Memorizing a diverse selection of wedding photography poses can help the couple feel more confident and relaxed during the photoshoot. You can feel nervous and awkward, when photographer springs a bunch of posing requirements on the day of your wedding.
That’s why you need to do some preparation beforehand and study the most visually appealing poses for couple photos and portraits, both as a couple and individual.
The wedding photoshoot is usually one of the most exciting ones, even for people who have prior modeling experience. Knowing this, experienced photographers give couples several important tips that will help you look natural and relaxed in your photos.
Focus on your partner. It’s common for newlyweds to be smiling and acting naturally until they remember they’re being photographed, which makes them feel they have to stop and stand in one of the wedding poses they rehearsed earlier. However, oftentimes, it’s better to just continue acting naturally, focus on your partner, and forget the photographer is even there.
Relax your hands. One of the most common questions people have is “Where do I need to put my arms?” As mentioned before, behaving naturally is important, but there are still some recommendations you need to follow to ensure your wedding photos look great. Avoid pressing the hands against your body.
If the bride would like to take a photo with the bouquet, she needs to ensure her arms are relaxed and elongated. If you press the elbows right into your body, your arms won’t look as flattering.
For group photos where you’re wrapping your hands around each other, keep the arm at waist level and not shoulders to avoid having the fabric of your clothes look stretched out or crumpled.
Kiss tenderly. While you might feel a lot of passion and love towards your partner on your wedding day, try to show your feelings a bit more delicately in the photos. Make sure you’re not squishing your partner’s nose, don’t take all of the photos with your eyes closed, and don’t move your head around too much.
Do everything at a casual pace. Walking pictures are suitable for both just the newlyweds and the entire bridal party as long as everyone moves slowly. You’re not in a hurry – you’ve already arrived at your destination. So lower your pace and focus on interacting with your partner.
Don’t think about how you should smile. Most people think they need to come up with some “perfect” smile for their wedding day, but that idea rarely works. Don’t overthink something as simple as smiling – just smile naturally and you’ll do great.
Share your preferences. If you’re insecure about some of your features or think you have a more appealing side, let the photographer know. They will account for your wishes when taking photos and you’ll be able to feel more relaxed during the shoot.
Now for the main rule: meet with your chosen wedding photographer before the big day so that you feel more comfortable around them when doing various wedding photography poses when it counts.
Even though it can be hard to forget you’re in the presence of a photographer when you're doing a marriage photo pose, there’s nothing better than losing yourself in the moment and enjoying your partner’s company. If you’re feeling a bit awkward when dancing with guests around, you can have the photographer take photos of you repeating the wedding dance when there’s no one else around.
A tender kiss on the temple always looks great in a photo. Wedding photographers usually have a couple of such ideas in mind when taking portrait pictures of the couple.
If you or your partner are shy, you might feel uncomfortable kissing passionately in front of the photographer. In that case, an innocent kiss on the forehead can be a great alternative option. Approach each other as close as possible and have the bride slightly lower her head while the groom kisses her forehead to make the photo even more tender and sensual.
This bride and groom pose comes across as incredibly romantic and dynamic. It looks like the couple is just about to kiss. Get as close to your partner as you can, so that your faces are almost touching, and have the photographer catch that moment.
If you’re interested in some relaxed poses for your wedding photos, then simply stop posing and thinking about how you should stand or what you should do. Just talk to your partner, think about the pleasant things in life, and smile as much as you want.
If you manage to make each other laugh, you’re bound to receive some excellent photos since you’ll look sincere, natural, and endearing.
Try this natural wedding photo pose that has your partner embrace you in a hug. However, be warned that the photographer will slightly correct your positioning to ensure your wedding attires aren’t crumpled and the hug doesn’t look too suffocating.
Even though this pose is quite common, most couples still insist on including such a wedding portrait in their photoshoot, and for good reason.
If you decide to do the last wedding preparations together, the photographer absolutely has to take pictures of this part of the wedding day. You can come up with a lot of photo ideas here: the bride puts on the groom’s tie, asks the groom to put on the bride’s shoes, etc.
If your photoshoot takes place at some beautiful location like a beach or a stunning cityscape, you need to take advantage of it. Hold hands and go on a walk, forgetting about the photographer for a while. To make your wedding photos even more creative, run for a little while without thinking about how you look.
If you’re looking for some more dynamic wedding photography poses (and want a bit of Disney-like fairytale vibes), give your partner something to do. Photos of the groom spinning the bride around look fun, romantic, and playful, while your dress can create some very interesting geometry.
