Tips For Great Wedding Pictures

You want your wedding day to be beautiful. You arrange everything so it’s picture-perfect. But then you look at the pictures your photographer took, and they are less than perfect. You feel like that which should be the everlasting memory of your wedding, those instants captured on camera, don’t make your wedding enough justice. For some people this is reason for a shrug, others may have a meltdown over this. Thinking about this, and about some recent debacles with wedding pictures that made the news, we put our heads together and came up with some tips on how to have a picture-perfect wedding with pictures that actually come out perfect.  

First of all, hire a good photographer. This may sound pretty straightforward advice, but some people don’t really follow it. They go with the venue’s official photographer, or with someone who took good pictures at a friend’s wedding. Worse, some people hire an actual friend – this is an issue in itself; marriages are for friends to enjoy and for professionals to document. Look at the photographer’s portfolio and make an educated decision. And remember: you’re hiring a photographer to do a job, much like you would hire a contractor to fix your plumbing. Make sure that everything that you expect out of the photographer and the end result is set in stone – meaning a comprehensive contract.

Now that you have a good photographer, work with him or her. Show him around the venue, show him the places where you’ll want your pictures taken and maybe even take a few test shots to have an idea of how it will all work out. You can also get advice on the photographer of how to stand or pose for specific situations. For example, when you’re taking pictures with all the guests it’s easy to get tired and not look your best in every picture. But a good photographer will be able to advise you on how to move or how to stand so you can always look picture perfect. Also, a good photographer will know when to take a candid picture and when to tell you when to pose. You can agree on some signals or special code for when he wants to let you know he’s taking your picture, so you’ll know to keep your eyes open and not to yawn, for example.

Also, look at the setting beforehand and decide right away where you want your pictures to be taken. Deciding on this the last minute may lead to some awkwardness. This way, you can make sure that those special places are kept in top condition, and aren’t used for storage or parking, for example.

Things can go wrong, and if they do there’s not much you can do to fix them. You can’t turn back time and get married on a sunnier day, but a better photographer will have adequate lighting gear. So being prepared is a great part of it, and being able to improvise is another. The best wedding picture is the one that looks better on paper and not in your mind.

This post was written by Holly Adams from Coupon Croc. Visit for a John Lewis discount code before you buy any camera equipment.