You don’t have to be a photographer to relate to this! If you are a wedding professional of any sort, you can relate to this!! These are my wedding pro must-haves!
You know what it feels like to be on your feet for 10 plus hours, dehydrated and running around making sure your couple’s dreamy wedding is perfect!! In this post, I’m going to give you a few tips to make your day run a little easier so you can better serve your clients!
Weddings days can be very intense and involved! So I like to prepare for just about anything. If you have been following me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen me talk about or watched my reels for my emergency kit for my couples! But when it comes down to me and my wedding day necessities, I pack a little differently.
I frequently get asked what I carry in my bag. Well aside from the normal: camera, lenses, batteries, etc., I have some random things tossed in there as well!!
I’ll dive in a little more below but what I’ll go over is my wedding pro-must-haves…a random list!! So drop a comment below or send me a DM on Instagram and tell me what randomness you carry in your bag. You can check out my Amazon Favorites List to get the goods too!!
1. Hydration
Everyone carries water (or at least should), but I have a bad habit of not hydrating enough. I remind my clients to hydrate, just tend to forget myself! Two things that are a must are my water jug and my Liquid IV!
To say that I LOVE my Tal water jug is an understatement! I will fill it will ice in the morning every time I add water it still has the ice!! It’s spill-proof and doesn’t sweat so it’s easy to keep in my camera bag!
Like I said…I am absolutely terrible at drinking water. So Liquid I.V. is my life saver!! You will find these in my camera bag, purse, laptop bag, literally everywhere!! My favorite is the passion fruit and during my long 10-14 hour wedding days, I will actually avoid leg cramps and aches when I add these to my water! This is definitely not a sales pitch but hey I’ll totally be a brand ambassador for them!!! They give you 3x the hydration of drinking just water. These are such a must have, that I actually encourage my couples to drink these on the day of their wedding because it will keep them hydrated (even helps hangovers…tell your friends!!) 😉
2. Lots of Business Cards
When I say lots of business cards, I mean a lot! I absolutely LOVE Moo.com and it’s where I get all of my business cards. Weddings always have a lot of vendors. Florists, caterers, event planners, DJs, designers, videographers, venue managers and owners, families of the couples, and so many more that I haven’t even listed. BIG TIP: I always make sure to ask all of the vendors for their business cards or information. I keep a log of their business cards for future referrals! Just a reminder, give them your card in return. If you are a photographer, try to make sure you take a picture of the vendors too! They also appreciate it and use it for their social platforms.
Aside from vendors, guests always ask for a card too! I love telling my client’s guests that when they get their picture taken, it’s available for download from the client’s gallery. When I organize wedding galleries I always have a Friends + Family and a Reception album where I include those images. I give those cards to guests so they can find out how to access them! This is a great resource for networking and advertising. Let’s not pretend that’s not playing a part. Up next I’ll tell you about some equipment then more marketing material!
3. Extra Equipment
Here’s the scary part! Accidents!! I had a child run into my flash mounted to a tripod, as I watched from across the reception hall helpless as it tumbled to the floor…**insert silent screaming and crying** I had a backup but that didn’t make it hurt me less!! Haha! I have had lenses, transmitters, and more damaged. The difference is being prepared and having backups or alternative solutions in a pinch. You don’t need double of everything. However, if you’re a photographer or videographer, I absolutely urge you to have a backup camera body and lens. I carry extra memory cards and batteries which is fairly typical to have.
Other than extra equipment, if your camera is not rain or weather resistant, you can purchase rain guards and covers for your camera. This will be a life saver if you have to photograph or video in the rain while your couple is under cover!
The last equipment I’ll go over is my smart watch!! Specifically the Galaxy Watch is what I use. I honestly don’t know how I functioned before it!! I have it linked to my Google Calendar and all of my wedding timelines are on my calendar. This will have to be an entire blog post that I will dive into another time!
4. Other Marketing Materials
This goes for all wedding professionals!! Though it is a little past business cards! When you head to the venue for the wedding day, you are planning on putting your best foot forward and rocking out the day!!
I typically bring my business cards from Moo, Boulder Creek Bridal Magazine and several pricing guides to give to the venue. My suggestion to all of you other wedding professionals is to put together a little packet for vendors you visit of marketing material. Just don’t forget to grab theirs! I love getting my magazines, pricing guides and other goodies from MagCloud!!
I want to hear from you! DM me with questions you may have either on Boulder Creek Photography or Bring It To The Table’s Instagram!! Leave me a comment below if you enjoy hearing a little about how to make your wedding days a little easier!!
Take a dive into photographing fireworks in The Journal, even if the Fourth of July has passed! I do this for weddings all the time!
P.S. Stay tuned for a deep dive into setting goals and planning, then actually mapping it out!! If you haven’t heard of my business community Bring It To The Table yet, head over to Facebook and Instagram and be sure to follow along on this messy journey as a business owner!
xo,
Courtney
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