Today, I’m sharing my wedding day checklist with you! With the wedding season just around the corner, I thought I would share a little sneak peek into how I prepare my camera bag the day before the wedding and what other things I bring along. As many fellow photographers are about to enter the lovely and crazy season in the next month or two, I hope this quick guide will be a great resource to many of you. I use it consistently to make sure I don’t forget anything and am on point for the wedding day.
There are two things I do to ensure that I have everything I need to photograph a wedding: I pack two bags. One is the camera bag that holds all the gear I would need on a wedding day, and the other one is a bag for the car. The things that go in this bag are things that I might not necessarily need on the wedding day, but would come in handy if I did.
MAIN CAMERA BAG:
- Main Camera Body
- Backup Camera Body
- Extra Batteries (I always charge all my batteries the day before the wedding so that I don’t have to worry about it on the wedding day)
- Battery Charger (just in case)
- Lenses
- Macro Filters (I use these for ring shots and they are phenomenal)
- Cleaning Cloth (it comes in handy if there is any kind of stain on the lens)
- Memory Cards (I make sure to format all my memory cards before the wedding day)
- Flashes + Flash Batteries
- Transmitters
- Reflector
- Diffuser Reflector
- Styling Kit
- Business Cards
- Cell Phone + Charger
- Wedding Day Timeline Copy
- Emergency Kit (safety pins, bobby pins, band aids, a small sewing kit, sticky roller, new chapstick, hand sanitizer, super glue, etc.)
BAG FOR THE CAR:
- Light Stand
- Reflector Umbrella
- Laptop + Charger
- Card Reader
- Video Light
- Portable Hard Drive
- Wedding Survival Kit
- Extra Outfit + Shoes (you never know)
- Nice Hanger (just in case the bride forgot to bring one; plastic hangers just won’t do it for me when I photograph an expensive gown)
- Bottles of Water
- Snacks
- Clear Umbrella (perfect for pictures in case it rains)
- Change for Parking
My Favorite Styling Items
That’s pretty much it for me! Do you have a wedding day checklist? I would love to see what’s on your list if you have one. If you don’t, I hope this post serves as a great resource to you in getting all set for a wedding day. Happy shooting!
Thanks for sharing your list! I am just starting to do weddings and also a list lover.
I am curious which Macro filters you are using as I am considering these as well.
Thanks again for your insights, your work is lovely!
~michele
Hey Michele, here is more information about the macro filters I use. I hope it helps! https://alinathomas.com/how-to-use-macro-filters/
Great list!! The shoes and change of clothes is a good one. I just had a wedding, and my shoes broke. Luckily I had a spare pare. Phew.
Oh no, that’s always my biggest fear haha
We have a wedding coming up soon and this will be a BIG help! Thank you!
Yay! I hope it will be helpful to you as you prepare for your next wedding :)