Last Updated: February 14th, 2020
A few months ago, we wrote an entire post of 27 wedding photography tips for brides. We know that so often the wedding planning ends up falling in the hands of the bride-to-be while the guys take a back seat. But – it shouldn’t always be that way!
For this post, we put together 33 wedding photography tips for brides and grooms – to help the couples who are actively working together to make sure they plan their wedding and have the best photography experience possible.
What will make these tips different is our focus on couple’s collaboration and what the groom’s should be thinking about when it comes to their wedding photography. So – future brides, grooms, couples engaged to be married…are you ready?
Before You Book a Wedding Photographer
Your choice of wedding photographer will play the biggest role in how your wedding pictures turn out. There are a couple key elements that go into selecting the perfect wedding photographer.
Work together on your wedding planning.
First up – we often see the ladies taking the majority of the responsibility for planning the wedding. While we get the guys are not always into it – it’s important to keep in mind how big of an event this is to plan.
By working together, you get this great team building exercise that will translate well into a solid marriage. It also lets you both have a say in all the details of your wedding from the venue choice to color selection of the napkins to, yes, the wedding photographer.
Talk about what you both want from your wedding photography.
As you set out to find a wedding photographer that will work with you, it’s important to nail down what you actually want.
For sure – some couples don’t care too much, and any photographer will do.
In other cases, couples realize that their wedding pictures will be the one thing they can turn to years later to remember their big day. So their choice of wedding photographer is really significant for this reason.
A few things we looked at when hiring our own wedding photographer:
- Photo style
- Cost
- Personality
Find a wedding photographer who has a style you both connect with.
Building on our last wedding photography tip for brides and grooms, your photographers style is one of the single most important factors that will go into whether or not you will like working with them.
There are a number of popular styles these days, but most fall into one of 3 types:
- Natural looking
- Dark & Moody
- Bright & Airy
The best way to get a sense of your photographer’s photo style is to review their portfolio. Most photographers have an online portfolio on their website, blog, and social media profiles.
If you are really digging a photographer and want to see more, ask them to see a full gallery.
Pro tip: most wedding photographers share their best images on blog posts & social media like Instagram. Probably 90% of these are taken during Golden Hour and are portraits. Make sure you get to see images from other parts of the day including the ceremony, family formals, reception, etc. to make sure you like their style across all lighting environments and times of day.
How do wedding photographers get cool stylized photos? While it all starts in the camera, it’s photo editing later than really brings the images to life. Photo presets like the Signature Edit’s Genesis Collection help expedite this entire process for new and professional photographers alike.
Meet your wedding photographer “in real life” together.
If you have the ability to set up a face-to-face meeting with a wedding photographer you are interested in, it is a great idea!
These in-person meetings allow you to really connect on a more personal level.
Going as a couple makes this experience even more rewarding!!
Of course, if you’re unable to set up a real life meeting due to time restrictions or geographic proximity, there is also a phone call or Skype as an alternative. While not always preferred, it’s still better than just chatting via email.
Ask about your photographers shooting style.
So – when it comes to wedding photography, there is the end product that you are seeing in their portfolio images. But – there is also a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes.
It is valuable to have your prospective wedding photographer explain to you their process. How do they work with their couples? Do they have go-to poses or make them up on the fly? How would they describe their photo editing approach?
These types of questions will help you to understand more about how your photographer typically works, and how their minds works, too!
Related: Candid Posing Prompts for Couples
Understand what service you are paying for.
Not all wedding photography services are made the same.
There are a number of different approaches photographers take when it comes to offering their service. Some are, frankly, more transparent than others – but what can we say.
If it’s not crystal clear what you are getting in your wedding photography package, before signing a contract, it’s important that you ask and make sure you understand 100%.
Some common things we would want to be sure of we were hiring a wedding photographer today:
- How many hours will you be photographing our wedding day?
- Can we add extra hours if needed? If so, how much does it cost?
- Will there be any extra or hidden costs we’re not aware of?
- How will I receive my images?
- How many photos will I get?
- Do you do any photo touch ups?
- What is your cancellation policy?
- How long does it take to get my final pictures?
