Choosing wedding photography poses can be stressful, for both the bride and groom and the photographer.
For the bride and groom, you want your wedding poses to be fun and modern and to cherish the sweet, long-lasting memory of your big day forever.
For wedding photographer, when creating the perfect wedding pictures, it isn’t only about choosing the right setting and lighting, but it’s a must-have to know the best poses so you can suggest and direct the couple.
Here are 33 wedding pose ideas and essential posing tips that are useful for both wedding photographers and couples to find ideas for the upcoming wedding photoshoots.
Wedding Poses for Bride and Groom
You should experiment when trying to find the perfect wedding pose. By taking plenty of pictures of the same pose, you can find what works best for the couple. When trying out a particular pose, make sure to adjust the little things. Sometimes changing the expression, the way the couple is holding hands or where they’re looking can make all the difference. You can also change the way a certain wedding pose looks by adjusting the composition, cropping the image, changing the angle, or even the lens.
Blind-folded by Her
According to tradition, it’s bad luck if a groom sees the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding. This makes the blind-folded groom a great wedding photo pose idea. Have the bride blindfold the groom before he turns around to see her. Capturing the moment right before the reveal can make a fun and compelling story told in pictures.
The First Look
This wedding picture pose idea is a perfect way to capture the moment the groom sees the bride in her wedding dress. This is a crucial moment, and the look on the groom’s face should be something the newlyweds can look back at and smile. You can also combine it with the blind-folded photo for a sweet photo story.
Walking and Chasing
The scenery makes walking wedding photo poses stand out. Pick a scenic beach, river, or park, or opt for a beautiful city street or bridge.
A more fun option is a chasing pose, where the groom leads the bride as they run, and she glances over the shoulder into the camera. Capturing the flow of the dress is a bonus.
Follow Me
This pose is modern, simple, and delightful. It’s taken from the groom’s perspective and shows the bride’s back as she holds his hand and leads him. These wedding pictures can look gorgeous with the sunset in the distance or beautiful scenery in front of the bride.
The Modern Portrait
Traditional portraits where the groom and bride stand close to each other facing the camera can look a little outdated. Opting for a modern spin on the classic portrait is how you can showcase their personalities. With beautiful scenery behind you, the newlyweds can hold each other’s hand or stand further away and look at each other over the shoulder.
The Old Hollywood
This is a classic pose that looks soft and romantic. The groom faces the camera, hugging the bride whose back is turned slightly towards the camera. It’s a very classy, structured, and elegant photograph. It can be a great way to show any detailing on the back of the wedding dress.
Standing Side by Side, One Reversed
One of the newlyweds faces the camera, while the other faces away, looking at their partner. A modern take on traditional side-by-side wedding pose, it’s a great way to show a beautiful back of a wedding dress. It works best with the couple interlocking their arms and looking at each other.
Back to Back, Holding Hands
When compared to other wedding couple poses, this one stands out as unique and different. The bride and groom stand back to back, holding hands, with their profiles facing the camera. This wedding pose idea works best with symmetrical backdrops, such as a road or a bridge.
One Stands Behind the Other
These creative wedding picture poses play with the depth of field by using a wide aperture and keeping the newlyweds at a distance. It’s best when neither the bride nor groom is looking directly into the camera. Keep the focus on the person in the front, and the person in the back slightly out of focus.
A Hug from Behind
This is a unique and romantic wedding photo idea. The groom is either sitting or standing, and the bride is softly hugging him from behind. They can look at each other, or she can kiss him on the cheek. This photo idea conveys a sense of comfort, familiarity, and romance between the bride and groom.
Wrap and Kiss on Forehead
This is a pose that shows a deep love between partners. The groom’s arms are wrapped softly around the bride, and she’s holding her hands on his chest. They can kiss, or she can place her head softly on his shoulder.
Forehead Rest while Facing Each Other
This fun wedding pose is best when it’s a close-up of the newlywed’s faces. They can rest their foreheads on each other while exchanging glances, looking down, or with closed eyes. You can add a little bit of mystery to the photograph by having the veil in front of the bride and groom.
Shoulder Rest
A shoulder rest is a wedding couple pose that conveys closeness and comfort. It should look natural, so it’s best to capture the bride and groom while smiling. The groom can hug the bride on the waist while she lays her head on his shoulder. You can also reverse it, so the groom lays his head on the bride.
Whisper
This is another wedding pose idea that you can use to show intimacy and tenderness between partners. With one looking into the camera and another whispering something in their ear, the photo looks beautiful and genuine. You can capture some hilarious reactions if you ask the whisperer to try to make their partner laugh.
