Planning a wedding can be overwhelming and extremely time consuming. You’re constantly thinking about all these tiny details, and yet I feel like a lot of people overlook the importance of their getting ready time and space.
It’s literally the beginning of your wedding day. It sets the tone for the vibe and flow of your day, and I firmly believe that having a well-organized yet totally laid back getting ready experience is essential to a stress-free day overall.
Why? Because it’s when the nervous energy starts kicking in. Shit starts to get real when your friends and family arrive to get ready with you, when hair and makeup gets started – all of the hard work you’ve put into the day starts to come together. But when it really starts to sink in that this is happening (and maybe we’re just biased here) is when we, your photographers, get there. And the last thing we want you to do is start running around frantically trying to find things and get together when we get there. We want you to feel at ease and prepared so that we can jump in and get right to work capturing the day and all your little details that will kick start the documentation of the story of your day.
But I also want you to remember that THIS IS YOUR DAY! You can do whatever makes you feel your best. So if any of this feels like it’s just a little too much, ignore it. Take what serves you and leave what doesn’t.
So with all that being said, here are my tips and advice for making sure that your getting ready space and all your people are photo-ready and relaxed when we arrive.
Choose Your Getting Ready Space
Your getting ready space matters for reasons beyond just aesthetics. It affects your stress levels, your timeline, how comfortable everyone feels, and duh of course how your photos look.
But it doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to be in a hotel. Honestly, some of the most beautiful getting ready photos I’ve ever taken happened in cozy Airbnbs, family homes, city apartments, venue getting ready suites, and other spaces that felt like our couples belonged in.
Prioritize a Space That Fits Everyone Comfortably
This is probably the biggest thing people underestimate. It’s likely that in your space you’re going to have:
- hair and makeup artists and all their lights and kits
- your wedding party or friends
- family members
- photographers
- videographers
- flowers
- your outfits for the day
- a metric fuck ton of snacks
- emotional support iced coffees
- ALL the tote bags
So you’re going to need more room (and more bathrooms) than you think. Whatever you do, pick a place with lots of space.
Choose a Space That Matches the Feeling of Your Wedding
As I’ve already said, getting ready sets the tone for the day. So you might want to consider things like
- cool architecture
- fun colors and textures
- the types of furniture they have
- if the location is particularly meaningful to you
- the amount of character and “vibe” of the space
Your photos will feel more cohesive when your space feels like you and compliments your day.
Good Windows Never Hurt
Listen. I’m not saying you need a whole wall of windows (but also you don’t not need a whole wall of windows either). And natural light does make a difference in your photos. Good window light helps us capture a softer and more natural look in your photos. But honestly we always love a direct flash moment too if the space is darker.
Temperature Matters More Than You Think
This sounds dramatic, but if your getting ready space is too hot or too cold (usually it’s the too hot one though) trust me, you will NOT be a happy camper.
Lots of bodies moving around usually = hot. Hair falls faster. Makeup gets shiny. People get sweaty and overstimulated. Nobody wants to put on thick suits and long dresses while feeling like they’re trapped inside a greenhouse.
So start with a nice, well air-conditioned space even if it feels cold first thing. Just make it an excuse to put on cozy slippers or some warm wedding jammies. Your future self will thank you.
Make a Getting Ready Playlist
Silence makes people weird.
Putting together a getting ready playlist ahead of time helps the morning feel intentional and keeps the energy moving naturally. Whether you want things chill and ambient, bumpin Jersey Shore club vibes, nostalgic 90s, queer pop icons, early-2000s emo – trust me, the vibe matters.
And honestly? Some of my favorite candid moments happen when everyone is just singing and dancing around their friends while they’re getting their eyelashes glued on.
Put Together a Wedding Details Box
One of the easiest ways to make your wedding morning smoother is having all of your details gathered together ahead of time. The last thing I want you to be doing when we arrive is scrambling to find your jewelry, still wrapped, in the bottom of your tote bag and trying to remember where you put your shoes.
A details box (or bag) keeps everything organized and allows me to photograph your details quickly and efficiently so that I can get them back to you to be put on.
As a reminder, some things you might want to include are:
- 2 copies of your invitation suite
- Rings
- Hair pieces
- Veils
- Socks
- Shoes
- Jewlery
- Watches
- Lipstick
- Extra fabric from your attire
- Florals
- Wedding favors
- Polaroids
- Vow books
- Letters to each other
- Fragrances
- Belts/ suspenders
- Cuff links
- Ties
- Pins
- Family heirlooms
- Sunglasses
- Individual stamps
- Postcards
- Whatever is special to you!
