Romantic Wedding Couple Poses

A wedding is a couple’s starting point as a new family, having some romantic wedding couple poses helps to invoke beautiful memories of their special day; memories that last a lifetime.

The way you connect with and shoot the couple can make the day, especially for an emotional bride! A great pose, composition and lighting should attempt to flatter the individuals but at the same time reveal the special connection between the couple.

How do you create great wedding photography poses in the limited time available during a wedding?

Plan A, Plan B, and possibly Plan C!

If you have tried shooting at a wedding then you know how time becomes a rare commodity. Getting a large group of people organised and where you want them, when you want them, is a bit like herding cats! Try telling them that your images are far more important than the bar!

Planning is everything. Always make sure you visit the venue prior to the wedding. Go through a shot sequence with the couple. If they can’t make it, look for likely locations and work with them on the day. DO NOT go in blind.

Wherever possible, speak to the people running the venue, (or any other location you intend using on the day), and make sure that there is nothing else occurring on the wedding day which might impact on your shoot.

I remember doing a wedding shoot in Manchester a few years ago where myself and the couple getting married scoped out a local park for some after ceremony shots. I had a plan, I was confident. We arrived on the day of the shoot to find that the park was closed to the public because of an event. Plan B, a 15 minute dash to an unknown location. Luckily it was okay and we managed to get some nice shots. However the bride was so stressed she cut the shoot short by more than half an hour!

Sure, some other opportunities might come up on the day , but I always remember this: –

if I fail to plan then I am potentially planning to fail

How to create romantic wedding couple poses that look natural

These are some of my thoughts on how you go about creating memorable and romantic wedding couple poses.

Posing your subject(s) is a bit of an art form. Some photographers are naturals at placing their subject within the environment and selecting the appropriate pose to maximise the conditions.

It also requires knowing your photography fundamentals. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to creating those romantic wedding couple poses. 

Unlike working with individuals, especially on a wedding day, posing the happy couple is about showcasing their special connection; if you can get them to show this connection in your images, then the actual pose is more or less created naturally. 

Personally I am not a fan of passionate kissing, it’s a bit crass I think. To create romantic wedding couple poses, I get far more emotion from their eyes and the way they interact as a couple in love. Wherever possible I will try to follow a couple’s lead. Make a note about what stands out in their candid interactions when the camera is not on them. Never force them to pose in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable; this just results in awkward images. 

The best romantic wedding couple poses come from connections

For any person shoot, you need to have the right energy and mindset. Stay relaxed and be receptive to the couple; remember it is their day. As I mentioned above, I always meet the couple before the shoot and get an idea of how they imagine the wedding shoot to play out. I make a written note of where and in what order I am going to take each shot. 

Practice photographing couples

If possible, practice photographing couples before diving into weddings. It is an excellent opportunity to practice shooting without the time pressure. 

romantic wedding couple poses

wedding announcement shoot – couple on bridge

One pose – many images

Don not be afraid to make small changes within a single pose. Adjusting the couple’s hands, expression, and where the couple is looking can create multiple shots and add variety to the wedding portfolio.

Changing the composition is another great way of changing the tone of a pose. 

With the right connection you can get the bride and groom to open up and have some fun. This is a great way to create romantic wedding couple poses that do not look forced or fake.

romantic wedding couple poses

bride and groom showing off the garter

Some basic pose ideas

1. Standing Side-by-Side

Many couples start with standing next to each other for an image. Create a physical connection between them. Ask the couple to gaze at each other. Make them hold hands. Perhaps even wrap an arm around each other, or playfully touch each other’s cheek.

romantic wedding couple poses

To be honest I get a lot of my best shots when I just let the couple interact. For example I started by asking for the side by side pose above, but then I ignored them for a couple of minutes and let the magic happen.

romantic wedding couple poses

romantic wedding couple poses

2. Facing Each Other

I like this pose because they invariably have a wonderful loving connection at this point. You could direct the couple to stand closer together or lean in towards each other, but I tend to give them as little direction as possible to ensure a more natural outcome.romantic wedding couple poses

3. One Spouse Standing Behind the Other

This pose where your clients are standing behind each other has a lot of variations. They can give kiss or touch, whichever works for them really. In the image below I used a bench to stage the pose but I was considering the edge of the fountain.

I quite often reverse the couple so that the bride is in the dominant position. 

Using steps is another good variation on this pose.

romantic wedding couple poses

4. Holding Hands

This is such an easy win. A classic shot that has literally loads of variations. If the venue lends itself I will simply ask the couple to walk to a designated spot. They invariably hold hands and I can shoot without them knowing.

romantic wedding couple poses

In this image I left them to their own devices and used a longer lens.

romantic wedding couple poses

Once again I just let them be natural.

I always take some shots of the brides dress. Not only will it have interesting detailing, you can guarantee the bride and her mother spent a long time choosing the perfect dress. 

I had the pleasure of doing a three day shoot for an Indian wedding. Some of the henna was amazing and coupled with the outfits, made for some fantastic detail shots.

Getting in close is a great way to highlight those details that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The moment I saw the back of this dress I knew it was going to be featured in the shoot. I asked the bride to stand near a window and used the natural light  to create what I think is a lovely detail image.

5. Seated Couple

Seated poses can look more comfortable and less staged. They can sit side by side, or the groom can kneel behind the bride, or as in this image the bride can sit on the groom’s lap.

You can add a lot of variety to seated poses. Sometimes just getting them to relax produces good results.

6. Focus on the Ring

The ring shot is one of my favourites.

I usually focus entirely on their hands, using a very shallow depth of field to focus the eye onto the rings.

7. Wedding Pose With the Veil

This is a classic pose. The veil is a useful tool in your wedding photography arsenal.

In the image below the wind was not playing by the rules! However the bride and groom were quite happy to go with a windswept image which added some fun to the album.

Because the groom was happy to be under the veil, it created a lovely dynamic image.

8. A Kiss on the Cheek

9. Informal & Candid wedding pose

This is not about a formal staged image. Wedding photography isn’t always about creating elegant and intimate images. Sometimes it is about fun, of just being happy in the moment. The groom was a football coach and so this old ball lying in the grounds was irresistible, to both them and me!

It’s always better if romantic wedding couple poses occur naturally but you can facilitate them with a bit of planning.

10. Using the Car

Poses should be inspired both by the couple and the settings. For couples with a unique vehicle, photograph the two of them either sitting in or standing near to the car.

11. Zoomed out

Sometimes when the location is grand enough, a good option is to pull back and let the couple feature as a smaller part of the overall scene. Gloucester cathedral is just one of those locations where the splendour makes for a magical image.

Conclusion

There are a few ideas for capturing great images for a great wedding album. 

The ideal way to shoot romantic wedding couple poses involves your experience, your ability to connect with the couple, highlighting their special connection. There is no doubt a great setting makes your job a lot easier; after all there is a huge difference between a travel lodge car park in mid Coventry compared to Gloucester Cathedral followed by a stately home for the reception. It just requires some out of the box thinking!

You can see some of my wedding galleries here.