Photographing a wedding can be pressured and hectic. Remove the stress with our go-to guide to the wedding poses guaranteed to give gorgeous results every time.
There are many elements to capturing a wedding day with your camera. This article will focus mainly on posing for the bride and groom.
Before the big day, always scout out the venue/s and make a note/take photos of the spots which will work well for poses. Look for romantic surroundings and settings which could frame stolen moments.
Don’t forget to ask your bride and groom for their list of must-have images during your initial consultation. Meeting their requirements is a sure fire way to get them to recommend you to family and friends.
There is a lot to remember on the day, so make sure you have a list of shots you need to get. Tick them off as you go along.
So with that in mind, here are 20 of the best wedding poses which will give you gorgeous results.
1. The Classic Pose
This photo is a staple of wedding poses and will be that one image the couple will want to print, frame and display on their mantlepiece. Â
Use the rule of thirds to ensure both bride and groom are in the shot, along with an interesting background. Make sure you can see at least three-quarters of the bride’s and groom’s bodies.
If they are nervous, chat to them and put them at ease. Your main aim is to see both their faces wearing a beautiful smile, no matter which way their bodies are facing.
2. Background Classic Pose
Keep the couple in the classic pose, but move further away from them. Ensure their full bodies are in the frame, as well as much more of the background. Â
Whether the background is a church, their favourite ice cream shop or a forest, use the rule of thirds to make this image pop. You could even play with sunlight to create natural light flares.
3. Close-up Classic Pose
Grab some close-up shots while your bride and groom are enjoying each other’s company, keeping with the classic pose from tip number one.
Remember, your subjects don’t always have to face the camera. Some of the best shots are when one, or both, look away from the camera: or, alternatively, at each other.
Never put your camera down: often the best, most natural moments happen when the couple forgets you are there.
4. Details Galore Pose
It’s time to put your macro lens into play. Use your imagination to get some elegant and timeless shots of their rings or the wedding bouquet. Play with your depth of field to get a creamy bokeh effect on these images.
Ask the couple to place their hands over each other’s, resting either on her gorgeous dress or holding the flowers. For a change of pace, you could rest their hands on his tailor-made suit.Â
5. Shoe Time Pose
Documenting the couple’s shoes often gets forgotten about in all the excitement of the day. The bride’s are hidden much of the time by her dress, so take this opportunity to let the bride to show off her beautiful shoes.
Shoot against a plain background so that the shoes pop, and get the groom involved too–don’t forget his feet.
Whether they are designed by Jimmy Choo, or are simply sneakers, take a beautiful shot. But always be mindful of the background.
6. Under the Veil Pose
Ask your couple to ‘hide’ underneath the bride’s veil to catch some stolen kisses and moments. This is one of the most classic wedding poses.
Of course you’ll have to skip this shot if the bride has a birdcage veil, or no veil at all.
If you want to go one step further, join the couple under the veil (but not too close to them), so that the viewer feels they have been invited into this special moment.
If there is a breeze in the air, use this to create movement within the veil, which adds more magic to the image.
7. From Above Pose
Don’t forget that positioning yourself at different levels from your subjects can create gorgeous photos. Â
Stand on a chair or balcony to look down and get shots from above: have the couple stand or lay on the grass below you as you do this. You can even ask the bride to look up at you while the groom kisses her cheek.
Look for interesting surfaces for the couple to stand on: cobblestones or ornate paving can become the perfect background for this type of shot.
8. From Below Pose
Now it’s time to crouch down and get below the couple.
Look for a pretty background and have your bride and groom stand in front of it, either resting their foreheads together or slowly kissing. Â
Sit or crouch below them and angle your camera upwards to capture the newlyweds in front of the gorgeous background.
9. Breathing Room Pose
Look for a great setting in which the bride and groom can sit and face away from you. This could a boat pier, or set of stairs, but it must have a great background.
This time is a great opportunity for the couple to relax together and enjoy the view, while you take photos of the entire scene from behind
This also ensures you capture important details, such as the back of her dress and her hair. Â
10. Wardrobe Adjustment Pose
When the couple stands up from tip 9, ask the groom to smooth out the bride’s dress, or make any minor adjustments necessary. You can capture this moment on camera.
Ask him to check any bows which need to be re-tied or adjusted. Move around them to capture his actions, as well as their facial expressions.
11. Framed Facing Pose
Don’t forget to use some framing in your wedding poses. Look around your surroundings for something which would make a natural frame, in which your bride and groom can stand.
Ask the couple to completely face you, while the bride rests her head on the groom’s shoulder, or looks up at him. A wedding pagoda, archway, window or columns work really well.
12. Framed Back to Camera Pose
If the church or wedding venue has a gorgeous doorway, make sure you utilise it as a background.
Position your bride and groom in front of it, but facing away from the camera. Get them to look at each other, or kiss.
Again, if it is a breezy day, allow the wind to play with the skirt of the wedding dress, or the bride’s veil.
13. Walking Towards Camera Pose
Use photography composition rules to find a good spot where the bride and groom can walk towards the camera. Â
The couple can hold hands, but make sure there is some space between them. The groom could twirl the bride round a few times to capture some natural laughter, or even lift her up.
Use your aperture priority mode to make your background soft and give your image a nice depth of field
14. Walking Across Camera Pose
A variation on tip 13 is to ask the couple to walk across the scene in front of you. This, again, is one of the lovelier wedding poses.
Ask them to hold hands and walk further apart from each other, with either the bride or the groom leading the way. You can alternate who leads to get a variety of shots.
Make sure you can see the full-length of the couple and take these in a landscape format. Always be mindful of the background: choose something beautiful which suits the couple and their day.
15. Walking Away Pose
Now ask your bride and groom to walk away from you.
Ask them to hold hands while both looking back at you. Look for locations with natural leading lines (such as bridges or paths), or areas which could naturally frame the couple.
Variations of this pose could include the couple looking at each other, them kissing, or the bride alone looking back at you.
16. Be Goofy Pose
If you have a bride and groom who like to goof around, let them! Â
This is a great opportunity for them to be themselves, de-stress and have fun with each other. Ask them to pull funny faces, or chase each other. Let the magic happen in front of you and document it.
17. Standing in Different Spots Pose
Ask the bride and groom to stand at different focal lengths away from you.
One person should stand close to you and the other one should stand further away, so you can play with your depth of field. Alternate which person stands where to get a variety of images.
This is one of the more interesting of the wedding poses. Ask each of them to look in different directions and see what moments you capture.
18. Hug from Behind Pose
Ask the bride and groom to face sideways, have the bride hug the groom from behind and rest her head on his back. Â
The groom can look away from the camera, while the bride looks at you. Alternatively, he can half look back at her. This pose works well as a full length image, or cropped.
19. The Kiss
The kiss is one of the most important among all the wedding poses.
There are so many ideas for this pose: anything from close-up shots, to further away. If you go in close when their hands are near their faces, make sure you pay special attention to the wedding rings.
Let your imagination run wild and don’t forget to let the bride and groom have fun on their special day.
20. End of Day Pose
This end of day shot may happen naturally, or may need to be created by you if you are not available to document the end of the festivities.
This image will sum up the entire day. Ideas could include ascending a long staircase, getting into an elevator, or into the wedding car, ready to bundle them away on honeymoon.
This is more of an intimate moment, so it’s best if the newlyweds don’t look at the camera.
That’s a wrap
You may not have enough time to capture all the poses included, but at least you have them on your list, should your creativity run dry.
What’s your go-to pose for every wedding? Have we missed it? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.
