The wedding traditions that I still love
If you asked me to describe my style as a wedding photographer, one of the words I would probably use would be “modern”. I like to keep up with current photography trends (you can read about some recent wedding photography trends here and here). I also love to embrace new technology, such as drone wedding photography.
Generally, my style is relaxed and informal- I would describe myself as a documentary style wedding photographer, which in itself is a pretty modern trend. I also like using unusual props to capture cutting-edge creative shots, and am very proud to have been nominated for awards for my creative wedding photography.
However, despite all this, there are still some wedding traditions which go way back which I absolutely love! I’m going to share them with you here, along with why I love them from a wedding photography point of view…
1. The dress reveal
It’s always such a special moment when the bridal party sees the bride in her wedding dress for the first time. I’ve captured beautiful photos of bridesmaids, friends and sisters full of emotion upon seeing the brides looking stunning in her dress.
And of course, the dress reveal is always a really emotional moment for the bride and her parents too. As a wedding photographer, one of my ‘must have’ moments to capture is a father’s reaction when he sees his daughter for the first time in her wedding dress, and that’s a tradition that really never gets old for me!
Top Tip to make it modern:
I recently photographed a lovely couple who chose to do something a little different when it came to the dress reveal: a pre-ceremony ‘first look’. The bride, Kym, surprised her fiance Ashley by appearing behind him in her wedding dress. It was clear to see the emotion written all over Ashley’s face as he saw his beautiful bride to be! As a wedding photographer it was a really special moment to capture and it’s a great way to give a modern twist to this tradition.
2. Walking down the aisle
Nothing says “wedding” more than a photo of a bride walking down the aisle. From a wedding photographer’s point of view, there is so much emotion to capture in this moment- nerves, hope, excitement, and a whole lot of love. For this reason, it’s a tradition that I hope will last forever!
Some of my favourite images are of brides walking down the aisle looking towards the groom waiting for them. Often, the groom will be looking back at their partner and you can see how proud and happy they are.
3. Confetti shots
Confetti shots are very traditional! The tradition of throwing wedding confetti is said to have originated during the middle ages in Northern Italy and has been around in the UK since Pagan times. Before paper confetti, there were flowers, petals, grains or rice thrown at the happy couple, to bestow prosperity and fertility.
Nowadays, confetti shots are a fabulous opportunity to capture fun, colour, and joy. I don’t just mean a little handful of confetti: if you’re going for a confetti shot, go big! The best confetti shots capture the happy couple in a tsunami of colourful confetti: less is certainly not more in this case!
As a wedding photographer, I love the pure happiness that radiates from couples in these shots: it’s the moment after they have just exchanged vows and take their first steps together as newly-weds: who wouldn’t want to keep up that tradition?!
4. Group shots
Some couples worry a bit about group shots: they don’t like the idea of their guests standing around for a long time waiting to take part in group shots, or perhaps the style of their wedding is relaxed and informal so they don’t want the group shots to feel too ‘static’.
However, I think getting some great group shots really is a must have: this is your opportunity to capture all those faces of your closest friends and family who shared your special day, and they can be wonderful memories to look back on in years to come. For this reason, group shots are a wedding photography tradition which I can get behind.
Top tip- make it modern:
The good news is that you can create some natural, fun group shots in a way that doesn’t mean that everyone is standing around for ages waiting for a formal photo. I love to get creative with group shots by incorporating interesting backdrops, angles, poses, or props to make the shot just a little different.
If you’re getting married and looking for some advice on wedding photos, I would be more than happy to help. I’m a professional wedding photographer based in North Wales, Chester and Cheshire and I’d love to chat about your wedding plans- please get in touch today.
