6 Tips To Look Amazing In Your Wedding Photos
The amount of people who tell me they’re scared they’ll be super awkward in their photos blows my mind! But it should be totally unsurprising with the amount of info out there on how you have to practice your poses and do this to avoid double chins in your photos, ugh! I get wanting an entire gallery of Insta worthy wedding photos but I’m sorry, no one wants to jut out their jaw for 10 hours while the cameras are rolling and I’m sorry (not sorry) but your wedding video is going to look super weird if you’re spending all day worrying if this is even your good side!
Unless you’re a model, of course you’re going to be a bit awkward! But I’ve got some super hot tips on being your authentic selves and still getting killer photos!
Have a wedding you love
It sounds pretty simple, right? But you’d be surprised by the sheer amount of people who have the wedding they think they’re supposed to have instead of the one they really want. People think there are all of these rules they’re meant to follow but literally the only thing you need to get married (in the legal sense) is someone who is legally authorised to marry you. Literally everything else is up to interpretation. If you want to get married at the pub and smash some parmas you can! If you want to sign some paper work in a booth at your fav coffee hangout, also totally doable!
‘But Justine, my mother will never allow this!’ You say!
As someone who didn’t even invite her mother to her wedding I’m here to tell you that if anyone is selfish enough to lay the guilt on you for having the wedding that YOU want, I’d be questioning whether this is someone you want to have in attendance anyway. #fuckem
2. Spend the time getting to know your team
Another pretty obvious choice, you want to be comfortable with the people capturing your memories. It wouldn’t be super fun going into your day with the expectation that your photographer and videographer are going to capture candid moments but they pose everyone all day or that they like pineapple on their pizza and hate dogs or something totally outrageous.
I’m not saying you need to learn their family tree or know precisely what their birth weight was but taking the time to vibe with your team is a must. Pretty much every photography website EVER mentions the words candid and authentic which is awesome because candid and authentic imagery is beautiful but how candid are they? Like will these people guide you when you’re feeling unsure or do they strictly only take candids? Taking the time to ask questions and making sure you’re heard will ensure your crew knows your expectations and how they can meet them.
3. A champagne or two doesn’t hurt
Or maybe even five or six, a little bit of liquid courage goes a long way. This is why I’m obsessed with golden hour shoots, obviously, the light is absolutely stunning but that late in the day you’re bound to be absolutely buzzing, crazy in love with each other and eager to really get partying. It’s just a whole mood.
4. Allow enough time
We here at Dream Cave really pride ourselves on being able to do your portrait sessions in the least amount of time possible to make sure you get to spend more time with your peeps but that doesn’t mean we rush. We plan your various shoots throughout the day based on not just lighting and around the ceremony but how well we already know you, we’ll know if you’re super shy or nervous and maybe need an extra few minutes to get into it or maybe you’re extra AF and can’t wait for the portrait sesh. If you think 20 minutes won’t be enough time for you to feel natural then let your team know.
5. Do a pre wedding shoot
If you’re super nervous or maybe you’ve seen absolutely stunning wedding photos but don’t feel like you could see yourself in them then why not try a pre wedding shoot before your big day? It’ll give you a way better idea of how the portrait sessions will run and then you can let your crew know which type of photos you liked the best so they can spend more time focusing on what you’ll love.
6. Embrace your weirdness
Honestly, the last thing you’ll want when you look back at your photos is to see two people staring back who don’t feel like you, your wedding is like a party on steroids with the outfits and the locations and everything is just over the top (in an awesome way) but it can all feel a little foreign. My biggest piece of advice to all of our couples is to just be you! If you’re not touchy-feely people then don’t waste your time doing endless kissing photos, if you’re crazy hot for each other then get a little bit steamy.
If you’ve got the right crew by your side then you can feel totally comfortable being who you are and getting photos that feel like they were made exactly for you.