Photos by Ashleigh Jayne Photography.

All the Small Things: Everything to know about wedding day flat lays

When it comes to weddings, it’s all in the details.

Angela DiVincenti Babin

From the invitation suite to the heirloom keepsakes to the personalized favors, no aspect goes untouched. And if you’re going to spend all that time curating, you may as well document it. Right?

“Everything is about those Instagrammable moments,” says wedding and event designer Angela DiVincenti Babin of Angela Marie Events. “You’re documenting your story, and all of those details that are special to you are part of that.”

Wedding flat lays, aka styled arrangements of objects designed for an overhead photo, have become increasingly popular in recent years, with brides wanting to capture all of the details that went into their big days. But with these delicately styled scenes being captured amidst wedding day chaos, this is a detail best planned for ahead of time.

Read on for inspiration and advice from Babin for executing a flawless flat lay.


Who, What, Where, When of Flat Lays

Who

Decide who will be assembling the flat lay on the wedding day. “Most of the time, your photographer is in charge of the flat lay, but with me, I do them myself,” Babin notes. “That’s a conversation you want to have in advance so there’s no confusion on the big day.”

What

Babin suggests keeping a box throughout your entire wedding season where you can put things from various party invitations to heirlooms to wax seals. “People think about the wedding invitation suite, but with a lot of couples, there is so much more than that from all of the parties they have had as an engaged couple,” Babin says. “You want to bring those, and also remember to have an addressed envelope to go with your wedding invitation suite.”

Then there’s the flowers. Babin says to have a conversation during the planning stages with your florist. Make sure they know which blooms you would like to see in your flat lay, and have them factor that into the floral budget. Also ensure that someone—whether your wedding planner, your florist or a member of the wedding party—knows to get those flowers to your photographer for the flat lay photos.

Where

This one is tricky. Since these are often done in the space that the bride is getting ready in, there isn’t always an ideal location. Photographers will be looking for well-lit spaces, preferably with natural light, like near a window.

When

Babin says to plan for this to take about an hour, depending on how many different details and shots you want. This will happen during the getting ready portion of the day, so plan for your photographer to be busy capturing flat lays while nothing else photo-worthy is likely to be happening.


Scroll over the images below for Babin’s insight on every flat lay detail.



Invitations: Angela Marie Events & Florals/Sharon Benton Designs

Invitation calligraphy: PaperGlaze Calligraphy

Vow book & place cards: Proper Prints

Painted Champagne bottle: Joanies by Eileen Montross