
Calling all wedding photographers! Ever had that “oh-no-did-I-forget-my-SD-cards?” panic the morning of a wedding? Today, Evie and Lindsey are saving your sanity with the ultimate wedding day checklist. They’re walking you through everything,...
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Lindsay Roman
You're listening to the Heart and Hustle podcast. We are your hosts, Evie McLeod and Lindsay Roman. Welcome back to the show, my friend. This episode is going to be mostly for our wedding photographers. So if you are a wedding photographer, don't go anywhere. Have you ever woken up, I think the morning of a wedding with like a cold sweat and wondered like, did I, did I do everything that I need to do for today? Like did I charge my gear? Is everything here? I feel like we all can relate or like just the typical wedding nightmares that we typically have the day before a wedding. So this is going to be a nice episode where we're gonn gonna go through a checklist, our personal checklist of what we do in mostly the week and then like the day before, the few days before a wedding day to make sure everything is prepped and ready to go and our mental health and our bodies and everything is set for a big wedding day.
Evie McLeod
So don't go anywhere. And then we cover the day of the wedding too.
Lindsay Roman
Oh yeah, yeah.
Evie McLeod
We cover things to bring on the wedding day and all this stuff there.
Lindsay Roman
It's gonna be a massive wedding day checklist for you as a wedding photographer. So don't go anywhere. And we will be right back after this little song.
Promotional Voice 1
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Promotional Voice 2
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Evie McLeod
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Lindsay Roman
Hey.
Evie McLeod
Hey.
Lindsay Roman
I'm Lindsay Rome.
Evie McLeod
And I'm Evie McLeod and we are family and legacy focused serial entrepreneurs and the founders of the Hart University, a business education company with a mission to help you thrive in your business and life.
Lindsay Roman
Welcome to our Entrepreneur cocktail hour where business and marketing strategies meet faith, Real talk and Wrought in life changing conversations.
Evie McLeod
At the end of the day, we are all in this together, figuring out.
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How to navigate the ups and downs.
Evie McLeod
The messy and the beautiful and everything in between. This is a community where you can come as you are, get inspired and walk away, equipped to build a legacy filled life.
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You're listening to the Heart and Hustle podcast.
Lindsay Roman
Evie, can I tell you about the time?
Evie McLeod
Oh, you've told me. Tell them.
Lindsay Roman
I've told the Internet also before, but I would love to start this episode specifically with this story because it's really a good example of what not to do. I didn't go through this wedding checklist. I'll have you know, on this day, it was a good August day in 2018 and it was actually a rescheduled wedding. I don't know if this is really important. The hurricane was going to hit the wedding and we rescheduled. Well, no, this is important. It was going to be a Saturday wedding and we rescheduled for the morning of Sunday. So it was like a morning wedding. Just because it was like basically last minute. The entire wedding had to be shifted because of an incoming hurricane. Anyways, so I remember my arrival time for the new date was like Sunday morning at 7am and for some weird reason, this was the Lord. This was just the Lord. Andrew came with me and he's never came with me on a wedding day ever. It's not like he's the second shooter. He just decided to vibe and be there. Thank God he did. Because I show up at this hotel in Waikiki. I'm really outing this.
Evie McLeod
I was gonna say you are fully saying this bride.
Lindsay Roman
I've told the story before online and this bride knows exactly who she is.
Evie McLeod
And she knows.
Lindsay Roman
Oh, yeah. But like, she's literally a dream br. It's just funny that she knows. Anyways, I show up, I go up to her hotel, hotel room. Andrew decides to like, grab breakfast in the like hotel lobby. I open my gear bag, I'm getting all my stuff, like getting my harness on, all the good things. Right?
Evie McLeod
Okay.
Lindsay Roman
And I go to put the SD cards in my camera because I didn't do that beforehand like an ignoramus. And I can't find them. And so I'm just like casually sitting there casually. Because I'm, you know, bridal party and everyone is around me and I'm just like, yeah. And I'm like, looking and I can't find my SD cards. And in that moment, it's 7am on a Sunday. I am in downtown Honolulu. So, like, there Are I'm like, looking like googling Best Buy? Because just to clarify, I lived about 45 minutes away.
Evie McLeod
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
Okay. And I had maybe like an hour and a half, I think, for the getting ready portion before we were moving on. And so I was like, I physically don't even have time to tell Andrew to go back to my house.
Evie McLeod
Because you were early a little bit, right?
Lindsay Roman
Yeah, I was a little early enough.
Evie McLeod
For Andrew to go all the way back and come back.
Lindsay Roman
Right. And so I'm googling Best Buy. Best Buy doesn't open till 10. Even on a Sunday. Well, especially on a Sunday. And so I'm like, crap, what am I going to do? And so instead of just like pausing and telling the bride I forgot my sd because I was not going to admit idiotic.
Evie McLeod
Well, on her wedding day, she doesn't.
Lindsay Roman
Need to know that.
Evie McLeod
She does not need to know that. That's the thing too, is it's not just like, you're not deceiving her. You are literally protecting her in the moment. That. That's not her stress to worry about.
Lindsay Roman
That's a great way to view what I did.
Evie McLeod
That's how I view it. Because I'm like, she does not need to.
Lindsay Roman
I would agree with.
Evie McLeod
Continue.
Lindsay Roman
I would agree with that. But instead of just like, because I've already arrived. So instead of just standing there, I start fake shooting.
Evie McLeod
Were you actually. Did you have it set where your shutter could fire without the memory cards?
