If you’re planning a wedding, you’ve definitely seen them: the beautifully styled images of earrings, flowers, shoes, invitations, and rings that are included in the highlights of nearly everyone’s wedding galleries. These sometimes-tiny but absolutely significant details are some of my favorite things to capture on a wedding day — heirloom pearls handed down from a bride’s grandmother, a special pin tucked inside a bouquet, an embroidered handkerchief carried by the father of the groom. All these inanimate objects tell the complete story of a wedding, and when they’re captured with style and grace, the images themselves become little time capsules that transport you back to your wedding day.

So! How can you make sure that your details will be captured beautifully on your wedding day? Here are a few ideas!

First, understand that your photographer is obviously there to capture as much as possible (!!), but also know that it’s helpful when you communicate ahead of time if there are specific items and that details that you’d like photographed. In the pre-wedding-day questionnaire that I send my couples, I always ask this question! Simply thinking through the details you’re choosing to incorporate, and then letting your photographer know, will help tremendously on the day of your wedding!

Second, get those details together! A day or two before your wedding, find a pretty bag and stow everything inside for your photographer — the rings, your invitation suite, jewelry, and any other important elements that you’d like to have photographed. (Bonus points if you assign this task to a bridesmaid or coordinator, so that you don’t have to think about it!) Detail shots usually happen while the bride is getting her makeup and hair done, so having these things together ahead of time will help you relax and enjoy the morning of your wedding day.

Finally, prepare coordinating elements, if you have them! When I arrive on a wedding day, I look for ribbon, flowers, and greenery that have been incorporated into the details of the wedding that I can use as I style the detail photos. This might seem silly or a bit extra, but these visual “clues” tie your wedding photos together into a seamless, cohesive visual story. If you can remember, set aside some extra ribbon or lace, or ask your florist for a few extra flower stems or pieces of greenery. Tuck them in with the rest of your details so that everything is ready when your photographer arrives!

Of course, of course — it’s not about the stuff!! It’s the moments, the memories, that make up your wedding day. However, photos of the little elements that set the stage for your wedding day are important and valuable. It’s like a visual journal of the decisions you make for your wedding day, and the things that you decide are significant as you begin your lives together — and it’s my joy to tell that story for you, down to the little details!