Wedding Photo Ideas And Checklist

Your wedding photographs have the power to transport you back to one of the most special times of your life, magically capturing the essence of your big day and holding those precious memories you’ll cherish for years to come.

Taking a few simple steps and ideas into consideration beforehand will ensure your wedding photo albums are full of the images you really want to treasure.

Snap decisions

First of all, choosing your wedding photographer means doing your research well in advance. Check out different photographers and their portfolios to get an idea of their style, and choose the one whose work appeals to you the most. Versatility is important, so a photographer who is able to take stunning portraits that might be set up and posed, whilst also being able to respond in the moment to capture more relaxed, natural shots that feel authentic, is ideal.

Get clear as a couple what kind of photographs you want to be taken, perhaps even imagining looking through your finished album and visualising what you’d most like to see there. Creating a list that you then give to your photographer means all the fundamentals will be in place for you, whilst still leaving room for you to be surprised by what the photographer picks up on on the day.

If you want to include pictures of any pre-wedding elements like your invitations, engagement rings, flowers and bouquets, your outfits and even the wedding venue and table settings before guests arrive, it can be useful to arrange to have these taken in advance of the day itself. This will leave your photographer with more time to focus on you and your guests when it really counts.

So, with your wedding photo checklist starting to take shape, here are a few more ideas to inspire you…

Wedding photo ideas for bride and groom

The time before the ceremony is likely to feel busy and can be over before you know it. Photos taken during this time will provide an opportunity to slow down and savour every moment, and later, those snapshots can transport you back to what you were thinking and feeling in the midst of all the excitement.

Brides will want to remember this time of delicious anticipation, and so a beautiful portrait of you sitting relaxed in a gorgeous robe, or later putting on jewellery, or your favourite scent, can be perfect reminders.

Also extra special to look back on are photographs of the friends and family present with you at this time, capturing natural moments of humour and the love between you.

The journey to the wedding venue will also be something to remember, so make sure you’ve got the photographer ready to snap some stunning shots as you arrive.

If you’re a couple who is choosing to wear multiple looks over the course of the day, let your photographer know so they can be sure to capture these appropriately; the mood of a portrait of you dressed in your formal wedding gown will be very different to a more dynamic shot of you in your after-party outfit, for example.

Grooms might be photographed as they get ready, putting on special cufflinks, or in a more intimate moment of reading over their vows before they leave for the wedding venue. Again, those natural moments shared before the ceremony with groomsmen or groomsmaids provide wonderful photos that will reflect your friendship and their support for you on your big day.

Remember too that you both might choose to have some of these taken in black and white as well as colour, which can lend a timeless, heirloom quality to your photographs.

Wedding photo ideas for couples

Photos of one of you waiting for the other to arrive at the ceremony, as well as your reactions when you see each other for the first time in a ‘first look’ shot, are a must on any wedding photo checklist. Moments of you each expressing your vows, that first kiss as a wedded couple, and the two of you emerging from the venue or arriving together at your reception to be celebrated by your guests are also iconic images for a reason!

At your reception, a good photographer will be looking for your reactions during speeches and toasts, as well as being there to get a close-up of you two cutting the cake, and taking to the floor for your first dance.

If you leave the venue before the rest of your guests, you’ll want prints of your send-off, so be sure to let your photographer know what to expect. Will there be fireworks? Will you be waving from your ‘just-married’ sportscar? Knowing in advance will mean they’ll be prepared to capture these couple’s moments at their best.

Family wedding photo ideas

Your wedding is a time when you’ll be surrounded by those who love you, and being able to look back on wedding photos that celebrate the members of your family is priceless.

The arrival of parents at the ceremony venue, children who might be bridesmaids or page boys, precious photos or a candle dedicated to loved ones who might not be with you but who you wish to be remembered… Decide what is important to you and ensure your photographer is well-briefed in advance as to who is who, so everyone and everything you want there makes an appearance in your album later on.

You might have parents, children or other family members with you before the ceremony, or later walking you down the aisle, and a good photographer will be capturing those memorable moments. Then, at your reception, think family giving speeches and toasts, parents at the wedding table and children dancing with their grandparents. You’ll want all these beautiful family snapshots to look back on after the event.

Formal wedding photo ideas

Decide in advance how many formal, posed shots you really want in your wedding album. You and your guests will likely want to spend most of your time relaxed and celebrating, which also means your photographer will be able to focus on taking more natural, reportage-style shots of your day.

So whilst you might not want to rely too heavily on posed images that might seem cliched later on and perhaps not express your true character, a skilled photographer will be able to take posed, more formal shots that will still capture your uniqueness and convey the atmosphere of the day.

Think about the backdrops you’ll want for these classic images, so if your ceremony venue is in a particularly picturesque spot, for example, make the most of the surroundings by ensuring you have time to get the pictures you want whilst you are there.

In terms of formal portraits, you two as a couple is a given, accompanied in another shot by any children. Other classic ideas include portraits of the bride on her own, then with her bridesmaids, and the groom on his own, then with his wedding party in attendance.

Photographs with parents and grandparents are all-important of course, and then you might want to widen the shot to include other extended family, finally having your photographer take one of all your guests, with you as a couple front and centre.

Fun wedding photo ideas

Staging some of these playful wedding photo ideas is sure to make everyone smile, and you might want to pop one or two of them onto your wedding photo checklist.

Remember the ‘first look’ photo for you as a couple? It can also be really fun to set up a moment where other groups of your wedding party catch sight of you as the bride or groom for the first time. This way, the surprise and delight on the faces of your children, parents, or bridesmaids is captured forever!

Those touches that make your wedding day more authentic and unique to you can also be part of your fun wedding photo checklist. You might have photos taken with you and a favourite pet, incorporate your beloved Harley-Davidson into the frame, or even have you and selected guests recreate an album cover that means a lot to you both.

Lighten things up even further with your guests holding sparklers during your first dance, or as evening falls, drawing hearts in the near dark – like many of the more fun wedding photo ideas, this will require a touch of choreographing in advance, so do keep your photographer up to speed, or ask a friend to take responsibility for sorting this one out for you!