Lindsay Roman
So I was like. I was like, really slowly. So sorry. Before that, what I did was I texted Andrew and I was like, find the nearest Walmart and go as fat abandoned breakfast. Find the nearest Walmart and get me SD card stat. And he did that and he was gone maybe like 20 minutes later.
Promotional Voice 2
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
So it's. It ended up being fine. But in that moment, for the 20 minutes, I. I faked my way through setting up detail shots very slowly, taking a snap. Snap. That's just ignorant. No, not there. And then I remember, to save some more time, I grabbed the dress. And this wasn't fake. I genuinely wanted to do it in the lobby where there was like palm trees and stuff, because that was just more beautiful than in the room. And so I was like, hey, can I take your dress down to the lobby so I can take some detail photos? And I. And I was like, perfect. So I was like, that gives me some time. So I went down, I set up the dress. Andrew, like five minutes later, waltzes through the lobby, hands me the SD card. I put it in, and the first photo of that wedding is the shot of the dress hanging from the palm tree. Let's go. I do that. I go back upstairs. That detail shot setup was still there. So I just snap, snap, snap. Got it done, but moved on. Don't do that. Don't do that. So we're here today.
Evie McLeod
Can you imagine if Andrew hadn't been with you?
Lindsay Roman
I mean, you would have.
Evie McLeod
Would have had to tell the bride, like.
Lindsay Roman
Well, I would have either had to leave and do it myself, like, do that Walmart run myself, or I would have had to have him come from my house 45 minutes away.
Evie McLeod
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
And bring them to me.
Evie McLeod
But I'm just putting myself in a position of, like, what if you hadn't. What if you'd been out of state and like. Right.
Lindsay Roman
Yeah. Yeah. It could have been so much. Also the fact that Andrew never went with me to a wedding other than that one.
Evie McLeod
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
Still to this day, I don't think has ever been to a wedding that I've shot at.
Evie McLeod
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
God. Anyways, don't do that.
Evie McLeod
We're gonna help you avoid scenario like that.
Lindsay Roman
If I would have done this checklist, I would have had my SD cards in my camera the night before. I just. There's so many things. Yeah, so many things.
Evie McLeod
Okay, so we're gonna talk through kind of preparing for a wedding. And the checklist. We're gonna start with the week of the wedding.
Lindsay Roman
There's prep that needs to happen.
Evie McLeod
Yes.
Lindsay Roman
Before. Just the day before.
Evie McLeod
Yes. Okay. So before the big day even hits the. One of the first things that we do is we send our couples a. Like a wedding week email. So in that, typically it's at least, I would say, five to seven days before the wedding. Typically I send it right about seven days. And because I, like, have like, oh, my gosh, seven days, one week, like, we'll be there. And I touch base with a couple if they have a planner that I've been really coordinating with. Like, it's a higher budget wedding or something. And like the coordinator or planner I'm, like, working with intensely. I'll also touch base with the planner and be like, wedding week. Like, let me know if you need anything. If any. Anything changes on the timeline, like, whatever, just let me know. But I'll definitely touch base with a couple. And then any final questions that I have, I'll also put in that email. Like, let me know if there's any details of where you want me to park. Like, if I know I'm showing up to, you know, a really fancy hotel. Or something like that. Like really fancy. Like I'm talking.
Lindsay Roman
I need to know the room number.
Evie McLeod
Yeah, I need to know the room number. I need to know, you know, like if they have it or like don't forget to send that to me if you're getting it later this week or whatever. Or like, hey, is there valet? Is there a certain place I should park at this venue? Like, things like that. If I haven't already figured that out. Like I confirm final logistics in that email too.
Lindsay Roman
Yeah. So then again, kind of around the same day, I, I would pro personally, if it's like a Saturday or even a Friday wedding, I would probably start this next part around like that Monday. So again like that same week, but with enough time to really prep and plan. So I review the timeline and final details and when I say I, we, this is the same that we do.
Evie McLeod
Anyways, we're the same person, Continue the same person.
Lindsay Roman
So what I mean by that is go over the timeline that obviously you should have a finalized timeline by that point. If you don't, we got bigger fish to fry. But that's another episode. So review that final timeline and then also review their questionnaire that they've sent you. I make sure that my couples have to give me that at least two weeks before the wedding. So that way like this is locked and loaded. I'm not still waiting on that from them. And so when you're reviewing that, I personally, we personally we go over not only the timeline in the questionnaire but also their Pinterest board. Usually we like earlier when they book or again anytime in the process. We want a Pinterest board from our couples. And I feel like for weddings they usually have one. But we like doing it specifically for any like specific vibe or specific shot that they might want or like just even the essence of like the style. And again, it's not like we're manipulating our style to be completely different. But if you notice that like your bride's board has a lot of like editorial like off camera flash or like really like she has maybe expressed to you even an email that like, oh, I really want a lot of like, I want a shot of like all of my bridesmaids with like a martini glass and like we're like in the hallway with like a flash or something. It's like, I'll make a note of that and kind of almost write a shot list.
Evie McLeod
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
Based on again the timeline, the questionnaire. Especially if the questionnaire has like specific photos that they would cry if they missed or something. Like that. Yeah. And then that Pinterest board to really, like, comb over and be like, okay, when in the timeline? Can I make that happen? Because if you don't do that in advance, I feel like oftentimes it's really hard on the day of to get that to happen.