You could probably think of others to ask, too!
Bottom line is this: please don’t agree to work with a wedding photographer until you are fully confident in your decision. This is better for everyone involved, and any professional photographer will be willing to hear you out and answer any questions/concerns you may have beforehand.
You often get what you pay for.
Finally – with so many wedding photographers out there, it’s easy to find a really cheap one.
We talk a lot about how the photography industry is saturated with a lot of people working in it, but the reality is that most are very new and don’t know what they are doing. Don’t get us wrong – we support aspiring photographers and realize everyone needs to start off somewhere, and charging low prices is one way to get a foot in the door. We did exactly this when we started.
But – hiring an inexperienced wedding photographer also comes with down sides. The lack of experience means they may miss out on some shots by not being able to predict when certain things will happen. It also means they may not be prepared to handle stressful situations – like family bickering or drunk guests being rude.
In general, we believe you get what you pay for when it comes to wedding photography because more experienced photographers also tend to be more reputable and knowledgeable of how to consistently get great pictures.
Pro tip: wedding days are often more complex behind the scenes than most people realize. Sometimes, the logistics & timing can make getting some shots very difficult. From time to time, other wedding vendors can make things challenging as well if they are not very professional or inexperienced. Often – wedding photographers have to resolve these challenges on their own, and on the fly, so working with someone who has already “seen it all” is often a benefit in this way, too.
Prep for Your Wedding Day
Now that you have booked a wedding photographer, you should begin to prepare for your wedding day. There are just a few key actions and things you should think about that will all (ultimately) influence your wedding photography pictures.
Understand the key parts of a wedding day from a photography perspective.
As a couple planning a wedding, you may not realize how the day breaks down for a wedding photographer.
We often view weddings as being comprised as a bunch of “mini-shoots” because we are often moving around to different locations and incorporating different subjects (friends, family, landscapes, macro details, a wedding dress…) into our shots.
Most wedding days boil down to the following:
- Getting Ready. These are taken while you are preparing for the big day.
- First Look. This does not happen at every wedding, but it is becoming more common. A First Look allows you (as a couple) to have a quiet moment together seeing each other for the first time on your wedding day.
- We think you know what this is! 😉
- Bride & Groom Portraits. These may be taken at different points in the day or all at once. Expect solo portraits, as well as couples portraits.
- Family Formals. These are portraits of you + your family.
- Bridal Party Portraits. These are portraits of you + your bridal party.
- Cocktail Hour. Often, cocktail hour photos will involve a good deal of candid shots. Your wedding photographer may also sneak off to take detail shots of your reception hall.
- Reception. Wedding photographers will capture a lot of candids, as well as photos of all the special events such as intros, toasts, first dances, cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc.
- Grand Exit. Most weddings we photograph include a sparkler exit.
Understanding the basic rhythm of the average wedding day will help you to prepare in advance for what to expect.
Hire reputable vendors.
A great wedding photographer will be elevated by other great wedding vendors.
In the same respect, a wedding photographers’ job can be made a lot more difficult by poor quality vendors.
Here are a few examples to think about:
- You hire a florist to make bouquets and other floral arrangements. If they create beautiful work, the wedding photos will look even better. If their work isn’t great, or they don’t show up at all, the wedding photos will suffer as a result.
- You hire a DJ to keep the reception fun with people on the dance floor. If the DJ does their job well, people will be having a great time and it’ll show in the photos. If the DJ is bad at their job, people will be bored out of their minds and sitting around all night.
- You hire a wedding coordinator to keep things running smoothly. If they are doing a great job, you won’t feel any stress, and it’ll make the lives of all the other vendors much easier. If they don’t do a good job, you’ll wonder why you even hired one in the first place.
- You hire a videographer to take video of your wedding. If they create an amazing video and were easy to work with, then they won’t impact the wedding photographer’s ability to create beautiful images. If they don’t create good work (or worse: are hard to work with), it will negatively impact your wedding photography.
These are just a couple of broad examples – but you should be able to see how every wedding vendor impacts your wedding photography results.
