Your couple portraits are one of the most important photos from your wedding day. These are the photos that get printed to be hung on your wall and are the photos that you share with your family. Yes, your family portraits, ceremony, and reception images will be images that you cherish but the couple portraits are the stunning images of just the two of you celebrating your first day as husband and wife. These 5 tips will make sure you get the most of your portrait time!
1. Allow Enough Time
This is the best tip that I can give! Before you start drafting up the timeline for your wedding, talk to your photographer and see how much time they recommend for your couple portraits and make sure you give them that time in your schedule. We want to make sure we have enough time to get some excellent photos of you both with a good variety of backgrounds. If you only give us 5-10 minutes, then you will not be able to get the types of couple portraits that you would be expecting.
2. Consider the Location
If you look back on your parents and grandparents wedding albums, pretty much all of their couple portraits will be inside the church. The days of this type of photography are long gone! Don't be afraid to go outside and get some of those beautiful outdoor wedding photos that you have been seeing during your wedding planning. You can of course take a few inside the church but please let your photographer take you outside! Also, don't be afraid to travel to a different location for your couple portraits! If the area around your ceremony or reception venue isn't the prettiest, talk to your photographer and let them know that you would like to go somewhere else for a portion of your portraits. They will be more than happy to accommodate. However, remember tip number one and be sure to add in some travel time so your portraits won't be cut short.
3. Consider a First Look
Having a first look will give you more couple portraits and who doesn't want that! :) It also allows you to capture the reactions of you both seeing each other for the first time and first looks also turn out amazing! Having a first look also means that you can start your couple portraits before your ceremony. This lets you either get to the reception a little sooner than if you didn't do a first look or it will let you have some extra time for more couple portraits before the reception.
4. Remove Distractions
When I say to remove distractions, I mean that you will want to start your couple portraits away from your ceremony venue. I'm not saying you need to go to a different location, but you will want to start a few feet away from the venue. This will help stop guests from coming up to you during your couple portraits to congratulate you, which will disrupt your couple portraits and make them take longer. Save your congratulations for your reception or have a receiving line after your ceremony. You will want your couple portraits to be just you and your new spouse. You will be less distracted if no one else is around and will be able to truly enjoy this time alone together.
5. Have Fun!
Above all else, relax and have fun! This is your big day and a joyous occasion! Relax, smile, laugh, and have fun with your new spouse during your couple portraits. Not only will this allow you to have a more memorable experience, but it will also make sure that your portraits have that genuine emotion shine through!
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Monday Wedding Madness is a blog series that occurs every Monday and answers the questions you have about wedding photography. Have a question you would like to have answered or something that you wish you would have known before your wedding or are you a wedding professional who would like to contribute? Send your questions to jasmine@jasminenorris.com.