The Tie Grab
The tie grab is a fun wedding picture pose, and it’s perfect for those couples who don’t like traditional wedding photo poses. The bride grabs the groom by the tie and pulls him close to her. They can smile or lean in for a near-kiss.
The Kiss
This is a must-have wedding pose. While kissing rarely looks good in photographs, the ‘almost kiss’ is a romantic wedding pose with a lot of tension. You can also go for a romantic kiss where the groom grabs the bride by the waist and picks her up. For a classic version, try a dip kiss, and for unique wedding poses, opt for a ‘secret’ kiss where the image is slightly blurry. A classy and traditional option is for the groom to kiss the bride’s hand.
The Almost Kiss
The Romantic Kiss
The Dip Kiss
The Hidden Kiss
Looking in the Eyes
This is a classic wedding pose with a lot of variety. It’s a great way to show love and affection through a photograph. The couple can look at each other’s eyes while dancing slowly, or hug and look closely at each other.
Lying Down on the Grass
A very playful wedding pose idea for spring or summer, laying on the grass can bring unique and fun elements to anyone’s wedding photo album. You can experiment with different poses, like a kiss on the cheek or holding hands. It’s essential to make sure the grass is clean, or use fake grass as not to ruin the wedding dress.
On Swings
Photographs of a bride on a swing always look dreamy and ethereal. The swing awakens the bride and groom’s inner child, so they can’t help but laugh and have fun. This excitement makes the wedding photographs look lovely and sincere by generating a great mood.
Park Bench
Wedding pic poses on a park bench are best when they are spontaneous. The couple should sit down, relax, and talk and laugh like no one’s watching. Capturing these spontaneous moments offers more candid photographs that look natural and candid.
Focus on the Ring
It’s always a good idea to take a few close-ups when taking wedding photos. Try to grab some spontaneous photographs that focus on the wedding ring, or tell the bride to lift her hand. A picture that’s focused on the ring with the bride and groom slightly blurry in the background can look captivating.
First Dance
Almost all couples learn their first dance to perfection before the wedding. You can ask them to take pictures while they dance. This is something they’ll want to remember forever, so stunning images of their first dance will be something they’ll cherish. Try capturing the moment from above the couple if there’s a way to do so.
Carrying
This is another classic wedding photo pose. The groom is carrying the bride in his arms, and she’s holding onto him tightly. It conveys a sense of closeness and connection. This pose looks particularly gorgeous with a sunset behind the couple.
In the Rain
In case it rains during the photo-shoot, you can use it to your advantage. You can create unique wedding photography poses by utilizing rain. Ask the groom to shield the bride from the rain with his jacket. You can also ask the couple to hold the umbrella in front of them and place the light directly behind them, creating a striking, memorable photo.
Silhouettes
A silhouette of the couple in front of a striking sunset is one of the most beautiful wedding poses. They can kiss, hug, or hold hands. It creates a romantic effect, and it’s certainly a must-have if you’re taking pictures during sunset.
Wedding Reflection Photos
If you’re taking wedding photographs near a body of water, this is the one you must try. It conveys a certain poetic, dreamy feeling not a lot of photos can achieve. Try to find a place where the water is clear enough and take the picture from a distance to capture the full reflection.
Aerial Shots
There’s a lot of interesting wedding poses for couples you can achieve using a drone. Wedding drone photography is highly sought after at the moment, and it’s easy to see why. Pictures from above of the couple laying on the beach or the ground look genuinely mesmerizing.
The Getaway
This wedding pose idea offers a unique way to let the couple’s personalities shine. Choose a getaway vehicle like an old-timer car. The couple can be seated in the front seat, ready to go, or they can stand in front of the car.
Wedding Poses Tips
Posting Tips for Photographers
1. Have a Clear Background
A cluttered background will only distract from the bride and groom. While the scenery is important, the couple should be the center of attention. You want the focus to be on the couple, their faces, and their emotions. If you wish to emphasize their expressions, choose a neutral background that matches the bride’s dress. Make sure there’s nothing in the photo that could distract the eye away from the couple.
2. Try Various Shoulder Angles
The most popular bride and groom pose is the couple facing each other. When taking this type of photo, pay attention to their shoulders. This is especially important for the bride’s shoulders. If her shoulder facing the camera is too high, it can disrupt the whole photo. Ask the bride to lower the shoulder and turn clockwise. Add some distance between the couple. Experiment with shoulder angles until you find the perfect pose.
3. Mind Fingers and Hands
If visible, fingers and hands play an integral role in a photo. If the pose you’re trying to take involves interlocking fingers or hands, pay close attention to how they look. They should look natural and harmonious, not forced or stiff. If the groom holds the bride by the waist, either his whole hand should be visible, or none of it should be. If you can only see the fingers, the eye will be naturally drawn to them, wondering where they came from.
