5 Steps to Perfect Wedding Ceremony Photography!

The centerpiece of your wedding day IS the marriage ceremony. Everything that leads up to it, from choosing your bridal gown or other wedding attire to endless research on wedding day vendors, I know you’ve put enormous attention and detail into every aspect. You probably have a general timeline, whether you hired a planner or made it yourself. But do you know how to conduct yourselves during the ceremony? This part is a little hazy for most couples. It’s not their fault, though. There are little details that really make things go more smoothly if only you knew them. I’m going over the five steps to a perfect wedding ceremony so you can relax and be confident that you’ll get the best photography.

1. Let’s start with your walk down the aisle. This part of the wedding day can make brides and grooms very nervous. All eyes are on you, which can be a little nerve-wracking, especially if you’re an introvert. Even if you’re not, you still need to take a deep breath and keep your focus. Unfortunately, many brides don’t end up with their dream aisle photographs because of a few easy-to-fix mistakes. It’s so simple to get it right, and now you can. First, this would be the moment to pop a tiny mint in your mouth, chew it, and swallow it right before the walk. Don’t use gum, as chewing during the ceremony will appear as a funny facial expression in your photography. If I see my couples chewing gum, I ask them to remove it immediately. Remember this, and you’ll do great. Keep your head up, your flowers held at waist height and no higher, and walk slowly. So slowly. This will give your photographer plenty of time to get that dream shot and change their lighting if needed. Many brides keep their heads down and practically hide their faces behind their bridal bouquet, and ….that’s exactly what they get back in their wedding portfolio! But not you, because now you know better. If your dress wasn’t hemmed quite correctly, you can use your outside hand to gently lift it if you have stairs to go down while holding your bouquet in your other hand.

2. When you get to the end of your walk, if somebody has been escorting you down the aisle, they will shake hands or hug your soon-to-be spouse and maybe kiss you on the cheek or hug you, and then they’ll be seated. If a pet has been escorting you down the aisle, this is when you hand their leash to a designated person for the remainder of your ceremony. This is when you’ll get in the position facing each other. If nobody is walking with you, then go right to this position. If you have a train or long veil, have it prearranged so that somebody will set it nicely behind you. You can also hand your flowers to them at this time, as you should hold hands while your officiant speaks and gives their opening statement. I find it awkward when the couple getting married aren’t connected in the wedding photos, their arms hanging limply at their sides. It’s so lovely to have that physical connection when trying to hold it together during a very intimate and singular moment in both of your lives.

3. Keep your eye on the prize and by that I mean the person you’re marrying. Your officiant will most likely ask you if “you take (fill in your partner’s name here) to be your lawfully wedded spouse. You can answer your officiant directly and look at them, but I always like it when couples look at each other and say YES! More importantly, eye contact is necessary during your vows. For some nuptials like a courthouse, city hall civil ceremony, or wedding, the officiant will have a brief script, and you will repeat their words. For other more personalized ceremonies, you’ll be able to write your vows. No matter which way you go, there’s one mistake that many couples make because they’re just so nervous. They look at the officiant or the audience when repeating their vows. Don’t marry your officiant. Marry each other! Your vows are the heart and soul of this day. Speaking these sacred words and verbally agreeing to uphold them are why you’re both here today. Look into your partner’s eyes and say your vows from your heart. This is the time for complete vulnerability and being emotionally present. The rest of the room should fall away as you commit to each other from deep down. Tears can fall, and you should let them. Happy tears are a beautiful gift to give to your new spouse and trust me; they will cherish this expression of your genuine emotions.

4. The exchange of rings is following, and I really love this tradition. A circle has no beginning and no end, and it’s the perfect way to remind yourself that love is always a work in progress. But there are right and wrong ways to place the rings on each other’s fingers if you want a great photograph of this important ritual. For brides, please get a manicure no more than a day or two before the wedding, if possible. If you use nail polish or have gel nails, you don’t want to see a grown-out manicure or chipped nails in your close-up ring photos. You can even pack touch-up the polish in your bride bag that your person of honor can hold. These are detail shots, and your photographer will probably have a special close-up lens just for this part of your ceremony. For grooms, if you don’t have your nails manicured professionally, that’s OK. Just make sure you put some moisturizer on, and your nails are filed and clean.

5. Ask the ladies in your family to help you; I bet they’ll be thrilled. When it’s your turn to place the ring, take your partner’s hand in yours so that you are supporting their hand. Place the ring on their finger, but only halfway down. This will give your photographer time to get several angles and get a little creative, which you’ll appreciate later. Depending on your officiant, you may also be saying your vows now. For me, the perfect ceremony has you looking deep into each other’s eyes while holding their hand and holding the ring on their finger. Then, you are completing a circle with your bodies. Even though eye contact isn’t a physical connection, it is energetic, so I count it. How the ring gets onto your finger doesn’t matter. If you need to help each other or push it over your knuckle the last little bit yourself, that’s fine. Nerves can make fingers swell at the altar and can make for a little comic relief after some profound moments.

6. The kiss! It can be a quick peck or long and deep, planned out, or spontaneous. Talk to each other about how you envision it, and if anything makes you uncomfortable, it’s best to talk about it beforehand. If you want to practice a sweet little dip or embellishment, it’s a good idea just so nobody gets caught off balance and trips into falls. Wedding dresses can limit movement, so a little practice is OK if you’re going big… or maybe you’ll get swept up in the moment, jump for joy, high five, or pick them up and spin ’em around! This is the moment where you should be yourselves, BUT make sure, if you’re thinking about photos, that the bride’s face (or the person with a smaller head) has their face closest to the camera in the profile shot so that both newlyweds can be visible for the big kiss at the end! After the kiss, you will most likely hear a pronouncement from your official declaring you married and announcing your new names if you change them. Then you take your flowers back from whoever is holding them, grab your pet’s leash if there is one, and you joyously stride back up the aisle as the newest members of the Just Married Club!