Evie McLeod
Yeah, well, that actually ties in, like, reviewing the timeline of the final details. Ties into, like, the next thing, which is prep a wedding day game plan. So typically creating, like, a loose shot list for really important moments. Like, very, like, hey, I'm wearing my great grandmother's, like, pearl necklace or something, and I'll, like, put, like, you know, a note in there. Like, obviously, I would probably already photograph the bride's necklace already, but it's an awareness of, like, oh, here's the importance. I understand. Like, I have to get the shot. I cannot miss this shot. And something like you said, too, like, oh, I've noticed, like, the bride mentioned multiple times that she wants an aerial view of her ceremony. So, like, I'm gonna figure that, like, I'm gonna get that. I'm gonna throw the drone up. I'm going to, like, get up to a high window above, like, whatever. However I can get that, I'm gonna get the shot that she wants or at least figure out if I can. So kind of creating a loose shot list, reviewing the timelines and making notes with the second shooter. So that's one thing, too. When you're reviewing the timeline or timeline initially in the set before, like, the week before, I would make sure that you have sent all of that to your second shooter if you're working with one. Like, they have the timeline, they have the Pinterest board. They have either the full questionnaire or at least the relevant information on the questionnaire that you want them to have. So they're, like, fully, like, immersing themselves in preparing for this wedding, too. But then the other thing that I would say on the next step of, like, creating a game plan is assess. Oh, okay. I know for a fact that my second shooter and I are going to be splitting up. She's going to be shooting, or he's going to be shooting these, you know, the ceremony details while I'm shooting, you know, bridal portraits or family photos after the ceremony or, you know, she's going to shoot, or they're going to shoot the. The groomsman, and I'm going to shoot the bridesmaids or, like, whatever. Like, if, you know, you're dividing and conquering at any point in the day, I personally, I would not only Note that mentally for myself, but I would communicate that to my second shooter so they know ahead of time like where they're expected to be at different times. And then a couple of quick tips with this. I personally, I require a family shot list for my couple. This is all. This all goes into client communication note a bit, but I require that for my couple.
Lindsay Roman
We have them put it in the questionnaire.
Evie McLeod
Yeah, I have it put in the questionnaire and I pull that into my notes on my phone and I put that into a checklist format so you can actually cross it off and check it off. And then I share that note with my second shooter too because usually they're helping me with the family photos often. But send that, make it in a note form and then I make my couple's timeline. If I have to reformat it to make this work, I will. But I'll make their timeline and save it as my wallpaper or one of my like iPhone wallpapers for the day of so that I can literally pull out my phone and like click on it and like see it at a glance and put it down.
Lindsay Roman
Yeah. The final thing to do the week before or like the week of the wedding, I would say I, I do this usually like a few days before is I just like check the weather again. It helps you prepare. If it's just like a bright sunny day. Okay, great, perfect. But tell that rain is in the forecast one. It, it can. I would have a clear umbrella in like just your like gear thing because that way you're not relying on them having it. And I feel like a clear umbrella. If you absolutely need to do portraits out when it's raining, like that can be just like a great option. If they don't want to get wet. That can still like create good photos. So packing that, packing towels or anything like that, that if in the event there's rain, I would also say having that in your car.
Evie McLeod
I would also say just even knowing like checking the weather and being like, oh, it's going to 2 degrees.
Promotional Voice 1
Right.
Lindsay Roman
It helps you.
Evie McLeod
I am going to dress appropriately while still trying to stay cool. I'm going to, you know, bring extra electrolytes and you know, make sure I'm consuming my water and like different things like that.
Lindsay Roman
So like just don't show up on the morning of and be surprised that it's 102 or that it's downpouring. Yeah.
Evie McLeod
Check the weather. Okay. The next part is going to be kind of the night before. This is like the non negotiables. And the first one is going to be to charge everything, quite literally.
Lindsay Roman
Everything.
Evie McLeod
Everything. I'm talking cameras. I'm talking flash, like, units. If you have flash rechargeable flash batteries, or if you are, like, needing to buy fresh batteries, if you don't have.
Lindsay Roman
A flash that needs or that uses rechargeable, then make sure you have that Duracell locked and loaded.
Evie McLeod
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
In your bag. I would also say have extra. If you. What is the word? Use film. Have extra film. Like camera batteries.
Evie McLeod
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
It's very rare that they would go out, but that happened to me. Actually. It didn't happen to me on our.
Evie McLeod
It has happened to me actually on a wedding.
Lindsay Roman
Oh, really?
Evie McLeod
Yeah. But I was shooting with, like, three, so it wasn't that big. It wasn't that big of a deal. But it did happen that a battery died.
Lindsay Roman
Make sure that that's just in your kit in general. Yeah, yeah.
Evie McLeod
Charge batteries. The next thing is going to be to clear and format your memory cards. So format all of your cards. Make sure they're, like, clear, fresh, ready to go. Bring extras. Bring so many extras. Yeah, like, so many extras. And then the other thing that, like, Lindsay mentioned is we typically. I typically have a fully charged battery. At least if it's not the night before, then it's like the morning of. As I'm putting my gear, like, packing it into, like, it's all zipped up and ready to go. I put a fully charged battery and, like, all of my memory cards, like, fresh and ready, like, everything's set so that I can pull my camera out and it's typically ready to go.
Lindsay Roman
Yeah. And I already. I do this, especially if I'm solo shooting. I'll sync my cameras the night before so they're on the same time. Sometimes I don't do that if I have a second because I know I'll already have to do that with a second. And if I sync my camera, I guess it doesn't matter. Well, but it's, like, redundant.
Evie McLeod
I second. I. Well, I didn't second shoot. I was a lead. She was the second shooter. I worked with a girl who second shot for me at a wedding in San Diego, and this literally blew my mind. I'd never seen this before up until she. I think it was the night before the wedding. She sent me a link to a. Like a clock. But it was. I don't know how to explain this. It was, like, set, like, it was the exact down to the millisecond of the, like, what she was seeing or something. We Both synced our cameras up to that clock ahead of time. So when we arrived, our cameras were already synced.
