Having been a Wiltshire wedding photographer for just shy of fifteen years now, I know the wedding day photoshoot or ‘couple shots’ (aka the photos of just the two of you) are one of the bits of the day couples are most nervous about. I get it, you’ve never hired a pro photographer to take your photograph before, you’re not a professional model, it’s all just a bit weird right?

Please don’t worry, relaxed, natural wedding photographs is my speciality and I’ve become something of an expert in working with people who hate having their photo taken. I promise to keep the whole experience relaxed and pain free with no cheesy posing that’ll give you the ick.

But being prepared will help you to feel more relaxed about the experience, which in turn will result in better photographs. So, with this in mind here are my top five tips for your wedding photoshoot to get the best possible photos of you and your loved one on your wedding day.

1. Get Away

My first of my wedding day photoshoot tips is probably the most important. The more relaxed you are the better the results will be, and so getting you away from your guests prying eyes is priority number one. There’s nothing worse than snuggling up to the one you love, and then having your aunty Joan in your face with her i-Pad. Don’t worry, I’m a pro at finding a friendly but firm way to tell hangers on to bog off!

Usually we’ll have a chat before the day about the best time to do your couples’ shoot. If your ceremony and reception is in the same location I’ll usually leave it until the last bit of the reception so you’ve had a chance to say hello to everyone and enjoy the drinks before I whisk you away for some time alone. This means you’ve had a chance to have a glass of something, come down from the massive adrenaline rush of the ceremony and know that everyone is happy. All these things will just help you relax a little more.

If your ceremony is at a church or separate location to the drinks, depending on the circumstances it can make sense to do the shots between travelling from one location to the other, or as soon as you arrive so that I don’t have to drag you away from the party. I hate being the photographer tapping on your shoulder and interrupting the fun so doing them before you join the guests and settle into the celebrations is be preferable.

If we’re doing the photos in the same location as your reception but you’re travelling from a different ceremony venue its best to allow time for your guests to arrive first. We should also choose an area for photos which is away from the reception. This way you won’t have guests passing you in cars tooting the horn or heckling, which doesn’t make for a relaxed experience and means the shoot ends up taking longer due to interruptions.

2: Know what time ‘Golden Hour’ hits

Thanks to insta and TikTok more and more couples now know exactly what Golden Hour is and if you’ve been searching for wedding day photoshoot tips on social media you’ll definitely be familiar, but if some how the rise of this phenomenon has passed you by, let me elaborate…. The hour or so before the sun sets on clear days, when it’s low in the sky is known as ‘Golden Hour’. It creates dreamy, magical ‘golden’ light which just makes for the most beautiful photos. I flippin’ love it, and you can see why from these photos. I mean, HOW DREAMY?

Sadly, not every wedding day will have a golden hour but if you’re lucky enough to have clear skies on your wedding day, or even a break in the clouds you might get lucky! And this light will without doubt make for the most spectacular photos of the day so it’s worth knowing about and being up for a second trip out with your photographer to make the most of this golden opportunity.

Usually in the Summer months Golden Hour hits somewhere between the end of dinner or maybe after your after your first dance. In Winter on sunny days golden hour can hit during the reception, so I’ll be keeping my eyes out for it.

And if the light is looking good I’ll aim to sneak you guys off for a some fun in the golden sun. In Summer, by this point you’ll have had a couple of drinks, all the official jobs are over and you’ll have already had a few photos with me earlier in the day, so you’ll be feeling like proper pros at this point. And don’t worry. I know by dinner time you’ll just want to relax, so I won’t keep you for long. Golden hour shoots usually take ten to fifteen minutes, but I promise are really worth stepping out for. It’s also a really lovely time to get away, and take a breath just the two of you and reflect on your day.

And I mean seriously, drink in that golden delicious light.

3: Don’t Stress about the Dress

It’s going to sound obvious but you’ve bought your dress to wear on your wedding day, to look shit hot in your photos. You won’t be wearing it again tomorrow. With this in mind I’d really try and let go of worrying about putting it down on the floor, or getting it dirty. Now is it’s time to shine!

Of all my wedding day photoshoot tips this one may be the one which is hardest to actually take on board. And I get that but it comes with love. If I ask you to stand on a lawn that’s a little damp, venture up a country lane, sit down on a hay bail or venture out in the rain with an umbrella it’s because I want to get you the most cracking photographs we can get together. Trust me, I don’t want to wreck your dress, cause any stains or marks, or turn your photos into a trash the dress shoot. (These were huge circa 2012!)

But seriously, this is your one day to wear your dress and be photographed in it so try and relax, and at least let the hem touch the floor. It might get a bit grubby round the edges of the hemline but I’d never advise anything to ruin your outfit.

On some days we get even more adventurous. And, if you’re up for a bit of an adventure and can go with it, I promise the results will be worth it. I LOVE the shot of Laura above. At their request we spent about half an hour after the dinner venturing around the farm land at their venue, The Barn at Avington. She had her heart set on photos at this secluded ‘bridge to nowhere’ on the site. Getting there involved climbing through brambles and thick overgrowth as you can see. This shot was taken after some photos on the bridge (which you can see below) as we made our way back through and she was over the moon with the resulting images. Now, you don’t have to be as bold as Laura (I’m not sure I’d have waded through quite such an overgrown footpath!) but I love her to the moon and back for that spirit!

4: Focus on your partner, not the camera

After tip number one, this tip is is the most crucial of all my wedding day photoshoot tips to act on during your couples’ shots. The easiest way to get natural, heartfelt photos is to forget about the camera altogether and simply focus on each other. We all love a ‘candid’ photograph so how I achieve such natural results in my photographs with couples is by encouraging you to talk, laugh, hold hands and have a walk, or share a quiet moment together.

I have a few games prompts and conversation starters up my sleeve on wedding days to facilitate these natural moments in case your mind goes blank as soon as you see the camera- which can happen for those who are particularly camera shy. Because when you forget about the camera and interact naturally, your expressions soften, your body language relaxes, and the photos become a true reflection of you and your connection rather than a posed moment. Which is what I’m all about.

5. If you’re really nervous, have an engagement shoot

An engagement shoot is like a relaxed practice run at having your photo taken before the wedding. It gives us a chance to break the ice and get to know each other, which helps you to relax (by now can you sense a theme?!) And also helps you to get more comfortable being photographed.

You can also choose to have your engagement shoot at your venue if you’d like to. This is not essential, as I shoot destination weddings across the world I’m very used to turning up and making the most of the location and the light that’s there on the day – it always varies even in the same location.

On an engagement shoot you’ll learn how I’ll guide you through a shoot and discover what feels natural for you as a couple. By the time the wedding day arrives, everything feels familiar — meaning you’ll slip into the portrait section of the day effortlessly. You’ll feel more confident, and get beautiful, genuine images without needing to warm up.

You can read more about engagement shoots here.

I hope this has helped to demystify the couple’s shoot for you a bit. But ultimately, relax, you’re in the hands of an expert. I have spent almost a decade working with camera shy people, getting them to open up in front of the camera, and most of them I don’t meet in person until the day of the wedding. None of the people in these photos are models, they’re all normal people like you. (Unlike some photographers I don’t use images from styled photoshoots in my portfolio.) So go with the flow, be open to suggestions and up for a bit of an adventure and I promise we’ll capture some special photographs of the two of you that you’ll treasure for a life time.