When photographing somebodies wedding you are essentially telling a story, a story about a specific family and group of people. So it is essential that you as the photographer take a little time to photograph the little, personal details. The details which help the story flow and which help bring variety to the wedding photo album.
A few examples of these details are; the flowers, the ring, the cake, the wedding dress & shoes, the table plan, champagne being poured, etc. All of these are examples of things which are specifically designed by the bride and groom for the wedding, hence being personal. Every wedding is different so whatever you find you will be helping to build a bigger picture about what the day was like. Being a documentary style photographer myself, I hope for an image to tell a story on its own. I look for opportunities where the composition, timing and subjects all come together to create a moment which I can photograph, but it is still important that I take some time to shoot the details as these are the images that break up the album and help convey the overall story.
A great advantage of arriving at the wedding venue before the guests is that you get to photograph the rooms while they are still perfectly set out and untouched. This is a great time to shoot the details, especially the table decorations. Things like the place names, glasses, napkins, anything that will help remind the bride & groom about decisions they had made while planning their wedding.
It is worth remembering that to take these sort of images you will need a lens capable of focusing at short distance. These details are often small and look better photographed on their own and without any other distractions within the frame.
To give you a head start in photographing the details at a wedding, talk to the bride and groom beforehand. Ask them what colour scheme they will be using, ask them where the flowers will be displayed, ask whether you are allowed to photograph the ring. These precautions may seem slightly unnecessary now, but every wedding is different and while you will find yourselves photographing the common details like the flowers, rings, dresses, there may be something about the couple you don't know. Something that will be an essential, distinctive detail within the photo album and a personal touch.
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