece to add to the wedding album! However if these are extremely unimportant to you then there is absolutely no obligation to have these included as part of the day.
As far as what you need to do for me:
Have the details ready to go before I even arrive in a small box, shoebox, or bag like a little gift bag. This makes it convenient and easy for me to grab your items and begin photographing right away!
I tend to take a more casual approach to these images and like to incorporate special details and textures from your wedding venue when possible to make them authentic to the day! I sometimes will bring a simple surface or a ring box for details but other than that I’m not going to bring a ton of props. If you’d like any props in your images, please supply them! Special engraved ring boxes or trays can be a really sweet touch to your images.
If your invite is double sided, please supply two copies! Please also include your envelope and a copy of any special stamps you used.
My FAVORITE prop that I like to incorporate in these would be florals, if you’d like this in your images, please touch base with your florist to see if they will provide any extra blooms and have a small vase ready to go next to the box or bag of details! If this doesn’t end up happening it’s totally fine and I can always forage some greenery or florals from outside.
If you’d like a special hanger for your dress please provide this.
Here is a list of things that people typically include in their details:
Dress, Florals, Rings, Invitation Suite, Vow Books, and Special Stationery, Shoes, Jewelry, Tie or Bowtie, Boutineer, Cuff Links, and any other special or sentimental items.
As far as how I go about these images..
I typically will begin with your dress and get some simple detail images of your dress hanging within your getting ready room. I prefer not to take the dress outside unless it will be hung on / against the building or a solid backdrop or window. In my experience shooting weddings, a dress hanging from a tree tends to look a little out of place and almost “like a ghost”. It looks much more natural beautifully draped against the walls of your getting ready space as you get ready around it.
From here I will move on to a “bridal details” flat lay, a “groom details” flat lay, and a “invitation suite” flat lay that sometimes incorporates your rings if they are available. I’m not a big fan of one big detail image with everything as I feel it can be very distracting and confusing. I like close ups and simple minimal detail images mostly focusing on the important and special touches you’ve chosen to be photographed and paired into smaller groupings that make sense.
I hope all of this info was helpful for planning this portion of your day and make it a breeze / barely something you have to think twice about!
As you can see in the image on the left, one other prop I will sometimes bring for beach / coastal weddings is seashells! This is because I know you may not have a chance to forage something like this before your wedding and it’s a great simple way to tie in the venue for the day!