Lindsay Roman
How does that work if it's. If you don't do it at the same time.
Evie McLeod
Cause you sync it to like the exact time on that clock at the exact like second, I might be like, you know, a half a millisecond off or whatever.
Lindsay Roman
Yeah, but if you did it at.
Evie McLeod
Different times, but it's going, it's to the same clock, does that make sense? Like the clock is.
Lindsay Roman
So the time that she set it to was different than the time that you set it to because it had moved on.
Evie McLeod
Right, Right. So if she said it at 4.
Lindsay Roman
But in order to the milliseconds, you have to pause it.
Evie McLeod
What? No, you don't pause the clock. The clock is just.
Lindsay Roman
That's what I'm saying though.
Evie McLeod
Running.
Lindsay Roman
That's what I'm saying. This is so sidebarring. If a clock is continuing to move right and you're having to sit there and go through even the milliseconds you.
Evie McLeod
Prepare ahead, does that make sense? So if, if the time is saying 402, you would like prepare your camera to be at like 403 and you would sit there waiting to press OK at the minute it hits 403, like on the dot.
Lindsay Roman
That seems like a lot of work.
Evie McLeod
But it was just, it was just a way. I'd never seen it before. It was a way for us to separately sync our cameras so that by the time we arrived, they were on the exact same, like down to the second.
Lindsay Roman
I don't like that you have to like guess, but I like that you don't have to take time on the wedding day to sync up and do that.
Evie McLeod
I just never seen it before. And I was like, that's actually kind of cool.
Lindsay Roman
That's kind of dope.
Evie McLeod
So we love that you could do that too, but sync your cameras. We'll get to that on the day of the wedding.
Lindsay Roman
Yeah. Next, after you've charged all your. Everything that you need to charge. After you've cleared and you formatted your memory cards, pack your gear bag intentionally. And she led that off really well of just like making sure the camera, the charged batteries are in your camera, the SD cards are already set to go, your cameras are synced. Make sure you have at least two bodies, ideally three, so that you at least have a backup for one of them if one of them kapoots. Multiple lenses, our favorite go to lenses are usually a 35 millimeter, a 50 millimeter, an 85 millimeter and then a 24 to 70. If you shoot mirrorless, I think it's now 28 to 70 again. That is our usual go to lineup.
Evie McLeod
You can do it every way. I have a 70 to 200 with me on all my wedding days. And I am obsessed with that lens too.
Lindsay Roman
Oh yeah, that one. I don't have that one. But I usually like picking second shooters that have it for that reason. Yeah. Because I don't like traveling with it. How do you.
Evie McLeod
It's a beast.
Lindsay Roman
Wait, I'm so sorry. A sidebar for just personal friend conversation.
Evie McLeod
How do you. Because it doesn't fit in your backpack.
Lindsay Roman
It like. No, literally, I put it in my carry on. The sole reason I have not bought it. This is outing me so much. It's just heavy as hell. And most of my weddings are destination and I don't.
Evie McLeod
I put it in my carry on.
Lindsay Roman
Even though you're gonna check your carry.
Evie McLeod
On or I don't check my carry on.
Lindsay Roman
I. Yeah.
Evie McLeod
If it has to go under the plane, it is in like, it is so padded. It is in like a whole case. It's wrapped around clothing.
Lindsay Roman
Like it.
Evie McLeod
It'll be in this. One of those things that I'm like, It's a lens that I really want on the wedding day. But yeah, if it got lost. I also have. Now I have. What are those called? The. The Apple air tags. Yeah, yeah, the air tags. I have those in all of my bags when I travel.
Lindsay Roman
Right.
Evie McLeod
So like I, I just, I do.
Lindsay Roman
The lazy version, which is I pick a local second shooter that has that lens.
Evie McLeod
Yeah, no, I, I love that lens way too much. I. I shoot on that. That is a beast, especially for ceremony. But I've also started using it a moments and like ability.
Lindsay Roman
Like, I mean, it's an incredible things.
Evie McLeod
For me to be able to get in.
Lindsay Roman
I feel like, especially for like cocktail hour when people, when you want to get candids of people, but you don't want to get up in their grill. Because the second you get up in their grill with that 35 millimeter, they.
Evie McLeod
All like stop and like freeze and stare at you.
Lindsay Roman
Like look at you weird. And I'm like, no, be candid. Be natural.
Evie McLeod
Keep talking.
Lindsay Roman
Anyways. Okay. Those are our go to lenses. We also clean our lenses as lenses. Wow. No, clean our lenses as we pack them.
Evie McLeod
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
So just take a little, you know, what's that called? Lens cleaner.
Evie McLeod
Cleaner.
Lindsay Roman
That was obvious.
Evie McLeod
Cleaning cloth.
Lindsay Roman
If you shoot film, highly recommend to have your film at least your first roll locked and loaded, already prepped in your cameras. Highly recommend that have just making sure that you have your flashes off camera lighting if you need. If you have that, just make it like basically I highly recommend the day before a wedding, everything is fully charged. When you're packing, putting everything in your bag or around it and then putting it like by the front door or putting it somewhere where it's like you can just. You don't have to worry about that at all on the morning of. So making sure you have flashes off camera, blah blah, blah. Making sure you have batteries, you have cards, you have extra film if you're shooting film. And then also tools if you. Some of this is optional, but again it's just maybe giving you ideas. But we bring our lens cloths even though we've already cleaned them. It's just like helpful to have that on a wedding day if something gets smudged or anything. But also if you bring any lay flat details with you such as ribbons, stamps or like little like golden tray trinkets or whatever. I don't know, Ring boxes. Oh yeah, ring boxes, all the things. So bring those. And then also the emergency kit. So I think it's really good to just have an emergency kit on you with things like band aids, bobby pins, hairspray, tissues.
