From “I Do” to “Heck Yes”: Making the Most of Your Ceremony Photos
Let’s start with some truth: Your wedding ceremony might be the most meaningful 20 minutes of your entire wedding day. This also means that your wedding ceremony photos are also very important! And also the one part where everything feels like it could fall apart if you don’t plan for it. (No pressure.)
Here’s the kicker: As wedding photographers, we have the least control during this part of your day. We can’t nudge you into the light,and we can’t ask you to “do it again.” And we can’t tap your aunt on the shoulder and say, “Can you not?”
However, we can provide you with a good, chaotic checklist of the things we see all the time. Let’s chat about ceremony wedding photography and how to make it smooth, meaningful, and photogenic.
Let’s go.
Plan for the Light (and the Heat) at Your Outdoor Ceremony
Outdoor ceremony? Congratulations! You’ve just married the weather. Will one of you be in the shade and the other melting in direct sun? Will your guests be squinting? We love a golden hour glow, but 2pm on a summer day is a sweatfest with weird shadows.
Pro tip: If you’re unsure what it will look like in that spot on your date, ask your planner or check old photos from weddings at the same venue in the same season.
Tell Your People Where to Sit
“Reserved” signs are not enough. Mamaw needs instructions.
Draw a seating chart. Assign someone (who is not also confused) to walk people to their spots. Your ceremony should not open with a game of musical chairs. Confused guests = messy photos = your photographer crawling on the ground trying to get something usable.
Also, fill the aisle seats. People will avoid them like they’re lava. You invited them. They’re important. Tell them to act like it.
Face Your Partner (Not Your Officiant)
This one is huge. You are marrying each other, not the officiant.
Turn. Face. Touch. Hold hands. Don’t stand like awkward siblings at a middle school dance. Let your body reflect the actual emotion you’re feeling.
We can’t yell “GET CLOSER” during your vows (tragically), so please do it.
The First Kiss Is Not a Drive-By
If you want your kiss captured (and trust us, you do), give it a solid three seconds. Count in your head. One… two… three. That’s all we need for a horizontal and a vertical. Not trying to make it spicy, just trying to get it in focus. You are now a married couple! Congrats!
Phones Are the Enemy
Yes, we’re going here. We love your aunt, but if she leans into the aisle to get a iPhone shot of your kiss, she (potentially) ruined your professional photos. It’s giving whack-a-mole, and we’re losing.
Solution: Ask your officiant to say, “Take your pic now. Okay, now put it away.” And then have someone enforce it. Like a bouncer. For phones. We’re kiddidng, but also not!
Walking Down the Aisle…and Out
The walk-in? Emotional. The walk-out? Epic.
Both are 10-second windows where everything happens. Whatever your vibe (joyful, tearful, high-five, or doing the dip), you get one shot. Don’t spend it fussing with your veil or searching for the recessional song cue.
Want to throw petals? Pop bubbles? Toss lavender? Ensure your guests are aware in advance that they’re participating. Otherwise, you’ll get a face full of flower confetti and a blurry photo of someone panicking.
Positioning Matters
Are your guests’ chairs crammed to the walls? Is your arbor symmetrical, but you’re standing ten feet off-center? Is your officiant hiding behind a floral arch? All of that impacts the photos.
Please give us room on the sides, center yourselves with your arbor or backdrop, and ensure we can see you clearly. We can’t shoot what we can’t see. And we can’t fix it later.
Don’t Forget the Rings (or the Vows)
Yes, people forget. All the time.
Make a checklist. Assign someone (maid of honor, best man, your cousin Sharon) to check the off the list. That’s your wedding day inventory. Don’t show up to the ceremony missing your rings and your vow books.
Help Your Guests Get Out Too
After you say “I do,” your guests will do…nothing. They will stand and stare unless someone tells them where cocktail hour is. Include it in your officiant’s script and have them physically direct the humans.
People do not read signs. We cannot stress this enough. They’re cute in photos. They’re useless in action.
Final Thought: Treat Your Ceremony Like the Main Event
Because it is. It’s why we’re all here.
And while you can just wing it, we’re here to lovingly suggest: don’t. Prepare. Think it through. Give it the care it deserves. You’ll have photos and memories that reflect how good it really felt.
Want More Wedding Ceremony Tips?
Want even more wedding wisdom (and a few more rants about ceremony lighting and cell phones)? Listen to the full episode of Aisle Be Honest: Episode 9 on YouTube and Spotify. Or just keep poking around our full list of episodes. We’ve got plenty more where this came from!
