The Wedding Photo Checklist: Part 6 – Blissfully Romantic

The photographs that are usually taken between the ceremony and the reception are the most fun for the bride and groom and possibly the most fun for the photographer as well. This is where everyone gets to be a little creative and playful and it is likely that the wedding photographs that adorn the walls of your home will come from this particular photo shoot. It will certainly help to arrange for a good amount of time to play with these photographs either by setting a specific but later time for the reception or by providing entertainment for your guests to enjoy while you are not there if your reception is to immediately follow the ceremony. You don’t want to feel in a rush to get these photographs “over with” so a bit of planning is essential.

Once the “fun” photographs with the bridal party are over you might consider moving to another location and relieving the bridal part of their “duties” for a while. It is nice to have some time alone with your photographer without the pressure of having an audience of friends. In fact, it is during this session that you kind of get a bit of “us” time in. Yes, the photographer is there, but at least you get to get in some good kissy-cuddle time and you can stare lovingly into each other’s eyes as much as you want. And you know what? Those love-looks translate fantastically on camera!

Again this is where a lot of creativity comes in and it can very much be a simple case of playing things by ear and just doing what instinctively feels natural as the photo shoot progresses. It is quite possible that one’s wedding day somehow makes one more photogenic. Just go with it!

Your photographer will most likely have an idea of what photos to take of the two of you, but here are a few ideas that you might like to include.

Bride and groom walking towards camera, hand in hand.
Bride and groom walking away from camera (into the sunset if it is the right time of day)
Bride’s head on groom’s shoulder.
Groom carrying the bride.
Groom piggybacking the bride.
Groom dipping the bride for a kiss.
Faces close but not kissing.
Groom holding the bride from behind, kissing her shoulder.
Eskimo kisses.
Kissing under the veil.

The success of this particular photo shoot depends heavily on doing what you are comfortable with. If you would prefer not to leave things entirely in the hands of your photographer you might consider printing up a couple of photographs that you are comfortable trying to duplicate. There is no point in doing anything that makes you feel awkward and uncomfortable as your discomfort will be captured by the camera.