How to Plan a Styled Shoot on Aisle Planner

How to Plan a Styled Shoot on Aisle Planner
July 14, 2016

 

Wedding planners and styled shoots go together like peas and carrots. So much so that when we polled our Aisle Planner community, it came as no surprise that 90% of respondents told us that they plan at least 1 styled photoshoot per year. So, yeah...peas and carrots. Pulling off a styled shoot takes a lot of planning and coordination; sometimes just as much as planning a wedding for 100 guests. There are locations to scout, vendors to book, timelines to prepare and to-dos to check off! So today, we wanted to show you how to plan a styled shoot on Aisle Planner and how we did it this past spring!

 

Planning a Styled Shoot on Aisle Planner

Checklist

Just like planning a wedding, the process of planning a styled shoot is founded in the Aisle Planner checklist. So naturally, it makes sense that step one would be to create yourself a styled shoot checklist template.

Your styled shoot checklist template most likely won't be as long as your wedding checklist template but that doesn't mean that it should lack in detail. If you are the lead planner on the shoot, you are definitely managing and overseeing lots of moving parts, so be sure to include all of the tasks that need to be completed. And because we know that each styled shoot is completely different from the next, we recommend building a checklist template around details that you know to be constant.

For example, your styled shoot checklist template can include:

  • All of the vendors and creative partners that we would potentially need to book
  • An overview of the design process that includes milestones (like finalizing the mood board)
  • Reminders to send any documents (style guides, timelines, shot lists, etc.) to the appropriate creative partners
  • Your general workflow to keep yourself on track
Pro Tip: Invite any of your creative partners that are really involved in the planning process to your Aisle Planner account as a Planning Partner. This way you can assign tasks, collaborate on design, and crank through those to-dos all in one place!

Timelines and Shot Lists

The day of a styled shoot is a whirlwind just like the day of a wedding. Sometimes you are on-site for all day or sometimes you only have your photographer for a couple hours. Either way, making sure that everything moves along at the pace it should can be organized and scheduled in a day-of timeline. 

Build your timeline to include:

  • Call and delivery times
  • Set up and tear down times
  • The overall flow of the day (think, "When do I need to have the tablescape done for the photog to shoot?")

In addition to building out a timeline for shoot day, you can use the Notes feature to create a shot list. It's easy to overlook certain must-have shots when you are busy making sure that the model is prepped and that the food got plated so having a concrete list of the shots you want (or need!) is a huge help. Take the time to write everything out in detail prior to the shoot and share it with the photographer at least a few days before so that the two of you are on the same page about what the goals of the day are.

Pro Tip: In addition to building a shot list in the Notes section of Aisle Planner, enter shot list details into your timeline so you have everything in one doc.

Planning a Styled Shoot on Aisle Planner

Design Studio

Ok, now to the fun part! Wedding planners and styled shoots go together like peas and carrots because they are a chance to design something for you! As a wedding planner, your entire career is spent designing for other people and sometimes you just need to do something for yourself.

The Aisle Planner Design Studio definitely feels like the heart of any styled shoot and for good reason. Since the point of styled shoots is often to give the professionals a chance to create something that is within their design aesthetic, a good amount of time is spent creating mood boards and style guides. And we recommend doing both!

Create a master design overview that captures the overall look and feel that you are trying to achieve and share it with all of your creative partners. Then, you can create individual style guides that are more in depth and send them to the creative partners that need to see those details.

Check out how our style guides came to life below!

See our bridal style guide here.

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About the Author

Aisle Planner Editorial Team
Aisle Planner Editorial Team
The Aisle Planner Editorial Team is a collective of creative writers, editors, and former event pros who obsess over weddings and special events—and the businesses behind them! Drawn to refined details, design, and creativity, our team provides intelligent and straightforward articles with insights, practical tips, and expert guidance in putting Aisle Planner's "Power of One" behind your business.