4. Inspire Effortless Interaction
The key to capturing the most authentic and flattering wedding photography poses is to help the couple relax. Only when they feel free in front of the camera will you be able to truly capture their love and happiness. Ask them to talk about moments in their relationship that matter to them and have your camera ready to capture the emotion that shines through. Couples don’t need to recreate a kiss from a movie for the photos to look beautiful. By capturing what’s unique about them, you are capturing what’s unique about their love.
5. Be Inspired
Each couple should serve as inspiration for their wedding photo ideas. Of course, you can look at the works of other photographers to get inspiration regarding photography fundamentals. You should, however, always keep in mind that you can’t recreate what other couples did. Wedding poses should feel natural and spontaneous, and you can’t achieve that by mimicking others. Take the essentials, personalize them, and apply them to the couple you’re working with.
Posing Tips for Couples
Posing for pictures on your wedding day seems daunting and stressful. You’re not used to spending the day in front of the camera, and you’re not even sure if the photographs will look good. If you’re feeling anxious about how you’ll look, this wedding poses guide for the bride and groom based on the tips from Wolfer’s book on how to look natural on your big day will help you relax and look your best in your wedding pictures.
1. Find Your Best Side
You should try taking pictures of yourself from different angles before the big day to find your ‘good side.’ By looking at pictures of yourself from many different angles, you’ll determine which ones you like the most. When the big day comes, you’ll know exactly how you should stand and which way to face the camera to put your best face forward.
2. Mind Your Chin
You’d be surprised how much a photo can change by just moving the chin a bit. If you want your face to look slimmer, angle your chin slightly down. Not too much, though. You don’t want to create a double chin accidentally. If you think your forehead is prominent, lifting your chin somewhat up can create a more balanced look. No matter what your face shape is, you should always push your face slightly forward. This will make your face look bigger, and your body slimmer. Asking the photographer to shoot from a somewhat overhead angle should have the same results.
3. Contour Your Face
When looking straight at the camera, your face appears flatter. This is due to the camera eliminating shadows that occur on your face naturally, creating a contour. If you want a more contoured look, tilt your chin a bit and turn your cheek slightly. This simple trick will make your face appear more contoured and pronounce your bone structure.
4. Smile Naturally
You shouldn’t smile wider than you usually do. A ‘fake’ smile will make it look like you’re trying too hard. Smile like you usually would in everyday life. You can practice your perfect smile by standing in front of the mirror, relaxing your face, opening your mouth slightly, and thinking of something that makes you smile – like spending the rest of your life with your future spouse.
5. Use Your Tongue
Push your tongue against the roof of your mouth. This little trick will make your neck seem longer and prevent an accidental double chin. You should practice this trick in front of the mirror before the big day, so you don’t look uncomfortable while taking pictures.
6. Smize
A genuine smile is mainly in the eyes. That’s why Tyra Banks coined the term ‘smize’ or smile with your eyes. When smiling, along with the corners of your mouth, the corners of your eyes turn up, and you squint and look up slightly. Try replicating that look when taking wedding photos. If you don’t think you can do it, just think about how much your significant other makes you laugh, and you’ll ‘smize’ in no time.
7. Place the Arms Properly
The biggest problem people face when taking pictures is not knowing what to do with their arms. If your arms look stiff, the photo can’t turn out as natural as you want it to. If you don’t know what to do with your arms, stand close to your partner and interlock your fingers or hands. This will make you both appear more relaxed, attractive, and natural.
8. Mind Your Legs
Just because you’re in a gown, doesn’t mean your legs don’t matter. You want to look as relaxed as possible, which can’t happen if your legs stiff up. To appear more relaxed, try bending one knee slightly. You can also cross your ankles at your calves to make your legs look longer, and your hips narrower.
9. Stand Up Straight
You can look beautiful, but if your back is hunched over, you’ll appear tired and drained. Before striking a pose, make sure to roll your shoulders back slightly and stand up straight. By having good posture, you’ll appear happier, healthier, slimmer, and more confident. Standing up straight also affects how you feel, providing the energy you’ll need for your big day.
10. Relax
In the end, the most important tip is to relax. Wedding days are stressful, but you should try to laugh and have fun. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and anxious, look away from the camera, lock eyes with your partner, and relax. You can even break into a song and dance if it makes you feel better. Just have fun and be you.
Wedding poses can be intimidating to think about. Choosing the ones that will make you look and feel your best is essential, and of course you can incorporate them into your own wedding photography style. Though it can seem like a difficult choice to make, knowing which feeling you want your wedding photos to evoke is a great place to start. Keep these simple posing tips in mind, and enjoy your big day!