Pro observation: after shooting many weddings, we’ve realized than most vendors are at least “good enough.” We often refer our favorite vendors to new clients that need help finding the right team. With all this said – there are some bad vendors out there. We can get past making mistakes and what have you in their end product (especially with less experienced vendors), but the ones that we look back on and cringe about are the absolute worst. Some vendors go out of their way to be difficult and make the day worse for even the bride & groom – a big no-no in our book.
Read reviews of your wedding venue in particular.
While you should read reviews of all your wedding vendors, you should make sure you do so for your venue especially. This is because your choice of venue will dictate a lot of how your day runs.
The other reason for this is because a beautiful wedding venue can still be a poor choice if it’s run by bad management. We have at least one location on our “blacklist” that is gorgeous, but we won’t work at again due to how we observed them run their business and treat their employees poorly.
Some venues may also nickel-and-dime you for extra things – so be weary and know what you’re signing up for.
Have a bad weather backup plan that you like.
While we pray for good weather, we know that having a back up plan is always a good idea.
Most of the time – this will be dependent on your wedding venue. Before even booking your venue, make sure you understand what the rain option looks like.
Minimize driving time.
Having to drive to different locations throughout the day often will increase stress levels. If possible, make arrangements to have your entire wedding at a single location – or two at max.
You may want to also account for drive time in the amount of time you book your wedding photographer for. If they need to spend 1 hour driving, it’s not like they are off the clock.
Decide on a First Look or traditional wedding day.
Wedding days that incorporate a First Look are often a little more relaxed because it allows the bride & groom to see each other earlier, and get a lot of their formal photos (family portraits and bridal party portraits) out of the way early. This way, when cocktail hour roles around, they can go enjoy the party instead of needing to have these photos taken.
Of course, this isn’t for everyone.
While (as wedding photographers) we prefer First Looks, we also respect anyone who wants that traditional experience of seeing each other for the first time during the ceremony. It really is a beautiful thing as well!
Ultimately – as a couple – you need to decide which works best for you.
Style your wedding for consistent aesthetics.
Another area where you can take control of the look of your wedding photography is to have consistent aesthetics that you like.
Remember: photography is all about the visuals.
Many wedding venues will help out significantly in this way. Some even come equipped with all of the nitty gritty details. Other times, you may need to DIY decorate everything.
However you want your wedding to look, make sure it is how you want it to look.
Schedule an engagement shoot.
If you want to have really great wedding pics, scheduling an engagement shoot is a great way to help make this happen.
Brides: think about it like this. With your hair/makeup artist, you will normally schedule a trial run to make sure you like the work they are doing. An e-session can allow you to work with your photographer in a similar way.
We always recommend engagement shoots to our couples for a few reasons:
- It gets them comfortable being photographed by us
- It lets us get to know each other in a more laid back and fun setting
- It lets them see the end result of our work first hand
It’s simple really.
Pro tip: if you are a person who gets anxious about seeing yourself in photos, definitely book an engagement session. You don’t want all of those anxious thoughts lurking with you while it takes your photographer a month to edit your wedding photos. Having engagement photos done will help reduce this tremendously once you get a chance to see how awesome they turn out!
Create a wedding timeline.
At the start of this section, we talked about how most wedding days break down. When it comes to creating a wedding timeline, we want to plug in all of the events into the actual timing of your big day.
A wedding timeline will help you (as the future bride & groom) to visualize the flow of your big day. The wedding timeline will also help your photographer know how long they have for certain shots, and help them figure out where they need to be (and at what time).
While you may start working on this by yourself, we also recommend asking your wedding photographer for help and advice. As a part of our wedding photography business, we actually pride ourselves in helping our couples get all of this sorted out because we know how valuable it is.
Pro tip: get to know the best times of day for photography and schedule important photo taking moments around them. If you’re unsure, ask your photographer for help in the scheduling!
Make sure your hair & makeup artists knows your schedule.
With your timeline situated, it’s important to share this with other wedding vendors you will be working with. This is especially important to share with your hair & makeup artists.
The reason why we highlight this is because most of the time when we start to run behind, it’s because hair and makeup are taking longer than expected. If these things run late, it will eat into the time you have for portraits and enjoying your day – plain & simple.
