One of the most challenging (and fun) parts of wedding photography is bridal party portraits. You want them to be fun, to show off all those fabulous dresses and handsome get-ups and to stand out creatively. When you go through the gauntlet of formal wedding pictures post-ceremony, let your photographer be a little unorthodox and get some fun groupings and poses. I wish more brides would be open to doing spunky formal portraits with all the various family groups -keep that in mind, too, brides.
Here are some bridal portraits that say, "We had FUN at this wedding and we love this couple!"
After all those family and bridal party portraits comes the most important 15 minutes of portraiture at your wedding: YOUR NEWLYWED SHOTS.
When you're working on your wedding day timeline, Pa-LEASE allow ample time for you and your groom to steal away with your photographer and catch you two enjoying a few minutes of newlywed joy! It can be exhausting (and hot) taking all those group pictures, but don't skimp on these couple shots. I recently had to beg a bride and groom to stop for three minutes to snag a few shots of them together before they ran to the reception -they were so hot and wanted to stay on schedule. If I hadn't stopped them, the only pictures of them as a couple I would have gotten would be in action at the reception.
TopTips
1) Relax and enjoy each other! Act natural; embrace your new husband/wife and let your photographer capture your joy, relief, delight, etc.
2) If you go in for a kiss, hold it for a few seconds so the camera can grab it. Play a bit towards the camera, but don't worry about it too much. It's so much better catching your natural reactions than trying to pose you so that you're rigid. Just be aware that if you want the photographer to catch something, you have to give them a chance to, so don't move from one pose/moment to the next too quickly.
3) Things I'm heard saying most to my couples: "Now, just be together. Enjoy each other. Rest your head on his chest. Breathe." Not strung together like that, but throughout our mini-session (or engagement shoot) those are my little chants.
Now, it's time for Wedding Jeopardy
What is "45 min. to 1 hour"?
"The amount of time it takes for photos after the ceremony."
There are various ways to spread out your formal wedding photos, but even if you grab bride/bridesmaids/bride's family (and same thing with groom) before the ceremony, you still need at least 30 minutes for the group pictures after the ceremony if you are wanting the traditional family and bridal party poses. On top of that, you'll need 15-20 minutes minimum to shoot with your new spouse while everyone hustles off to the cocktail hour. Please, please consider what shots you really want to have (do you need individual shots with each aunt and cousin, or will one big group shot of your side of the family do) when you're figuring out your wedding day timeline. And don't skip the couple shots. Those are high priority. You can always get various family group shots during the reception -those aren't the ones you're going to want framed on your wall, but the shots of you two newlyweds in the first few minutes together after marrying are wall-worthy.
Happy Planning, Sweet Brides!
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