Evie McLeod
I always bring like an emergency sewing kit in in my emergency kit. It's like a mini, A mini deodorant women's, a mini deodorant, men's.
Lindsay Roman
Oh, that's extra.
Evie McLeod
Maybe it's just me. I, I consider it my client emergency kit as well as mine.
Lindsay Roman
Well, I agree because it's like if somebody needs something at any point in time and you're the person's like, hey, I have that. You've just like became the superhero.
Evie McLeod
It's so easy. It's literally like a mini deodorant is like a dollar at the, whatever travel section, like at Target or cvs. Like it's literally so easy.
Lindsay Roman
Also body tape and safety pins.
Promotional Voice 2
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
Would be also good things.
Evie McLeod
I would say the more you shoot like, like, I don't want to say higher end weddings. The, the higher you get in like the actual budget of the full wedding, the more likely they are going to have a coordinator or planner and the more likely the coordinator and planner is going to have all of that. But even still, if I don't want to have to go like hunt for the coordinator planner or have the client have to like if I have it in my bag right there and there's a moment where somebody's like, shoot, I need one more bobby pin. Does anyone have one? And I'm like, here you go. Like, it's just, it just elevates and it's nice. And also, who knows if you need something at some point. Emergency kit. And then the last thing on that list is snacks and water. Oh, yes, snacks, Protein bars, beef sticks, dried fruit, nuts. Electrolytes are huge on a wedding day. Seriously, bring electrolytes on a wedding day? I cannot recommend that enough.
Lindsay Roman
The big thing is protein and like fiber.
Evie McLeod
Protein and water, I think are the biggest things, like, for me on a wedding day that I need to make sure I have.
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Lindsay Roman
If you're enjoying what you're getting in.
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Evie McLeod
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Evie McLeod
I haven't done this yet, but I'm just, I'm just going to share my, what my thought process is. I really want to get like a little. I said that weird little mini, like mini water bottle almost like, you know, like maybe I'm exposing myself as a runner here. There's like water bottles that you can like, run with that's like you like, can strap onto your hand or something. That's not what I'm saying. I want.
Lindsay Roman
I thought you were talking about the ones that are like a backpack.
Evie McLeod
No, no. Can you imagine? I'm like going through like sucking on a straw of water. Actually, it's not a bad idea.
Lindsay Roman
Is it like a glove?
Evie McLeod
Well, it's just, it's a little small water bottle like, like this big that you can like. It's narrow. It's not like a full circle. It's like kind of like slender. And you can you. When you're. People are running long distances, like training for marathons and stuff, you. There's a like a thing that it can slip into that it like straps around your hand so that you could drink while you're running if you needed to. I want something.
Lindsay Roman
I think how would that work with holding a camera?
Evie McLeod
No, I'm not saying on my hand. I'm saying in my like, camera, like crossbody. Because I carry My big like, hydro flask, which I can't, I can't carry that around throughout the whole day with me. So in the little moments where I'm like, I would love just a few sips of water really quick while I'm like, in one moment, I'd love to like unzip and have a tiny. Which maybe it's just the small little, like chubby water bottles, but I'm like, if there's something little slender and whatever. I thought this at the last wedding. I was shooting last weekend with like 95 degrees and it was hot.
Lindsay Roman
You're like, I want water.
Evie McLeod
I was like, I would love to have something that is just little, that fits in my crossbody that I could quickly pull out and sip on. That was just random. But water is big. And then the last thing on the night before is the outfit prep. So choose your outfit. We are big of a beautiful blend of comfort, but also looking professional and polished.
Lindsay Roman
Yeah. Especially if you're shooting a higher end wedding, you don't want to show up with like, I don't know, jeans. Cotton. Well, cotton.
Evie McLeod
I was gonna say cotton is actually what I would wear because it's very breathable. It's very good.
Lindsay Roman
There's an element though, of like, I think it's, it's less about the material and more about, like the look.
Evie McLeod
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
Like, you don't want it to look, like, cheap. You got it from the Goodwill. Yeah. For sure.
Evie McLeod
Even if you did, for sure. Cotton. Cotton is definitely what I would wear because it is a natural fiber that's going to be a lot more breathable.
Lindsay Roman
Yeah. But I feel like it shows sweat so much.
Evie McLeod
Well, I guess it depends on what you're wearing, because I wear, I wear 100 cotton on wedding days, but I wear it in black and it's.
Lindsay Roman
Well, you should be probably wearing black. Well, that's maybe.
Evie McLeod
Actually, people have different opinions on that. And I, I know a lot of people who will dress in a similar style of the guests to kind of blend in. And I, I don't. I don't. Yeah, maybe I'm like, you do you.
Lindsay Roman
I feel like every time though, like, all of the vendors are wearing black.
Evie McLeod
Actually, I've shot some weddings, some like high end weddings where the planning team is like, they're coordinated with each other.
Lindsay Roman
Okay.
Evie McLeod
But they're wearing like.
Lindsay Roman
See, I've shot high end weddings where they're all wearing black.
Evie McLeod
Yeah, same. But I've shot some where they're wearing like a little bit more like, like a silk, like, dress. Or something.
Lindsay Roman
So they're, like, trying to look like the guests. They.
Evie McLeod
They match each other. There's like multiple planners and they match each other. So they clearly are in uniform, but it's not like black pants, black shirt. You know what I mean?
