It goes without saying that your wedding day is all about romance, so you want to capture the spark that makes you and your new husband a great couple in your wedding photos. Every wedding album should have some shots that are going to make you have a warm, dreamy feeling whenever you look at them in the future.
So how do you achieve this, and how can you explain to your photographer exactly what you want?
To help you, we asked some top photographers for their advice on capturing your most romantic moments on camera, and what shots to try out for truly gorgeous photos.
Award-winning photographer David Bostock of The Bridal Photographer advises:
- Have a photograph taken of the bride and groom together with the bride’s veil over you both – but you must be looking at one another and not at the camera for this to work
- Stand hand in hand facing away from the camera with a beautiful view ahead of you, such as your venue, a stunning landscape or glorious sunset
- A bride and groom making eye contact with each other is always more romantic than them staring into camera. I love to shoot an image of the groom lifting the bride up and them staring into each others’ eyes
John from The Owl and the Pussycat Wedding Photography is very keen on photographs being taken that reflect you both and your personalities.
“Couple shots are among the most important photographs taken on the big day – you want them to be right, natural, and not overly posed,” he says. “You want to feel comfortable while they are being taken, and you want to recognise yourselves in them as you look at them later.
“It’s important to talk these through with the photographer, so they can get a feel for the style that will suit you and reflect your personality. You are very much in the hands of your photographer for these, and it’s their skill both in putting you at ease and getting the shot right that will count. A good photographer will know how to use the setting, what angles to use, and get the flattering light.”
Here at Wedding Ideas we completely agree with John on this one – you need to have the confidence to be yourselves in your wedding photographs and not project the image you think you should. You don’t want to look at your images later and feel they’re not really ‘you’.
For another take on romantic photography, we asked a destination wedding expert – namely, Ibiza-based photographer Gypsy Westwood.
“The luxury of shooting weddings in Ibiza is the light and the sun and sunsets,” says Gypsy. “I love the look of the sun once it’s getting a bit lower in the sky behind the couple and burning through their hair, whilst the couple are relaxed in a cuddle or giving each other a look or a kiss.
“The most romantic moments to get are when the pair are completely relaxed – laughing, holding hands, looking into each others’ eyes, with no care in the world except one other.”
We agree that there’s something very romantic about holding each other’s gaze – so make sure you do plenty of that for your wedding photographs. It might make you a little giggly to do this in front of a relative stranger, but so much the better – it will be a nice touch to have a few shots of you and your new husband enjoying a private joke together.
Photographer Mark Tattersall has a different approach to romantic photography.
“In my opinion you cannot stage a romantic shot,” says Mark. “I like to take the approach of choosing the right time and place and letting the couple spend some time together away from the crowds, which is when the pair can let their guard down – that way I’m free to capture the real moments of romance and love between them. This can be as the sun is setting or a detour to a location with special significance for the couple. I believe a really romantic picture reflects the couples’ relationship and not a photographer’s vision of a ‘great shot’.”
Leeds-based wedding photographer Mark Dolby loves to watch couples interact during the ceremony to capture romantic moments. “A groom’s first look at his bride or a shot of them holding hands to help quell each others nerves are moments filled with emotion for me.”
“I get some of my most romantic shots if I can whisk the bride and groom away for ten minutes later in the day,” says Mark. “Everything has gone well, the groom has his speech out of the way and the couple can really relax, hopefully as the sun is setting on a perfect day.
The first dance is another great moment to capture romantic wedding photos. If a couple manage to lose themselves in the moment, fantastic pictures usually follow.”
So there you have it – some great ideas for getting gorgeous couple shots on your day! To make sure you’re looking your best for your wedding shots, why not take a look at our Bridal Hair and Beauty section?
