My Style Kit Must Haves

 

1. Velvet Ring Boxes // 2. Clear Craft Box // 3. Chiffon Ribbons // 4. Adhesive // 5. Vintage Stamps // 6. Command Hooks // 7. Acrylic Risers // 8. Tote Bag // 9. Rollable Mat

A lot of times, details are what makes or breaks your editorial submissions and are the reason why your brides are so excited to hire you. These details come together to tell the full story of your client’s love and aesthetics. From the bracelet passed down from the bride’s grandmother to the invitation suite that sets the tone for the wedding, I take time to style these beautiful details for each of my couples and give them the attention they deserve.

As a wedding photographer for over 6 years, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to come prepared for the wedding day to deliver a refined and elevated editorial wedding gallery. I will always arrive with my styling kit, a collection of pieces that I rely on to get the perfect flat lays. My Style Kit contains some practical things like a styling mat and perhaps even some things you may not have thought to use before. I hope you find this post useful to help elevate your work in this busy season.  The key is to always be prepared to elevate. Let’s take a look inside my Style Kit!

 

01. Ring Boxes

Your wedding rings are one of the essential pieces of your wedding day! Some of my couples have velvet or luxury ring boxes, but I make sure to bring a few just in case in the right color palette just in case this little detail was omitted by the bride.

02. A Craft Box

This is a practical piece I have to keep everything together! I like to have everything on hand in an easy-to-access box. That saying “out of sight, out of mind” totally applies to me so I aim to get a clear case to put all my items in.

03. Chiffon Ribbons

This is my favorite item! Ribbons add movement and texture to detail photographs. I have a variety of styles, including chiffon, velvet and silk in a variety of colors to go with any style palette of the day.

04. Adhesive

Sometimes, there’s a piece of stationery that just won’t stay put (flashbacks to that one envelop flap that won’t stay down.) So I bring adhesive glue dots that are easy to remove and will not damage any of your precious pieces!

05. Vintage Stamps

I absolutely love collecting vintage “stamps” to use at my weddings! I have a collection of different colors and designs, and they are always a beautiful compliment.

06. Command Hooks

Sometimes, the getting-ready suite will not have a good place to hang your wedding gown so this is clutch. These adhesives will not damage walls and allows you to place wedding gowns in your ideal spot without having to worry about having to find a hanger. Just remember to take it down at the end of your session.

07. Acrylic Risers

Adding height under certain stationery pieces creates depth and allows for certain pieces to be more prominent. You can also substitute this with your lens cap in a pinch but I always have a set of at least three risers to help add visual interest.

08. Tote Bag

I have a black bag that I bring to every wedding that holds my Styling Kit! This loops around my roller bag with most of my equipment and allows me to quickly put away things during a busy wedding day. The best part of this tote is that is has a pocket to hold an external USB charging port! I can pop in my external power bank and have it easy to access throughout the wedding day. I don’t know about you, but after hour 5 of a wedding day, my phone is always on the brink of battery death with all the behind-the-scenes images I take.

09. Rollable Mat

There was a time where I brought large flat boards to wedding until roll-ables were created. I love Layout Collection styling mats! These are rollable, chic, and so versatile. They are vegan suede and come in so many beautiful colors. My favorite is French Blue.

My Style Kit In Action

Here are some of my favorite flat lays.

For this styled shoot in Sonoma, my Styling Kit came in handy! Paula Lee Calligraphy created beautiful invitations, and it was important to capture all of the details. I used fresh flowers from the florist, Laura’s Floras, to add soft color and texture. Fresh fruit added the pop of orange, and my linen styling mat created the perfect backdrop to pull it all together. To see how the details tied into the final design, see the complete feature on Style Me Pretty!

 

Parisian Chic City Hall Editorial

For this Chic editorial, JK Design focused the invitations and paper on classic black and white, with contrasting calligraphy. She hand-wrote on yards of ribbon that created a beautiful movement in the flat lays. I also used my acrylic risers to add some height to the paper and fresh flowers from The Little Flower Shop for color.

Carry & Scott’s San Francisco City Hall Elopement

This sweet elopement was all about texture and high fashion! The bride wore a lavender tulle dress, which carried the color palette throughout. The stationary featured modern font mixed with handwritten calligraphy for a beautiful combination. Fresh flowers from Le Bloomerie added texture and my handy glue dots to keep everything in place. I used linen styling mats by Locust Collection, which are double-sided, so you get two color options in one. I love the look of soft linen since it adds a touch of texture without taking away from the detailed pieces.

 

Sonoma Styled Shoot Vendors:
Photographer: Jenny Soi Photography
Planner: NT Event Planning
Florist: Laura’s Floras
Invitations: Paula Lee Calligraphy
Ring: Trumpet And Horn
Ceramic Rentals: Katy Birds Shop 

Parisian Chic San Francisco City Hall Editorial Vendors:

Photographer: Jenny Soi Photography
Planner: JMK Events
Florals: The Little Flower Shop
Paper Goods: JK Design
Vow Books: Blue Sky Papers
Shoes: Bella Belle Shoes

Carry & Scott’s City Hall Elopement Vendors:

Photography: Jenny Soi Photography
Planning & concept styling: K Saw Weddings
Floral design: Le Bloomerie
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Stationery design & calligraphy: Daylight Letters
Ribbons: Amore Society
Styling mats: Locust Collection