Lindsay Roman
Interesting.
Evie McLeod
So I'm.
Lindsay Roman
I think black is a safe, safe background.
Evie McLeod
I was gonna say I'm not like a you must wear black, but I definitely do. And I require my second shooters to wear either black or, like, dark colors that. That will, like, blend in. I also. Maybe it's just me because I'm a sweaty girl, but, like, black conceals sweat. And I guarantee you, unless it is. Actually, it doesn't even matter if it's a winter day. I'm probably still sweating for whatever reason. I'm still, like, running around, but, like, I'm gonna be sweating on the wedding day. I don't want that to be seen. So I will wear black. And then shoes. Have comfortable shoes, ideally professional looking. But also, let's be real, you're on your feet for 6, 9, 12 hours. Like, try to have shoes that are comfortable. I will say one thing that I found for myself, especially if it's a longer wedding day. I bring two pairs of shoes and I change them halfway through the day. I don't know why it helps so much. Even if I have really good, supportive, comfortable shoes, my feet will still kind of start to hurt because it's like the form of the shoe I'm in. I'm in like a. I don't know. So when I switch my shoe, it kind of like almost switches the support and the shape that my foot's in all day. And it helps me. I've personally found that it. I feel better when I do that. But that's a little tidbit.
Lindsay Roman
We like that. All right, next is part three, which is going to be the morning of the wedding. So this is going to be like your final check before you get in your car. So again, on any morning of a wedding day, eat a healthy breakfast. And I don't just mean like, some Froot Loops or like, donuts or donut. Donut. Do yourself a favor.
Evie McLeod
Donut.
Lindsay Roman
Donut. That was funny. I didn't mean to say that. That just came out that. Do yourself a favor, put some protein in your breakfast. Like, have like an actual just good, solid breakfast, whether that's meat or eggs or yogurt or something with protein. Just do yourself a favor and do that. Double check your gear one last time. Even though you pre packed it, make sure that every Single thing that you need for the day is in your bag with you all packed. And then something that we love to do. Personally on. I would do this in the car. I mean, you can. You don't have to do this if you're not a believer, but we do this. And I. If you are a believer, definitely recommend you do this, this. But pray in the car. I like to. And I know you do this too. Like, spend, not spend. What's that called? Play. I couldn't think of the word.
Evie McLeod
I'm so confused. But continue.
Lindsay Roman
Play worship music in the car and.
Evie McLeod
Pray over your couple, especially over the wedding. And I like, the whole day. I pray specifically over, like, God. Give me your, like, supernatural creativity. Like, God, I want to see this day through your eyes. Help me to capture the right moments. Help me to be especially places at the right time for the right shot. Like, I just surrender my creativity. Like, any creativity that I have, I give it back to you and I ask for yours. Like, I know you gifted this to me, so you're gonna. You know, the creativity is like, whatever from you anyways, but I want you at. In my mind, at my fingertips, like, throughout the day. So that's something. I'm not just praying for the couple in their wedding day. I do that absolutely. But I'm also selfishly, like, help.
Lindsay Roman
I need help when I also pray that. That they. Because I feel like something that I even struggled with on my wedding day a little bit, and I just. I mostly see brides struggle with. Is not being present and not being in the moment and, like, almost worrying too much about the details.
Promotional Voice 2
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
And so that's something that I'll intentionally pray for, especially if I know them a little bit. Like, and then just, like, through planning and stuff. Like, I'll pray that they would be able to relax and just, like, let all the details fall where they are.
Evie McLeod
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
And really, like. Like understand, like, the. The sanctity and, like, the beauty of what that day means.
Evie McLeod
Yeah.
Lindsay Roman
Which I think is.
Evie McLeod
Yeah. I pray for all the vendors and for unit unity with, like, I should do that more myself and my, like, second shooter and, like, the team, like, like, good flow with the videographer if there's one there. Like, I just pray over, like, everything.
Lindsay Roman
So highly recommend.
Evie McLeod
And then I also. So I typically heading to a wedding, I, like, put on worship and I pray. I like, depending on, obviously, the commute and how far it is. But, like, I spend a good amount morning of or the drive to the wedding, like, praying in worship. And then usually right Before I get to the wedding, I like, I'm already feeling like so creatively inspired from like prayer and worship with the Lord. And then I turn on my, like, I think it's my editing, like, movie score soundtrack. I forget it's my Spotify playlist. That's like my creative, like cinematic movie scores.
Lindsay Roman
So basically it's like Pride and Prejudice soundtrack.
Evie McLeod
Yeah, pretty much. Pretty much. And I put that on and I just like get myself in like a headspace of like all this like creativity and like cinema and love and beautiful like crescendos and orchestral pieces. As I like pull up to the wedding, I'm like listening to like the, the crescendo of the interstellar soundtrack or something.
Lindsay Roman
The interstellar soundtrack.
Promotional Voice 1
Oh my goodness.
Evie McLeod
Hey, it's a banger.
Lindsay Roman
So yeah, maybe recommend listening to that as well.
Evie McLeod
Something that puts you in the. Create the. Gets the creative juices flowing.
Lindsay Roman
We love that. And then this is. You already know this, but we're just gonna say it anyway. Leave way freaking way too early. Well, I mean, you know, within reason. Plan for traffic, plan for parking, plan for getting lost, especially if you haven't been there yet. Although I would plan for getting lost before then. Like if you have never been there before and you've not scouted or it's a new area, I would like look up the directions and make sure. Yeah, probably the night before. I know we're talking about this the morning of the wedding, but just like if it's brand new to you. Yeah, get that locked and loaded before you're like about to head out. I have a really funny super short story that kind of is just. It's. It couldn't have been prevented.
