The best way to have those special moments captured on film – or video, for that matter – is to hire one of the best wedding photographers in London because only an experienced and skilled photographer will have that trained eye for turning an ordinary scene into something beautiful to look at.
Photos can turn out splendidly with special lighting, camera lenses, and whatever else a talented photographer uses to turn ordinary wedding photos in London into works of art.
Here are several wedding photo ideas which you may want to discuss with your chosen photographer and consider putting together for your wedding photo album later on:
1. Bride’s wedding gown hanging: Capture the bride’s pure joy as she looks at her pristine and elegant wedding gown.
2. A solo shot of the bride: in her last remaining minutes as a single lady, a sombre still, a full-length shot of the bride – preferably in her profile — against a background will be breath-taking.
3. Bridal bouquet: the flowers would definitely not last forever, but a close-up will certainly be there for the future children and grandchildren to see. Take a still life of the bridal bouquet before it is tossed to waiting bridesmaids.
4. Bridal shoes: have the bridesmaids scribble short messages on the bride’s shoes, turn them on their soles and take a still life of the footwear. It will be a unique and heart-warming photo for the bride to include in her wedding photo album.
5. Bride’s mother: a photo of the bride’s mother helping with the bridal dress will be totally nostalgic both for the mother and the new bride when herself becomes a mother.
6. Bride in the mirror: a photo of the bride in her wedding gown before a mirror should have soft lighting that makes her the focus of the attention, something which the bride can, literally, reflect on years after her wedding.
7. Here come the bridesmaids: this traditional photo can be unique if the bridesmaids pose in a relaxed, candid, funny or unconventional manner. Use props to make the pose more attractive.
8. Bride with her parents: this one will be a real tearjerker in the years to come. A photo of the bride, now all grown up, with her parents before the ceremony can be part of a collage in the wedding photo album, side-to-side with a photo of the bride as a little girl with her parents.
9. Groom’s mother pinning the boutonniere on him: there are numerous shots of the bride in her finery and with her side of the family and her friends, but there are very few of the groom before the wedding ceremony. Have one with the groom’s mother pinning the traditional boutonniere on her, just like she must have done years ago when the groom was a first time ring bearer.
10. Groom and groomsmen: let the big boys have a souvenir with a truly memorable shot. Get them to pose as goofy as possible. Let them sport cool shades like “Men in Black,” simulate a “throw-the-groom-into-the-pool” scenario or have them on wooden horses – with the groom in the centre, of course – as “The Magnificent Seven.”
11. Father giving his daughter away: this is the one-shot that even the most “macho” fathers would cry over, that’s why it should be perfect, a photo of the bride with the first and last men of her life.
12. Waiting for the bride: what can be more heart-rending for the groom than catching his expression as he sees his bride walking down the aisle towards him? If the groom is sentimental, freeze that moment into a well-taken photo, because this is probably the only time the man will cry unabashedly.
13. You may now kiss the bride: and your chosen photographer had better take an excellent shot of the first kiss between husband and wife. This photo is definitely a “must” to have in the wedding photo album.
14. The newlyweds walking up the aisle: just as important is this photo of the smiling newlyweds walking up the aisle as Mr and Mrs Whether they are walking into flying rose petals, rice grains, floating bubbles or confetti, this photo of the newlyweds will be much appreciated.
15. Groomsmen and bridesmaids have photos of the newlyweds with their chosen groomsmen and bridesmaids in several formal and candid poses. Have the groom pose with the bride and her bridesmaids, the couple with their groomsmen, and the groomsmen and bridesmaids together.
16. Arrival at the reception: this photo of the newlyweds as they arrive at their reception can have another shower of rose petals, confetti, floating bubbles or rice grains. This is one entrance that the newlyweds would want to be frozen in a still shot forever.
17. Reception table: a still life of the buffet spread and/or the reception table setting will show all the exquisite details that went with the preparation of the wedding reception, from cutlery, the bone China, and glassware, to the table linen, Tiffany chairs with satin ribbons tied at the backrest, and beautiful centrepieces.
18. Reception favours: take stills of the menu, invitation, and favours and place them together in the wedding photo album. The guests may have kept the invitation, eaten the food on the menu, and taken home the favours, but you will always have that photo to remember everything by.
19. Pièce de résistance: have a photo of the wedding cake before the newlyweds cut it. Do the perfect set up for this shot: repurpose the bouquets of the bridesmaids as décor for the table around the cake.
20. Do the hors d’œuvrés and special beverages: have a shot taken of the couple’s favourite hors d’œuvrés and their special beverages set amidst special décor like a table strewn with flowers.
21. Toasts: these photos would be a-plenty but make sure all the toasters have their shots in their best angles. Whether your toaster have sappy, silly, teary-eyed, grinning or solemn expressions on their faces, these images will still make you smile when you pause over them in your wedding album.
22. First Dance: only the couple’s song will be more poignant than this photo of their first dance as husband and wife. In fact, whenever they see this shot, they will remember how they danced to their song when this was taken.
23. Father and daughter dance: Daddy’s little girl is no longer little but a married woman. Capture this tender moment for father and daughter with a close-up and a long shot in several photos. The photo of former U.S. President Bill Clinton dancing with daughter Chelsea at her wedding never leaves a dry eye for anybody who sees it.
24. Mother and son dance: capture this special moment when the groom dances with his mother. The groom’s mother is often overlooked at a wedding; now is the moment to capture the groom’s mother in all her finery, beauty, and poise while dancing with her erstwhile little boy.
25. Entertainers performing: you would want to remember the musicians and deejays that performed at your wedding. Take several photos of them while they sing the couple’s favourite songs, especially if they serenade the bride.
26. Dancing guests: have numerous shots of your guests while they dance because this moment will probably the only one in which they are letting their hair down. Capture even the shiest guests and relatives showing off dances moves that can range from awesome to hilarious.
27. Cutting the Wedding Cake: take the traditional cake-cutting photo but be quick on the draw for the next succeeding seconds that usually show the couple in memorable, messy, and funny poses of smearing the icing on each other’s faces.
28. Tossing the bouquet: coach the bride to toss her bouquet gracefully like Lauren Bacall when she married Humphrey Bogart. As the bride tosses her bouquet, capture the expression of whoever catches it – will it be the groom’s unmarried woman aunt or the bride’s best friend? – and turn that shot into a priceless photo.
29. Tossing the garter: photos of the groom removing the garter from his bride’s leg and throws it to all single gentlemen guests would be fun to take. Even more, fun to see are shots of the male guest who caught the garter placing it on the female guest who caught the bride’s bouquet.
30. Taking leave: capture that magical moment when the newlyweds leave the reception to go on their honeymoon under a bright and colourful tunnel of sparklers. It would be an especially memorable shot if the couple rode off in an unusual vehicle such as a scooter, horse-driven carriage with the groom taking the reins or a tandem bike.