If you’re attending a wedding this year, there are a few things you’ll be sure to see no matter who is getting married. These things include a ceremony, speeches, and photography. With such a special event as a wedding, it’s always important to capture the day in photos and videos, whether the happy couple has hired someone or they’re handing out disposable cameras.
To capture the big day and all of the people involved, couples will usually want photos with their wedding entourage. This includes photos of the bride with her bridesmaids, the groom with his groomsmen, and often flower girls, ring bearers, and family pets.
It’s not easy to come up with photos on the spot, so it’s a great idea to have some ideas prior to the big day. You can scout the venue to identify some of its best spots for photography and even include props or poses you’ve seen in other wedding photos. To give you some inspiration, consider these creative style inspirations for photos of your wedding entourage.
Reflections
If your ceremony is taking place near a small body of water, consider having the entourage lined up along the shore or on the dock. For photographers, if there is a place to stand across from the wedding party, you can create some amazing photos with the reflection of the entire party being mirrored in the water. This is especially beautiful if you can find a place that has still water, to create a perfect mirrored reflection of everyone.
For this kind of photo in natural scenery, bright blues, greens, and yellows are sure to pop the best. You can incorporate these colors in the bouquets and ties, or have the bridesmaids wear different-colored dresses that complement each other.
Group Huddles
If you’re looking for something different from the standard front-facing photos, get the groomsmen or bridesmaids to all huddle in a circle. Photographers can lay beneath the group and get fun shots looking up at the group, creating a much more personal and fun way of getting everyone in the photo.
This kind of photo is great for highlighting the small details in the wedding dress, the groom’s suit stitching, and more. While a lot of the entourage photos are taken far away, a photo like this will highlight hair pieces, dress materials, and other small things that would otherwise go unnoticed in the styling.
Matching the Background
There is nothing worse than having a beautiful background for your photos but having your entourage’s outfits completely clash with them. A creative way to take photos is to color-code with shades that are similar to the ones you’ll find around your venue, such as in a church’s stained glass windows, in the fields around the venue, or to match the venue’s décor.
For example, if you know your venue will have lots of light greens outside, consider adding a green scarf or tie to the groomsmen’s suits. If there is a lot of beige or pink, consider metallic accents for your bridesmaids. This is always much easier if you can visit your venue a year in advance, so you know what kinds of colors you’ll be working with at the time of your wedding.
Knowing the colors of the venue can also be very helpful when planning colors for things such as your wedding invitations, décor, and other pieces.
Getting Ready
You can create some very elegant photos that are not planned at all when you start taking photos during wedding preparation. To do this, simply direct the wedding party to go about their business getting ready before the ceremony and snap away as they do.
These kinds of photos are often the most genuine, as you can catch special moments between friends and family and quiet moments with the bride that others often wouldn’t see. These moments can include the bride putting on her dress and revealing her dress to friends, and the groom putting on his cufflinks. These simple moments often catch the most genuine expressions and reactions throughout the wedding day and highlight all of the little things included in the wedding party’s style.
Superheroes
It’s likely that the bride and groom have similar interests in certain shows, books, or hobbies. These kinds of things can be adapted into wedding photos for a creative new look that isn’t quite as cookie-cutter, and this is often very cute or funny.
For example, a groom who loves superheroes might have his groomsmen wear different superhero t-shirts underneath their suits to riff off classic themes. Couples might also want to make things fun by recreating favorite movie scenes or settings, which take more work but are completely worth it when everyone is in character.
Different-Colored Dresses
Not every bridesmaid loves wearing every color, and it is often difficult to pick one that looks good on every skin tone in photos. If you want to give your bridesmaids more options, you might consider offering different color options for their gowns that blend well together. For example, you could have various colors available in soft pastels or have them choose different shades of one specific color such as blues or greens.
This style choice often showcases the different personalities of the women and looks very bright and colorful in the entourage photos. To ensure the whole wedding party blends together, consider deciding who will stand with whom to ensure that the groomsmen have accessories that match the certain color the bridesmaid is wearing.
A wedding entourage is a very important group; they consist of the people with whom a bride and groom most want to share their special day! It’s no surprise that the happy couple will want all of their wedding party members to remember this day as one that was fun, comfortable, and memorable.
If you’re planning photos for your wedding entourage, be sure to consider the tips suggested. Regardless of the colors and styles you choose, be sure that the styles show off your friends and family in their best light. Whether you’re going for fun and flirty or classic and stylish, your party is sure to look great when you select colors and poses that blend well together.