The perfect wedding shooting

The very first step in planning your wedding shoot is to think about the mood or style of your photos. Research possible examples and be inspired by the results of other bridal couple shootings in order to find a suitable style for you. An important factor is the setting of your shoot: close to nature in the forest or on a beautiful meadow, urban in the city, classically elegant in front of a castle or an extraordinary place that connects the both of you?

In addition to the setting, the colour mood of the photos plays an important role in the image effect. Every photographer has their own style. While some prefer naturalness without too much contrasts, others like to play with the effects of backlighting, rely on strong colours or perhaps even specialize in elegant black and white pictures.

Once you have chosen a style for your photos, you can collect sample images that you can later show your photographer for orientation.

Before the shoot, find a suitable location as the setting where you can get used to the surroundings and photographer can prepare the shoot and equipment for the conditions there. The best thing to do is to coordinate this with your photographer; maybe they even know a few great places near you. Speaking of proximity – one of the most important questions for a bridal couple shoot on the wedding day is probably this: Does the location of the wedding celebration offer a nice setting for the shoot or do you have to go somewhere else during the celebration? Or to put it another way: What can your guests do while you are away for the wedding shoot or how long can or would you like to leave the party? Your shoot should not take too long, including any journeys to get there, because your guests want to celebrate with you. It’s best to avoid long idle waiting times for your guests.

Choose a suitable timeframe for the bridal photo shoot in advance to bridge the time as effectively as possible for your guests. Before the wedding ceremony, your look is still fresh and perfect and the guests only gradually arrive at the location. Directly after the wedding, the guests can, for example, travel calmly from the church or the registry office to the location of the wedding celebration, where the laid coffee table or some snacks are waiting for them. If you prefer to do your shoot during the celebration, point out possible activities to the guests and encourage them to use the photo booth or to fill out the guest book. The more activities you have prepared for the guests, the better.

Sometimes hoping for the best and having the wedding date set in midsummer won’t help because it might still rain heavily, or the sky might be gray. You should be prepared for that too! For example, look for an alternative setting for your shoot that is independent of the weather or at least keeps the rain out during the wedding shoot. This can be a roofed area at your wedding location, a suitable place inside, or a pavilion. Depending on the weather, you can also decide to openly include the rain in your photos. Matching accessories such as umbrellas and rubber boots in a colour that matches or contrasts with the outfit ensure great eye-catchers in the picture. A wedding shoot in the rain doesn’t have to be a problem. As unusual motifs, these wedding photos will definitely bring a smile to your face again and again later.

If you want an unusual setting or simply want to be more flexible in terms of time, consider a shooting date outside of your wedding day. For example, a few days after the wedding, you can have your photos taken in a relaxed manner and without time pressure at any location – even if this involves a longer journey. The disadvantage: you have to dress up again and there may be additional costs for hair styling and makeup. Some couples are also bothered by the fact that the unique mood and excitement of the wedding day is not exactly the same at a later point in time. It’s entirely up to you. 

A great advantage besides the time factor: You can implement unusual motifs at the bridal couple shoot that would not be possible on the wedding day itself, because your outfits might be somewhat affected. For example, you can do a water shoot in which you shoot at or in your favourite lake, or a pet shoot with you, your dog, horse etc. Some photographers specialize in unusual wedding photos, while others specialize more in classic motifs. Therefore, discuss your ideas clearly with the photographer of your choice.

Once the photographer, location and time for your bridal couple shoot are set, you can start picking out a few motifs and poses that you would like to do. A few concrete examples that show what you have in mind will also make the photographer’s work easier later. In order to make the poses in the photos appear as natural as possible, it is advisable to practice them in advance for the bridal couple shoot. You can test and optimize facial expressions, gestures, posture etc. in front of the mirror or with the smartphone camera. Many photographers also offer a test bridal couple shoot at the planned location in order to rehearse the desired motifs, perspectives and poses, and to make a few preliminary settings on the equipment – of course without wedding outfit, styling and makeup.