One of my favorite things about photographing larger weddings in the NJ/NY area are the impressive display of decor and details. This is especially common for South Asian weddings (indian, pakistani, and bangladeshi weddings). I've had the pleasure of working with some very talented wedding planners and decorators in the tri-state area. Because of the large investment my clients make with their impressive display of decor and details, I place great importance on making sure every single detail is captured.
Most of my clients tend to invest a lot of time and effort in decor and details. It is for this reason that I always have an additional photographer that is able to help cover many of the detail photos. I normally have my second photographer cover a lot of the detail shots. If time permits and higher priority shots have been taken care of, then I will capture some detail shots as well. Some of the details that I normally cover include, table decor, flowers, rings, dresses, wedding invitations and other stationary, centerpieces, bouquets, table cards, wedding cakes, and of course the beautifully decorated stage. If we learn that any of the details were handmade, we make it a priority to capture these, as we know a significant effort has been made to create them.
I normally coordinate with the wedding planners to ensure that the decor and details are all in place by the time we arrive at the venue. We need ample time to cover these details, so this is usually captured before guests arrive, which is normally during or before cocktail hour, but after the bride and groom photos. Of course, every wedding is unique, and timings may vary, what's more important is that we capture the details before a single guest can enter the ballroom. We use a variety of different lighting techniques to capture the detail shots. Good decor photos take time to capture, however when these photos grace your wedding album, it makes it all worth it.
Not every wedding has lavish decor and details that need to be covered, details can also be simple, in any case, I try to cover the little things as much as possible so that you have these memories last forever.