Today’s Tip: Be the very best wedding photographer you can be by creating a pre-wedding checklist. Here’s my pre-wedding checklist—the list of everything I do the night before a wedding to ensure everything goes smoothly at the wedding:

1. Print out several copies of the wedding photo schedule. Two to three months before every wedding, I collaborate with the bride and/or wedding planner and come up with an ideal plan for when each set of photos will be taken, and who needs to be there. This eliminates confusion on the wedding day—creating a wedding photo schedule is an absolute must for all photographers. Printing out extra copies allows me to hand out a schedule or two at the wedding if anyone has questions. People notice it when you’re prepared.

2. Read over vendor lists and set goals to connect purposefully with them. When we’re drafting the wedding photo schedule, I always ask the bride or planner for a list of vendors involved on the wedding day, so I can know them by name and build relationships with them.

3. Make sure you know the names of parents, maid of honor, best man, etc. (listed in the wedding photo schedule). It’s simply polite. :)

4. Wipe down equipment, charge batteries, format CF cards, and pack protein bars for snacks.

5. Gather client folder and wedding photo schedule and place them in bag.

6. Gather business cards, a pretty hanger, or other special items if needed. I like to bring a pretty, neutral hanger for the bride’s dress, just in case she forgot that little detail (I always, always ask first before using it. Never be presumptuous.) I also occasionally bring a piece of linen fabric to use as a background for photographing details—just in case I need something different to play with.