You’ve seen these all over Pinterest – a wedding flat lay. They’re beautiful, in great lighting, and show off so many of the fine details. But when it comes down to actually deciding what needs to be included in these photos…well, it can be a little daunting.

Nathan and I have ran into the situation time and time again – a couple wants to have beautiful flat lay wedding photography in their album, but on the wedding day, there aren’t enough details to include in the image.  We’ve gotten pretty savvy at making something out of nothing, but the day goes a million times smoother when we have things all pulled together. So, here are a few of mine and Nathan’s tips to include in your wedding details for your flat lay images.

What to Include For Your Wedding Flat Lay

I want to stress that as beautiful as wedding flat lay images are, they’re more than just beautiful stylings. They’re an integral part of telling your wedding story! A story is made up of the people in it, the setting, and the action. In a wedding story, the setting isn’t just the wedding venue – it’s the small details too.

A wedding flat lay is not just about showing off your shoes or your ring, but can highlight other things that may otherwise be missed. It’s also a way to set a theme throughout your wedding album by highlighting the color palettes and items that are worn but not seen.

Cologne and Perfume Bottles

I literally just mentioned that the right flay lay styling can highlight that which is not seen. Your perfume is one of those things. Certain smells can bring back the faintest of memories, which is why many couples like to wear perfumes or colognes on their wedding day, even if they don’t normally wear it.

Wedding Programs, RSVP Cards, and Wedding Invitations

The events of your wedding are going to fly – and it’s very difficult to keep up with stray pieces of paper. Wedding invitations and wedding programs are great pieces to include in wedding flat lay styling as they work as great centerpieces. They also can share the details of when and where certain events happened.

Wedding Shoes

Whether you are sporting a pair of red bottom’s or 5-inch stilettos, what you wear matters. No matter how extravagant the shoe, it’s still worn at the bottom of you. Nathan and I love styling a wedding flat lay image around a pair of shoes!

The Rings

Arguably the most important piece to include are the rings! Aside from standing in front of people and saying, “I do,” and sealing it with a kiss, a ring is the symbol of marriage! 10/10 recommend including this.

Florals

Decodent roses, baby’s breath, or dried pampas grass… it doesn’t matter. Whether it’s intentional or not, weddings and their color palettes are designed around the florals – so it would be a shame to not include these beauties as well!

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue..

This one is one of those things where if you want to follow this tradition, we roll with it. If you aren’t concerned about it, then we aren’t either!

Items That Are Important to You

I cannot stress this enough – these are really just suggestions of what we’ll want to include in this. We’ll include what matters to you and leave out what doesn’t – so long as we’re able to effectively share and tell your story. Trinkets with portraits of your grandparents, lucky pennies, random rocks you gave each other on your first date…you have the ability to make this what you want and to share what it was like to be at your wedding.

As wedding photographers, Nathan and I want, more than anything, for you to look back on your wedding albums and remember not only who was there, but what it was like to be there. We want you to be brought to the moment where you began your life journey together as a married couple, and remember all of the sights, smells, and feelings of everything. Wedding flat lay photography is all of this wrapped into one image.