Some couples love more styled flat lays with all the details arranged together, while others prefer more candid documentary-style detail photos woven naturally into the environment of the day. Neither is better. It just depends on the overall feel you want your gallery to have.
But regardless of whether or not you want a flat lay, having all your details gathered in one place makes a massive difference.
Get Your Attire Ready
Pretty please, steam dresses, suits, shirts, veils, and anything else that wrinkles before I arrive and ideally before hair and makeup is getting done. Because steaming clothing in a crowded room full of hot tools creates humidity. Humidity and freshly finished hair are not an ideal combo.
Once everything is steamed:
- remove garment bags
- remove tags/stickers
- take out pins
- hang everything up nicely
- keep them somewhere clean and safe until it’s time to get dressed
Coordinate with Morning Vendors
A smooth wedding morning is honestly just a giant group project where (ideally) everyone communicates well and shows up on time. So make sure you check in with your other vendors as well before the big day to confirm these things you might be forgetting. Let’s start with hair and makeup –
Hair and Makeup
Hair and makeup timelines almost always take longer than people expect. Most artists will build in buffer time, but you should throw in a little extra too when giving everyone their arrival times. You do not want your entire wedding day running behind before anyone is even dressed because someone showed up late and put the entire hair and makeup timeline on pause.
And for anyone who’s not getting any hair or makeup done, please for the love of the universe, tell everyone to shower before they arrive.
Floral Delivery
Your florist doesn’t know what you don’t tell them. So please make sure they know where and when to deliver your personal florals (bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, hair pieces, etc).
Otherwise we end up awkwardly waiting around for flowers or not getting them in a chunk of your photos – after you paid good money for them – because they didn’t know that they needed to be delivered to a house and not the venue.
Oh and one more very important tiny tip re: flowers – keep towels/ paper towels nearby so you can dry bouquet stems before holding them against your clothes and getting a nice big wet spot on them for photos.
Pack Your Oh Shit Kit
Nothing ever goes 100% smoothly on a wedding day. Just in my years of doing this I’ve seen shoe straps break, dresses rip, mom cut her arm and bleed all over the place, people feeling faint, wine spilling, veils come flying out every 30 seconds, makeup smudge from crying… you get the idea.
Having an emergency kit on hand can truly save the day. I always come prepared with a few things, but this other blog post I made has everything you could ever possibly need in your “Oh Shit Kit”.
The Final Little Details
Because I had no idea what else to call this section (true story), these are basically all of the other little seemingly silly but ultimately important details that I can bet you weren’t thinking of… until now!!
Remove Smart Watches and Hair Ties
Unless you genuinely don’t mind them in your photos, make sure you tell everyone beforehand to remove any smart watches, fitness trackers and hair ties from their wrists. These things aren’t “wrong,” but they do stand out in photos in a way that people often don’t realize until afterward. And anyway, It’s not that kind of day where you need to worry about those things unless medically necessary.
Empty Pockets Before Portraits
Phones, wallets, keys, sunglasses, and other bulky items can create big old pocket bulges in your fancy outfits. We do our best to remind everyone before portraits, but a quick pocket check beforehand never hurts.
Learn the Suit Details Ahead of Time
If anyone is wearing a suit and/ or tie, make sure at least one person in the group knows how to tie said ties, fold a pocket square, pin a boutonniere, and put on cufflinks (as necessary).
And while we’re here:
- only button the top suit button (on a standard two button jacket)
- remove the threads holding vents shut on the back of new suits
- remove any labels/ tags that are showing
These are tiny details, but they will make you look so much more put together in the photos. And again, knowing these in advance will make the process smoother.
Your Pre-Wedding Morning Photo-Ready Checklist
Okay, I know that feels like a lot, but here’s a quickie little checklist that I made so that you can copy it into your notes app or Google doc and keep on top of things!
The Space
- enough room for everyone
- good natural light
- comfortable temperature
- clutter minimized
- booked!
Details Box
- rings
- invitations
- vow books
- jewelry
- fragrance
- shoes/ socks
- accessories (tie, purse, pins, suspenders)
- sunnies
- makeup
- veil
- heirlooms
- loose florals
Attire
- steamed ahead of time
- out of garment bags
- tags/pins removed
- hung up nicely
Vendors
- hair and makeup timeline confirmed
- wedding party arrival times communicated
- florist knows delivery timing/ location
Emergency Kit
Final Touches
- remove smart watches/hair ties
- empty pockets
- remove sunglasses from heads
- suit buttons/buttonholes checked
- bouquet stems dried before portraits
Remember, even though I just gave you a whole bunch of tips for your getting ready space, it doesn’t need to feel perfectly curated to be beautiful. As long as you’re feeling laid back and enjoying the company of your favorite people, that’s really all that matters.
