Wedding Day Tips for Brides—Details Brides Don’t Always Think About

There are plenty of wedding planning checklists that cover the big things: dress, flowers, rings, invitations, seating charts, hair and makeup.

But after photographing weddings for many years, I've noticed that some of the little details that affect your photographs don't always make it onto those lists.

Here are a few things worth thinking about before the wedding day arrives.

Be careful with sunscreen and makeup that contains SPF

Sunscreen is important, of course—but if you're having your makeup professionally done, talk to your makeup artist about what you're using on your face that day.

Some sunscreens and makeup products containing SPF can reflect light in photographs, particularly when flash or strong directional light is involved. The result can be an unexpectedly pale or bright appearance in areas where the product has been applied.

It's worth discussing this with your makeup artist ahead of time rather than discovering it when you see the photographs.

The same goes for mineral makeup. Certain mineral-based products can create noticeable light reflection or a whitish cast under photographic lighting that doesn't necessarily look the same way in person. While some products photograph beautifully, others can be surprisingly difficult to correct while keeping skin looking natural.

A professional makeup artist who regularly works with brides and understands photography should be familiar with these considerations. If you're unsure, ask them specifically about how the products they use photograph under flash and professional lighting.

And if you're doing your own makeup, it's worth doing a test photograph beforehand.

Your makeup may look perfect in the mirror and behave very differently in a photograph.

Give yourself more time than you think you need

Wedding mornings have a remarkable ability to make time disappear.

Someone can't find a shoe. A button takes longer than expected. Your aunt wants a photograph. Someone needs a safety pin. Suddenly you're twenty minutes behind schedule.

Build some breathing room into your timeline rather than planning every minute.

That extra time can also make a noticeable difference to your photographs. When you're rushing, you look and feel rushed. When you have a little time to breathe, enjoy your people and take in what's happening, it shows.

And if everything takes longer than expected anyway? That's what an experienced photographer and a flexible timeline are for.

Keep the getting-ready room reasonably tidy

This one is easily overlooked.

You don't need a perfectly styled room, but try to keep bags, plastic packaging, water bottles, empty coffee cups, clothing and other miscellaneous items contained in one area.

Getting-ready photographs often include beautiful little details—your dress, shoes, jewellery, invitation, flowers and the people helping you get ready. A few minutes of tidying before the photographer arrives can make it much easier to create clean, beautiful images.

And don't worry if you forget. Photographers are accustomed to quietly moving a few things out of the way.

Think about what will be in your pockets

This sounds silly until you see a photograph you love and notice a phone, keys, lip balm and a collection of other necessities creating a very obvious lump in someone's pocket.

Designate a small bag or have someone you trust look after phones, keys and other things you don't need during the ceremony and portraits.

You can pick them up again later.

Tell your photographer about the things that matter to you

You don't need to provide a shot list containing every possible photograph.

But if there are people, details or moments that are particularly important to you, tell your photographer.

Maybe your grandmother is wearing a piece of jewellery that belonged to your grandfather. Maybe your dad has something special sewn into his jacket. Maybe there's a family tradition that isn't obvious to anyone outside the family.

Those are the things your photographer can't necessarily know just by looking around.

The more we understand about what's meaningful to you, the better we can watch for it.

And here's one thing I hope you remember

Your wedding day will almost certainly not go exactly according to plan.

Someone will be late. Something will be forgotten. The flowers may not look exactly like the picture you saved. The weather might change. A button may pop. The schedule may slide by fifteen minutes.

And that's okay.

Most of the time, the only people who know something didn't go according to plan are the people who planned it.

Your guests aren't standing around comparing your wedding to your Pinterest board. They're there to celebrate with you.

So if something goes sideways, take a breath and keep going.

Some of the photographs I love most have come from moments that weren't planned at all. A little imperfection can make an image feel more real, and sometimes having less to work with leads to something much better than what was originally imagined.

Your wedding isn't a production that needs to be executed perfectly.

It's a day you're actually going to live.

Enjoy it. Be present. Laugh when things go wrong. Let the people you love be themselves.

The photographs will be better for it—and, more importantly, you'll have actually enjoyed the day you're spending so much time planning.