Evie McLeod
It's kind of a horror story.
Lindsay Roman
It is kind of a horror story of like, why you should leave early. And obviously even in this scenario, there was absolutely nothing I could do to fix this because it was out of everyone's control. But I was shooting a wedding on Maui and I flew in that morning just because at the time I lived in Oahu. So it was more of like a. Just like a 30 minute commuter flight. But I landed that morning and I remember I left the airport. The wedding, I think was in Lahaina. And so if you've ever, if you're familiar with Maui at all, it's like, it's like the south. What would that be called? Southwest side of the island. And that's like probably like an hour and a half. Maybe not even that much, honestly. Maybe not even that. But maybe it's like an hour or less, like, 45 minutes from the airport. And I remember all of Hawaii is kind of like this, where it's like, there's really only one road to, like, the. The destination. Not always, especially in Oahu, but. Okay, I'm sidebarring. This is chaos. In Maui specifically, there would not have been another. There's one road from the airport to Lahaina. Yeah. Technically, you could have gone around, like, the northwest. No, that would have taken four hours. Although. Lol. What happened is. I don't know what it was. It was either, like, a rock slide or a landslide. That's the same thing, maybe, or like, rain. I think. Actually, no, it was a flood. I think. I think something had happened with either the ocean.
Evie McLeod
It was a mudslide. I remember a mudslide. I could be wrong.
Lindsay Roman
Maybe it was either a mudslide or a flood, some sort of Hawaii thing that happened. And I didn't know that, but what happened was, like, basically, traffic got to get slow, and then traffic literally stopped. I kid you not. And I was on the road. I was in an area of the. Of the island where there was no service, which was real great nightmare for my sanity. So no service. I'm parked and we're parked so long that, like, I'm basically turning. I'm putting the car in park. I'm turning it off, because at that point, it's so long. People are getting out of their car.
Evie McLeod
Like, they're starting.
Lindsay Roman
You know when people, like, are in a standoff that. Not. That's what it's called, standstill, where they're like. Like people are talking to each other. They're trying to figure out what's going on. And, like. So I'm, like, trying to talk to the cars in front of me, and we figure out that there's. Apparently what I'm hearing down the line is, like, up ahead somewhere is, like a. Is a landslide or a mudslide.
Evie McLeod
The road is, like, flooded.
Lindsay Roman
Some sort of thing where, like, quite literally, there is no other. Like, it is. I am in between. Like, the venue is here. Landslide, mudslide, flood situation. Me. There is nothing that I can do. And I. I was. I kid you not, I think three or four hours late to that wedding. But. And. And I didn't have service to even communicate. And I was like, the only thing that I can hope and pray is that everybody. It's not just me, because I was obviously the photographer. I'm coming early. So it's like, everybody. Yeah. Has to be delayed. Unless they already Lived in Lahaina. Oh, my God. Like, the makeup artists, like, everybody. So anyways, it was fine, right? Yeah, it was fine. By the time I got there, I was, like, profusely apologizing, and they were like, everyone's like, you're fine. You're actually here early compared to everyone else. And so the wedding just got moved like, three or four hours later, which was fine.
Evie McLeod
Wow.
Lindsay Roman
It was. Anyways, that's a sidebar.
Evie McLeod
What's so funny is we're like, leave early. But that was a scenario where even.
Lindsay Roman
If I were left, you had left.
Evie McLeod
To be there five hours early, you would have still had an issue.
Lindsay Roman
Yeah. So that was a little dramatic, but it can happen, so just leave early.
Evie McLeod
Well, I will also say I just, like, I have literally, I pulled up to a wedding this past weekend, and it was a really, really fancy. Like, it was a Ritz Carlton, like, a very fancy hotel. And I was told to pull up and just valet. And so it was, like, free valet. And so I pulled up and I, like, explained. I was like, hey, I'm the star for the day. I was told to pull up and valet. And he was like, absolutely.
Lindsay Roman
I can.
Evie McLeod
I can valet your car. But also if you just want to, like, pull around really quick and, like, park your car, then you have access to come and go or whatever. And I was like, great, yeah, I'll do that. That's fine with me. But then there were literally three cars in front of me, like, in a. Like, I could not pull forward for several minutes while people were, like, unloading their car into the bellhop and thingies. Like, I was just stuck. And I was like, even something like that.
Lindsay Roman
Like, if you would have got, like, even five minutes early, you're now.
Evie McLeod
Yeah, I literally sat there and I was like. I was technically. I was way early. I was like, four. I was arriving, like, 45 minutes or an hour early from when I was supposed to start shooting. But. But I was still, like, I was sitting there just watching the time tick away, and I was like, thank God I have plenty of time to, like, be early. So even stuff that you cannot possibly think to, like, take time. And I will also encourage if you are stopping for anything, Starbucks breakfast, like, grabbing, you know, something at. At a drugstore really quick before you head out. Like, I don't care. You. I. If you think it's going to take me 10 minutes, count for 25.
Lindsay Roman
Yeah.
Evie McLeod
Like, so much extra time, I want to show up an hour before I'm supposed to even start shooting. And if I'M planning to start scouting or connect with my shoot or anything. I'm getting there an hour and a half, two hours early. Like, just so much extra time.
Lindsay Roman
100.
Promotional Voice 1
Okay.
Evie McLeod
And then these are, like, some bonus, like, weird but useful tips that might be helpful. Always pack a spare phone charger for you. But I would also say sometimes, maybe like, somebody in the wedding party or planner, another vendor, bridesmaid, groomsman, somebody needs it. Bring body wipes and deodorant to refresh throughout the day. I always have.