So – tell them in advance what time you need to be done getting ready, so they can properly prepare a good start time with this in mind.
Let your photographer know if there are any planned “surprises”.
Surprises are cool during weddings – but it’s not so cool for a wedding photographer who just stepped away to use the restroom or grab a quick bite to eat during dinner.
Sometimes, they can’t always be predicted. No doubt, if your dad decides to give a special toast that he didn’t tell you about – it happens and your wedding photographer should be able to jump into action to catch it.
But – if you know something special will be occurring, let your photographer know. It’s makes things easier, and trust us, we won’t spoil the surprise!
For church weddings: check with your priest in advance if there are any photography restrictions.
Wedding photographers don’t usually have too many limitations (if any at all) when working at different venues. However, the one exception to this will come during church weddings. Photographers are often limited in where they can or cannot go. They may also not be allowed to use flash – something really important to be aware of if you are in a dimly lit church environment.
Of course – if there are restrictions, pass this info along to the wedding photographer to let them know.
Tell your family when/where they will be needed for pictures.
So you know those family pictures you’re planning to take? It’s a good idea to let the family that will be involved when what time it will be happening and where.
One challenge we face as wedding photographers is corralling people. When photos are taken after a ceremony, someone also tends to go missing.
A couple extra wedding photographer tips to help family photos go smoother:
- Have your officiant announce at the end of the ceremony for family to stay near the altar
- Make a list of family formal pairings to simplify the process
A lot of family formals = a lot more time
Oh – we wanted to add: when you have a lot of family pictures to take, it takes a lot more time. Most photographers will be accommodating of this (it’s your wedding after all!), but realize having groups of extended family pictures can be great – but you will want to make sure there is ample time to get shots with everyone.
Pro tip: keep family pictures to immediate family only. It’s easier and less stressful.
Be ready to accept the unexpected.
Every wedding we have been to and photographed has had at least 1 or 2 hickups.
Unexpected things will happen, so be prepared (mentally) to accept this.
Couples who can roll with the punches and maintain a positive vibe will end up with the best pictures regardless of what happens because it shows on their faces the entire day.
We had one couple recently who had the threat of thunderstorms (with dark skies around and some rain already earlier in the day) come to potentially move their ceremony indoors – but through sheer positivity (we swear!) the rain held off for the 30 minute duration of their ceremony and all of their photos turned out amazing.
Tips for the Wedding Day & When You’re In Front of the Camera
Finally – all of this mental preparation can be exhausting. These wedding photography tips for bride and grooms are now all about what you can do on the wedding day to get the best photos imaginable.
Keep your getting ready spaces clean.
The first time your wedding photographer will see you will be for your prep photos. You want your photographer to see you, and not a room filled with a mess one would think was created by a 4 year old.
This happens surprisingly often – and tends to be the result of packing a lot of people into one room. A bride, her mom, 7 bridesmaids – all getting ready in one location. Finding space for all the unnecessary things around will help you to have cleaner getting ready photos.
Good wedding photog tip: if the space is a mess and your photographer needs it cleaned up, they will begin to move things around and reorganize the room as needed. We do this plenty. So while it’s recommended to try to have things in order before we arrive, know that your wedding photographer is there for you – even if it means doing this type of thing. 🙂
Prepare your details in advance.
Let’s start by thinking about all the little things a bride & groom would like photographed:
- Wedding rings
- Special jewelry
- Dress/suit
- Shoes
- Something borrowed and something blue
- Wedding stationary and invites
- Bouquet and boutonnieres
- Hand written notes for each other
This is a lot of stuff – and every couple is different in what they bring to the table.
To help the wedding photographer get all the shots you want, we suggest keeping all of these things in one location. This way, when the photographer arrives, they can say “hello” and quickly start getting to work without having to track down all of these items.
Brides – have sneakers/flats available if you plan any portrait shots in rougher locations.
High heels are great, but can make it challenging if you plan to have portraits done in a forest or at the top of a mountain.
While not a necessity, we always suggest that brides bring along a pair of more comfortable shoes to change into while they walk to a photo shoot location. You can always put the heels back on when you get there!
