Wedding day details are such an important part of every wedding! As my couples plan their wedding, there are so many details that they put together to make their wedding unique to them, and their story. As a wedding photographer, it’s my job to document all of these gorgeous details! This way my couples can always remember these small touches, for years to come. One of the most essential items you need on the wedding day, as a photographer, is your Wedding Styling Kit. This is going to ensure you are capturing all of these details, and styling them to perfection!

What Is A Wedding Styling Kit

A styling kit is my “toolbox” of essentials I bring with me to style wedding detail photos in the morning. My styling kit ensures I’m prepared to assist my couples in creating beautiful wedding images. From invitations and shoes to dresses and bouquets, these little things can truly help curate beautiful detail photos for your couples to WOW them with your skills.

For a while, I would show up and style the details with whatever was available in the bride’s getting ready room. But I was finding myself falling flat due to not having consistency or the vision I wanted to correspond with the wedding day. I was often left with very few options to create the elegantly styled photographs that I wanted for my brides and grooms!

So rather than leaving it up to chance, I have worked in crafting a Wedding Styling Kit filled with items that would help highlight and feature all the brides’ details! Every item in my Wedding Styling Kit is so useful, and really make your wedding day go so much smoother. This is especially essential if you have a tight timeline, and need to get these detail shots fast! Let’s unpack my kit!

  

Inside My Wedding Styling Kit

A Clean Invitation Suite

First things first: I encourage my brides to bring a clean set of their wedding invitation suite, even the envelope! This way I can ensure we have a new, clean, and unwrinkled invitation suite that will really pop in photos.

Rollable Styling Mats

I absolutely love my mats from Olive And Oak! This is my favorite thing in my 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 I bring with me a double-sided rollable mat that will correlate with your wedding day details. I love the consistency I have now in all of the wedding details, this gives a clean feel for the gallery! Olive And Oak have so many to chose from – including a ton of colors and textures. This way you always have the perfect color to match your couples’ color palette.

Acrylic Blocks

These are one of my favorite tools to keep your invitation suites balanced. It also allows me to create dimension and hierarchy in the flatlays. I prefer using clear acrylic blocks, since they allow light to pass through, and don’t create a heavy shadow. Plus, you can easily stack them for a variety of layouts!

Ribbons & Spools

I always carry a variety of ribbons and spools in different colors. These can add texture and color to any flatlay. Plus, it can be a fun prop to place the ring on top of!

Velvet Ring Boxes

I love these beautiful little velvet boxes from The Mrs. Box. They really help showcase the rings and give you a very classy ring shot. There are so many color options, so I recommend getting one or two neutral colored ones to start out with, and add more as you shoot more weddings. I love the Antonia Classic and The Georgie Bevel.

Wax Seal Stamps

This is a simple detail that adds elevation for the stationery items.

Veil Material

I always bring some tulle with me, to replicate the bride’s veil. This adds some texture to the detail photos, and always looks so nice. Unless the bride would like me to use her veil due to the detail work on the veil or sentimental value.

Ring Dishes

I love to use these for the actual rings themselves, or to have a place to show off the florals! I have quite a few in my collection and am always looking out for new ones at shops or vintage stores.

Scissors

This can act as a detail item in the flatly design themselves, but I also encourage you to have a pair handy just in case you need to snip a price tag off a bracelet! I always have at least one pair of scissors, often two, just in case.

The “On brand or on location knickknacks”

These are little pieces that add to the story of the day. This can include champagne or wine corks, stationary props, and anything hand calligraphy. I also have a beautiful gold antique hanger that I bring if the color scheme for the wedding day includes gold.

Personal Bridal Details

I always try to incorporate extra details from the wedding itself, anything to add to the story. Before the wedding day, make sure to ask your couple to have any personalized items ready to go that morning. To make things even easier, I tell them to hand this off a bridesmaid or the Maid of Honor, so the couple doesn’t even have to think about it and remember.

My 100mm Macro Lens

Of course, I can’t forget my 100mm Macro Lens! This makes sure I get clear detail shots, that show every little sparkle.

Little Details Make A Big Difference!

I can’t stress enough that we use these details sparingly and we don’t use them at every wedding. When we can, we always try to use the details our couple has provided on their wedding day, or details from the environment we’re in. But when we’re in a pinch, carrying a Wedding Styling Kit has made a huge difference in the quality of the images we produce on a wedding day! This is also such an essential kit for styled shoots. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, @andreacooperphotography,  so you can see my Wedding Styling Kit in action!