Most women appreciate it when their men show strength and elegance, and this is the perfect wedding photo idea for such a showcase. The groom must carry the bride, take some regular standing poses, and the man can walk around to capture some dynamic shots as well.
When the bride is still wearing the veil, the groom can go under it for some sensual, romantic photos. You can also have the photographer place the camera under the veil as well to take some intimate close-up portrait photos.
Continuing the kissing theme, there’s another popular pose that has one partner kiss the other on the neck. The partner that is being kissed can close their eyes and tilt their head backward to make the photo even more intimate.
It’s hard to beat the drama and sensuality conveyed by a cinematic kiss. The groom must spin the bride around before leaning over for a passionate kiss with a flourish. If the bride is wearing a long train, have the photographer or one of their assistants use it to create a sweeping effect.
This is a beautiful traditional wedding portrait photography pose that has the couple stay very close while facing each other. Take this photo during the Golden Hour for a more romantic look.
You can take a very tender and touching photo when the bride stands behind the groom and hug him. She can also place her head on his shoulder, hug him by the waist, or extend her hand so that the groom can kiss it.
Wedding photoshoot poses that have the couple pretend to whisper secrets to each other always look cute. Whether you’re just saying gibberish, joking with each other, or talking about random stuff, you’re bound to receive some truly endearing candid photos as long as you behave naturally.
Every time the newlyweds establish eye contact, they probably feel an urge to kiss. Give into that urge – and lean into a kiss. The bride can lift one leg to add some retro pizzazz to the shot.
Depending on what wedding photography style you’ve chosen for the shoot, kissing the lady’s hand can look elegant, tender, or sensual. The key here is to keep track of hand posing – the hand shouldn’t be squeezed too much and the fingers need to stay close to each other.
Don’t limit yourself to classic romantic wedding photography poses. You’ll get much more interesting results by coming up with some diverse, lively, and emotional ideas. Try to forget about posing for a while and just have fun with your partner. You can jump around, tease each other, play catch, or do whatever else you want – just don’t look at the camera.
If you’ve chosen a wedding dress with a long train, then this is a must-have pose. Turn your back to the camera while the photographer or their assistant straightens out the train to ensure it looks beautiful.
You don’t even have to do anything else, as most of such photos are taken from the back. At most, you can slightly tilt your head towards the camera.
Even though you might consider a photo of you putting on your shoes to be superfluous, this shot is usually taken by the photographer to accentuate the footwear and the detailing of your wedding dress.
All you have to do is smile a little when putting on your shoes while looking at your feet or to the side, avoiding staring straight at the camera.
This simple preparation act is perfect for a bridal portrait. You can also come up with similar poses for wedding photoshoot pictures that involve engagement rings, heirloom bracelets, or bridal hennas.
Most brides wait for years until they can finally wear the wedding dress of their dreams. Hence why a shot of the bride looking at her dress just before putting it on often looks special and emotional.
Such photos are usually taken from the back, while the dress is still on a hanger and the bride is looking at it, running her fingers through the fabric, or touching some interesting details.
A fantastic groomsmen photo idea involves him buttoning up his suit or shirt. Make sure the shoulders aren’t too elevated or clamped and the head isn’t lowered too much.
Shots with the bride's bouquet are a must-have idea for any wedding photography poses checklist. It can be a close-up photo of the bouquet that only includes the bride’s hands or a waist-up portrait where you’re looking at the flowers, having slowly lowered your head.
Regardless of whether there’s a strong wind on your wedding day or not, you can't get by without a couple of photos where your veil plays an important role as either a prop or a framing device. Usually, photographers ask the assistant to elevate and then lower the veil while the bride stares into the distance. Such photos deserve to be on the cover of magazines.
If you want to show off your dress and train in all their glory while also making your wedding photos more dynamic, prepare to do some light running. Usually, you’ll have to slowly run back and forth multiple times to ensure the photographer gets the shots they need. Imagine yourself as a runaway bride from a romantic movie to make the photo even more emotional.
Another great and funny idea for men’s wedding photography poses is to capture the moment when the groom shows his ring for the first time, and his friends start crying with joy and hugging their married friend. The photo will look very lively since everyone can pose how they want while conveying their excitement.
Once all the wedding reception photographs are done, the newlyweds can finally unwind and have some fun with everyone at the celebration while the photographer continues to do their job.
Confetti can be used for a variety of fun wedding photo shoot poses. Give it out to your friends and ask them to shoot confetti after the ceremony as you’re walking out. Hold hands, smile, and act naturally. It’s also recommended to not look into the camera.
Anyway, the best wedding poses are those that have the couple surrounded by their closest friends. Sometimes you can get the sincerest and most memorable shots this way.