Lindsay Roman
You don't be a smelly person.
Evie McLeod
I know I always have that in my, like, accessible bag. That. Not, like, necessarily my crossbody, but, like, I don't. That's not like, in my car. No, that's like. That's with my gear. Like, I. I can refresh throughout the day. A change of shoes. I already mentioned that. I will say if I'm shooting, like, a really hot wedding day, I will sometimes bring a outfit change just in case. I just.
Lindsay Roman
It's like, by sweating. Have you been there since, like, 10? Your outfit's probably wet.
Evie McLeod
I'm, like, usually, like, so hot, so sweaty. And even though I may have refreshed once or twice throughout the day, I'm probably. There's still an element that I like. Either am just sweating or stinking from the smell of the sweat or there's BO going on. I don't know. I just. It's one of those things that I'm like, if I know it's gonna be a hot day, I'll usually bring one outfit change. So I have the choice to be. If you want to fully fresh and, like, body wipes, deodorant, and a new outfit. I just don't want to be that vendor who's like, my arms up at, like, the reception and, like, everything is just reeking around me. Um, and then layer options. That's another thing is, like, if it's gonna be a colder day or you know that the temperature dramatically changes from the middle of the day to, like, the late evening. Like, maybe bring a cardigan or a sweater or something to not freeze your butt off, too. There's.
Promotional Voice 1
Oh, perfect.
Lindsay Roman
Perfect.
Evie McLeod
Two more.
Lindsay Roman
Yep, I got it. I got it. Uh, something else. You. You don't have to do this, but it is nice if you are relying on the timeline and the shot list and all of that to be on your phone and then for some reason, you didn't bring a phone charger or you have it, but it's, like, far away, and your phone dies. Something that's a nice backup is to print out the timeline and print out the. Any. Any. Basically, like whether it's the full questionnaire or even just the family shot list, anything that you're relying on your phone for, that would suck if it died because that's usually how I'm communicating with my second shooter. But still, I mean, you could also bring, what's that called, like a normal phone charger, but then also a portable one. So that's like a brick. Even if you want to be like super, super cautious. Just a bonus thing that you could do is print out like actual physical papers of, of your, like timeline and shot list and things like that. And then lastly, this is a bonus. But usually if you're doing a rock and roll job at your job, people might ask for business cards. So having business cards handy in your bag and then even in your pocket or your crossbody if you're wearing that like while you're out and about. Yeah, if you're doing a rock and rol for them, whether it's other vendors or whether it's the guests, either way, you want to be able to give them things to find you later because that's free marketing for you.
Evie McLeod
Yeah, totally. Okay, well, hopefully this checklist gave you some good ideas, reminders, encouragement. We did create a wedding day checklist for you. It is a free downloadable PDF. We just thought that would be also helpful for you if you're like, oh, great, this is great to listen to, but I wish I had this on paper to check off as I'm preparing for wedding days. We created one for you, so feel free. That'll be in the show notes. We'll put the link in there, go to the show notes, download it and grab that for free. But hopefully this gave you some good ideas of the week and the day before, the day of the morning of, and kind of gave you some good reminders and rundowns of what we run through every single time.
Lindsay Roman
Yep. And now you can avoid being like Lindsay in 2018. Showing up at a wedding day with. Without memory cards, without memory cards. And having your husband last minute go to Walmart at 7am on a Sunday. So without further ado, that was the episode. Hope you loved it. Share it with your friends, share it with your mom. If she's a photographer, just share it. It's good information. Guys, we love when you share our episodes and also we love when you leave reviews. So also do that if you've got value out of this. We love that.
Evie McLeod
And also if you have anything to add. Just in case you don't know, we do have at least at the time of this recording. We'll see if it continues. I would think it'll continue. We have a group DM now on Instagram with all of our listeners, or not all, but like a lot of our listeners. And we love chatting back and forth. We love hearing your feedback on episodes. And if you have anything to add to this of like, oh, I never, I always bring this. I don't forget this. Here's something I do ahead of time, like come join that group DM if you're not already in it. And then throw your thoughts, throw like any extra tidbits you have in there. We can always learn and grow from each other, too.
Lindsay Roman
So amazing.
Evie McLeod
All right, friend, we love you so much and we'll see you on the next episode.
Lindsay Roman
Sam.
Hosts: Evie McLeod & Lindsay Roman
Date: October 14, 2025
In this episode, Evie and Lindsay deliver an in-depth, step-by-step checklist for wedding photographers to ensure stress-free, fully prepared wedding days. Drawing from their own successes and horror stories, they break down exactly what pros should do in the week leading up to the event, the night before, and the morning-of to avoid forgotten gear, mental flusters, or logistical hiccups. This episode is packed with practical advice, funny anecdotes, and tangible tips for maximizing both preparation and peace of mind.
[02:42–07:40]
[07:40–14:46]
[14:46–28:54]
Charge EVERYTHING:
Format & Clear Memory Cards:
Sync Cameras:
Intentional Gear Bag Packing:
Lay-Flat Details & Emergency Kit:
Snacks & Water:
Outfit Prep:
[30:53–40:04]
For those of faith, pray in the car before arriving, play worship or inspiring music, and "pray specifically over creativity and connection for the day." [32:03]
For everyone: leave way earlier than you think—plan for traffic, hotel delays, hiccups with vendors, or even bizarre disasters like mudslides (Lindsay’s real-life story: [35:12–38:21]).
[40:04–42:57]
[42:57–end]
This episode is essential for any wedding photographer who wants to feel calm, prepared, and ready to deliver creativity and professionalism—every single time.