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By Elizabeth Grace
ou know how important pictures and videos of your wedding will be. It�s impossible to remember every detail of the chaotic, beautiful day, so you�ll need the pictures to remind you in the years to come. You also know all of the traditional wedding pictures that you should take. You�ve read the contract your photographer gave you, so you know what pictures he or she plans to take.
But what about all the other candid moments you want to remember? A wedding is much, much more than the ceremony and reception, so here�s a list of pictures you�ll want to make sure and get snapped for you.
The bride has the most focus on the wedding day, but she�s not the only one with an important role. Besides, when you look back, you will want to know what everyone else was doing, too. Be sure to capture:
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The bride getting ready
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The groom getting ready
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The bridal party getting ready
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The parents getting ready
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The bride getting into her wedding dress
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The flower girl wearing the bride's shoes. Little girls love playing dress up and wearing the bride�s shoes will help her feel like she�s part of the bridal party even more. You can give this picture to your flower girl on her own wedding day.
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The ring bearer wearing the groom�s jacket. Similar to the flower girl�s picture, this will show how much the ring bearer looks up to the groom. Don�t forget to give this photo to the little guy on his big day, too!
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The wedding gown hanging up in a doorway or on a decorative piece of furniture
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A close-up of the wedding rings
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Pre-wedding shots of the bride with her bridesmaids, parents, flower girl, etc.
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Pre-wedding shots of the groom with his family, groomsmen, ring bearer, etc.
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The moments before the first look. Capture the bride and groom�s anticipation for the big reveal by snapping a shot just before they see each other.
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The bride�s first look at the groom. The groom�s first glimpse of the bride is a traditional must, but the bride will be just as overwhelmed as she takes her first look at her husband-to-be.
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The first kiss! A flipped perspective of the bride and groom�s first kiss is a unique twist on this traditional photo. Have your photographer capture your guests� reaction of the first kiss by standing where the officiant stands to take the picture.
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The bride and groom's arrival to the ceremony
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Picture of the groom with his best man at the altar
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The bride getting help with her train
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For chilly outdoor weddings, take a shot of the bride warming up in the groom's jacket.
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Shots of guest arrivals and reactions to the festivities
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The popular feet shot of the brides and bridesmaids and/or groom and groomsmen. This is the perfect opportunity to show off your cowboy boots, patterned socks, or matching Chucks
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A calm moment between the bride and groom
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Wide-angle shot of bride and groom in the distance
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Candid shots of the wedding party interacting with each other. The best shots are sometimes the ones that no one sees coming
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Photos of the bride and groom with a whimsical prop. Limit your props to 1 or 2 and be careful not to get prop crazy at your wedding. You don't want to miss out on some of the important traditional shots
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Shot of the bride from behind
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Bride getting help with her bustle
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Groom with his groomsmen
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Bride with her bridesmaids
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Candid shots of the bride and groom laughing together
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The bride and groom with the entire wedding party. Seriously, you may be saying this is an obvious photo op but you would be surprised at the amount of weddings miss this traditional shot. Be sure and make this a must-have for your wedding photos.
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Pictures of guests entering the reception and at their tables
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Photos of guests mingling during cocktail hour
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Don't forget the venue! Be sure and get photos of your venue from the inside and outside to capture that work that went into your big day.
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The flower girl and ring bearer together. If you can get the two to dance together, you�ll make this picture even sweeter.
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The bride and groom�s (or the entire bridal party�s) entrance from behind. You look stunning from all sides, so get a different perspective and give your smiling face a break from the cameras by having your photographer stand behind you while you enter your reception.
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Live entertainment. If you hired someone you know to perform a song or recite a poem or any sort of entertainment, wait for an especially tender moment and take a picture!
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The parents dancing together. The father-daughter and mother-son dances are important traditions, but you learn a lot about love from your parents, so make sure you get a picture of the bride�s parents and the groom�s parents dancing. If the grandparents are present, you might want a picture of them dancing, too!
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Candid shots of the wedding toasts
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The bride and groom leaving at the end of the night. It could be the couple waving good-bye, kissing in an elevator, or driving away in a car. Whatever or wherever it is, it would make the perfect last picture for the wedding scrapbook.
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The bride with her sisters and mother or best friend
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The bride with her over-protective brothers. Snap a cute, fun picture with the bride�s brothers which shows them standing in front of her, as if to protect her from any bad guys.
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Candid shots of the bride individually with her bridesmaids. Your bridesmaids are important, but you and your girls will always cherish a photo of a special moment with just each other.
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Pictures of the flowers, games, cakes, decoration, food, specialty drinks, and favors. Remember exactly how everything looked by taking pictures of the small details. They�ll be great additions to your scrapbook or photo album and will also come in handy if someone asks you for help with their own wedding.
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Prep pictures when making or buying the decorations, flowers, cake, food, etc.
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Decorating for the ceremony and reception. The planning and preparation is almost as important as the ceremony, and you�ll make tons of great memories along the way, so make sure you�re taking plenty of candid pictures to help you remember all of it.
There are so many special moments that come together to make your wedding unique and wonderful, so make sure you record as many as you possibly can. Remember though that your photographer is only one person. It is always helpful to provide a list of your must-have photo ops but do not expect for him/her to get all 100 different shots on their own. You may need to hire a second photographer or ensure that your photographer will bring along a second shooter.
About the Author - Elizabeth is an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University with a double major in professional writing and creative writing and a minor in psychology. Liz writes for My Wedding Reception Ideas as well as creates multi-modal writing projects for Re:Media, an Ohio Northern University online publication. You can find more helpful wedding tips, advice and ideas from Elizabeth and other wedding experts here. |