Guys – learn how to tie a bowtie, fold a pocket square, and put on boutonnieres
The trifecta of time consuming things while guys get ready is that none of them know how to do these 3 things.
To be fair, there are few days where most guys need to know this stuff. Fortunately, thanks to the power of YouTube, it’s easy to figure out how to do these things in advance.
This is a wedding photography tip because, if no one knows how to put on these things, the photographer (or wedding coordinator) will end up being the person doing it. This detracts from your photographers ability to capture these shots in a candid and organic way.
Bonus help for you (we know you probably need it) –
How to Tie a Bowtie Tutorial:
How to Fold a Pocket Square Tutorial:
How to Put on a Boutonniere Tutorial:
Know that rain/snow doesn’t = bad photos.
If you have a wedding planned to be outdoors, you are always taking a risk with the weather. You could get beautiful sunny skies, or it could downpour all day.
We have seen our share of rain and snow, and want to reassure you that this doesn’t mean your photos will turn out badly. Sometimes, a little bad weather adds a touch of magic you might not have been expecting!
Be natural with each other in front of the camera.
Of all the wedding photography tips and advice we can give to brides & grooms it would be summarized here: be authentic with each other when you’re having your pictures taken.
If you’re a serious couple, being serious is totally cool. If you’re super romantic and into some PDA, then kiss away. And if you like to laugh, keep laughing!
Wedding photographers live for the ability to take portraits of you.
It’s often the part of the day that goes by the fastest, but we enjoy it the most. While they should bring their approach to posing to the table and plenty of ideas, sometimes it’s the candid little moments you share together naturally that make for the best shots.
Bring your own ideas to the table.
If you have any special shots you’d like (whether a pose or at a particular location), let your photographer know. This happens a lot (even on the spot), and it’s great to be able to incorporate our couple’s ideas into their photos.
But what if you don’t have any ideas? That is totally fine – your photographer can handle it. Sit back and enjoy the ride. 🙂
Let the wedding photographer “do their thing”
Wedding photographers love being able to be creative. We are at our best when we’re not limited by an endless list of shots we’re expected to take.
Enabling your photographer’s creative freedom will allow them to produce their best work for you.
Keep your ceremony phone free.
Hands down, an unplugged wedding ceremony is the way to go. Many weddings these days include a sign asking guests to put away their cell phones, and plenty of them include an introduction from the officiant asking that everyone puts them away, too.
From a wedding photography perspective, phones are very distracting and take away from images. This is especially true when people are taking pictures in the center aisle or all we can focus on is phones.
Pro thoughts: we love photography, but too much of a good thing can end up being a bad thing. Your hired professional wedding photographer will be able to get the best possible images of your wedding ceremony. Their work created on high quality camera equipment and with a trained eye will be infinitely more better than a grainy phone picture taken by one of your guests. So please: have your guests remain in the moment as they see you tie the knot, and let the photographers capture your biggest moment together.
Take a longer first kiss.
On our list of “must get” photos is the first kiss. Every wedding gallery needs this!
So with this in mind, don’t be the couple who does a little peck on the lips and calls it a day. If you don’t want to evolve into a full on makeout session (which has totally happened), at least aim to hold your kiss for a couple of seconds. This gives your photographer enough time to take a variety of different shots in this sweet moment.
Don’t rush during the grand exit.
Finally, as the night comes to a close and you head out for your grand exit, don’t rush. This might work well in the movies, but in practice, capturing great images of you exiting the wedding is best done at a slower pace.
So, don’t just sprint for the exit.
And maybe consider running through your sparkler line a couple of times for good measure. How often do you get to that in your life?
Conclusion
Now that we have effectively written a book of wedding photography tips for brides and grooms, we hope you can come away with a lot of things to take into consideration.
Every couple getting married wants to have amazing photos, and while your choice of wedding photographer plays a big role, so to do a lot of other decisions made leading up to and during the big day.
While it’s a lot to take in, at the end of the day, we want you to have a beautiful wedding day. In all the planning, making time to relax and enjoy the time you have together is a great thing.
If you still have any questions on how to maximize your wedding photography, drop us a line in the comment section below!
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