What to have ready before your wedding photographer arrives — a Calhoun, GA field guide.

There is a part of every wedding day that almost no one talks about: the first twenty minutes after the photographer walks into the bridal suite. It’s where I shoot detail photos — the dress, the rings, the shoes, the bouquet, the invitation suite. It’s also where about an hour of usable photo time gets gained or lost depending on what’s already staged. Here’s the list I send my brides two weeks before every wedding.

Here’s the part nobody mentions: when I show up to a wedding and have to spend the first twenty minutes hunting around for the rings, the bride’s grandmother’s earrings, and a clean spot to lay the invitation suite — that’s twenty minutes I can’t spend photographing your mom buttoning the back of your dress. Stage it before I arrive and you buy yourself an extra hour of usable photo time. No exaggeration.

Have these fifteen items in one spot when I walk in.

Pick a clean corner of the bridal suite — ideally near a window with soft natural light. A folded towel on a side table makes a perfectly good “set” for detail photos. Have these things ready in that one spot:

1. Both rings (or at least the engagement ring)

Engagement ring, wedding band, his band, both heirloom rings if you’re using them. In one small dish or on the towel. Cleaned the night before, not three weeks ago — the macro shots will see every fingerprint.

2. The invitation suite

The full set: the invite, RSVP card, envelope with calligraphy, any pretty inserts. Even if you’re past the RSVP window, save one full set for the photos. It anchors the gallery to the day’s design.

3. Your shoes

Both pairs if you’re switching for the reception. Out of the box, ribbons or buckles tied, ready to be photographed.

4. Your bouquet (and any boutonnieres or corsages)

Usually delivered by the florist that morning — coordinate with them so it’s at the bridal suite when I arrive, not at the ceremony site.

5. Your jewelry — every piece

Earrings, necklace, bracelet, any heirloom pieces. In a small dish or on the towel. If your earrings have backs, leave them attached so I can photograph the full set.

6. Your perfume bottle

Yes really. The shape and label of the bottle matters — it ends up in many of my favorite detail shots, and ten years from now you’ll remember what you wore by smelling it again.

7. The dress (on a hanger that doesn’t ruin the photo)

Plastic hangers ruin photos. If your dress came on a velvet or wooden hanger, use that. If not, ask your venue if they have one — most do. The dress should be hanging somewhere with good light, ready to photograph as the first thing I shoot.

8. Your veil

Steamed and ready. Often hung next to the dress, sometimes laid out separately.

9. A garter (if you’re wearing one)

Worth a single detail shot.

10. Vow books or letters

If you’re handwriting your vows, have the books ready. If you wrote each other letters, have those too — opening them on the morning of the wedding is one of the best moments to photograph.

11. Anything sentimental

Your grandmother’s handkerchief. Your dad’s pocket watch. The locket your maid of honor gave you last night. The photo of your late grandfather you’re going to carry. Bring these into the same staged spot — they almost always become the most quietly meaningful photos in the gallery.

12. The cake topper or any custom signage

If your cake topper is being delivered to the venue, fine. If it’s at the bridal suite with you, hand it to me.

13. Your “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”

If you’re doing this, have the four items together. They photograph beautifully as a tiny grid.

14. The marriage license

Yes. Not pretty, but it’s a useful frame in the gallery — a quiet shot of the license alongside the rings.

15. Snacks and water

This one’s not for me — it’s for you and your bridesmaids. The number of brides I have watched almost faint at the altar because they hadn’t eaten since 8 AM is too high. Have something light staged in the bridal suite.

A photographer who arrives to a staged bridal suite gets you photos that look like an editorial. A photographer hunting for the rings gets you a gallery that’s twenty minutes shorter.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen, gently briefed.

Most of the chaos in getting-ready photos isn’t from the bride — it’s from the bridal party. Phones face-up on the bed, takeout bags on the floor, makeup spread out on every surface, half-empty mimosas on the dresser of the photo I’m trying to compose. None of that ruins the day. All of it ruins the photos.

Two soft requests I make every wedding:

1. Phones face-down or in a basket during my coverage. They become tiny screens in every wide shot otherwise.
2. One designated “tidy spot” — a corner where takeout, drinks, and personal stuff can pile up out of frame. Pick this when you arrive at the bridal suite, not when I’m already photographing.

I’m gentle about asking. I don’t make people feel bad. But the difference between a getting-ready gallery that looks editorial and one that looks like a slightly chaotic Saturday morning is whether your bridesmaids know about these two things in advance.

The groom’s side, briefly.

Groom-side getting ready photos are usually neglected, and I think they shouldn’t be. Here’s a tiny version of the same checklist for the guys:

• Both rings (if not staged with the bride)
• The full suit on a real hanger — not in the dry-cleaner bag on the floor
• Tie or bow tie, pocket square, cufflinks, watch — laid out together
• Shoes, polished, out of the box
• Boutonniere
• The vow book or letter from the bride if you’re doing them

That’s it. Twenty minutes of detail and getting-ready coverage on the groom’s side reads as effortless if these six things are in one spot.

The morning-of message I send my brides.

About 6 AM the morning of every wedding, I send a short text that says: “Good morning! Today’s the day. Quick reminder — please have the dress, rings, invitation, shoes, jewelry, bouquet, and vow book staged in the bridal suite when I arrive. See you soon.”

That message has saved approximately every wedding I’ve shot. Print this list out, pin it to the inside of the wedding planner, and you’ll be ahead of half the brides I’ve ever worked with.

If you have a question about a specific item — or whether something heirloom-y you’re not sure about belongs in the photos — text me before the wedding. I’d rather we talk it through than have you wonder.