25 Wedding Photo Ideas For 2026

Here is a short list of 25 wedding photo ideas for 2026.

When it comes to your wedding day, you’re going to want to hire a wedding photographer. Now depending on their level of experience and what it is you want from your wedding photographer, it’s a good idea to have some sort of list of images you’re going to want. As an experienced wedding photographer with over 300 weddings on 5 different continents around the world, I’ve put together a short list of some must-have wedding photo ideas for you. Maybe some of these photos don’t align with your vision and that’s ok.

No matter what happens on your wedding day, you have to live in the moment. You have to enjoy the wedding for what it is. You don’t want to be overthinking things on your wedding day. With my experience of shooting weddings in London and all over the world, I always try to educate my couples that they’re in safe hands and that taking photos of all the most important elements of the day, and everything in between, is my priority. I’ve put together these ideas so you can get some inspiration for your own wedding.

If you’re still figuring out what kind of photography feels right for you, these other guides might help too, including how to find the right wedding photographer and how to feel less awkward in your wedding photos.

1. Your Wedding Stationery (Including Wedding Invitation)

There are a couple of ways you can have your wedding stationery and wedding invitations photographed. You could send all of the stationery to your wedding photographer in advance of your wedding, have your photographer shoot it in the morning or during dinner, or finally you could give all the necessary components to your photographer to take away and they could shoot it at home in their studio or home. Love these details by JBC Wedding Stationery.

So bear this in mind for your big day and bring all of the components you’d like to be photographed to your wedding venue. Make sure you order a few extras for your keepsakes and for your wedding photographer to shoot for you.

2. The Rings

Another obvious thing you might want to have photographed on your wedding day. And although I’ll also photograph the ring exchange as it happens during the wedding ceremony, I’ll also find ways to capture the rings in other settings like this one here at this destination wedding in Ireland.

3. Make Up Moment

I always arrive a few hours before the wedding ceremony is about to begin. This gives me enough time to spend time with people and get a good feel for the day. Just like at this Scarlet Hall Wedding for Maria + Joe. I love to document as much of the getting ready process as possible, including the make-up touch-ups. I love this image of Maria whose make-up was done by Suzie Gee Make Up. You can see here Maria making the final adjustments before the wedding ceremony.

4. Getting Ready (The Bride)

I love the getting ready part of a wedding day. It’s always a really exciting part of the day. Here you can see Megan putting on her earrings during my time as an Ireland Wedding Photographer. They got married just outside Dublin at a stunning venue called the Powerscourt Estate. All these significant details can seem not so relevant, though they tie all of the images throughout the day together.

If you want the getting ready photos to feel even better, it really helps to think about the light in the room you’re using. I wrote a full guide on how to plan for great light on your wedding day which is worth a read.

5. The Wedding Shoes

As well as all of the beautiful details you’ll be wearing on your wedding day, I’m sure you’ll have taken considerable thought into what shoes you’ll be wearing. At this Mount Falcon Wedding, I photographed for Rebecca, she wore these beautiful Louboutin shoes with the signature red sole. I love this image as it captures the shoes but in a dynamic way. Of course, I’ll shoot them in a more creative way too. Though I love the natural moment of the shoes being put on.

6. A Bridal Portrait

Once your hair and make-up are complete and you’re in your wedding dress, I love to make beautiful portraits in a non-fussy way. I don’t make this moment awkward and as an experienced wedding photographer, you’ll be in safe hands. You’ve made all this effort to look as good as you do and I want to capture it for you just like I did here for this York Minster Wedding for Abby.

7. The Veil

There are so many ways to take photos of a veil. I love to shoot as naturally as I can throughout the day including the details. I’ll shoot it close and I’ll shoot it far. I love this image as it is a photo of a veil but with movement and context. Speak with your photographer and ask them how you’d like your details and veil to be captured. Just like I did here for Binh at Villa Erba on Lake Como.

8. The Bridal Bouquet

A bridal bouquet is likely the most important accessory for a bride to have. It’s something that will be with you for most of the day. A lot of time and effort will have been put into how it looks and how it ties in with the rest of the wedding. This one is just beautiful by Ratti Flora, an Italy-based florist specialising in Lake Como weddings. I’ll of course during the day make some beautiful images of the bride with the bouquet. However, I love to isolate the flowers and make a photo of the bouquet all by itself, bringing in some context of the location and background.

9. Getting Ready (The Groom)

It’s not at every wedding that I photograph the guys and the groom getting ready. However, I think having even just a few images of the groom getting ready is a really good idea. When you get your images back it’s a nice way to see the story and the build-up from both sides. I love this black and white photo of Theo getting ready for his wedding in France. Also when you get your wedding album, having images from both sides of the wedding party really adds to the story.

10. Candid Moments

It’s one thing to want beautiful and stunning photos from your wedding day, though how much of it do you want to be posed and how much do you want it to be natural? As a candid wedding photographer, I love to shoot moments as a priority. I love to shoot all the moments you might miss and those that you’re right up in and never want to forget.

A lot of couples tell me they feel awkward in front of the camera, which is exactly why I think natural moments matter so much. If that sounds like you, have a look at how to feel less awkward in your wedding photos.

11. Couple Portraits

One of my favourite parts of a wedding day is when I get to spend a short amount of time with my couples to get some photos of just the two of them. Although I do have a strong documentary approach to my work, I like to have an editorial twist to my craft. I always want my subjects to be themselves and I never allow my couples to feel awkward. I love to bring the location and atmosphere into the images too just like this Italy wedding for Binh + Rami.

And if looking good in your photos is something you’re thinking about, this guide on how to make sure you’ll look great in your wedding photos should help too.

12. The Wedding Party

I love to shoot the bridesmaids and the groomsmen separately and it’s common for me to be asked to have these images. Though I absolutely love shooting both parties together. It’s one of my favourite wedding photo ideas. So if you’re planning your own wedding and are considering creating a photo list, I’d recommend getting one of all members of the wedding party together.

13. The Young Ones

I love seeing kids at a wedding. It’s such a big day for them too. This Cheshire wedding saw this flower girl watch her mum get married in the most beautiful setting. I love to capture the kids as I know as a parent myself how quickly they grow up. So it’s great to know that these images will be getting looked at in the not-too-distant future realising how young the kids look.

14. Drone Wedding Photo

It’s not always possible to shoot drone photography on a wedding day, though as far as wedding photo ideas go this one is great. Maybe it will be raining or perhaps your wedding is taking place really close to an airport so flying a drone will not be possible. This is a great example though from a wedding I shot on Lake Como at Villa Erba in the summer. It’s a great idea as you get to see the setting of your wedding day from a different perspective.

15. Walking Down The Aisle

For me walking down the aisle isn’t just walking between your guests to the altar. It’s a journey from just before the walk begins, as you can see in the image above, to your final destination at the end of the aisle. So I love to capture it all from the anticipation at the start of the walk. So when it comes to booking your wedding photographer, make sure they are aware of all of the before and after parts of each significant part of the day.

16. Wedding Ceremony Exit

Walking back down the aisle might seem like an obvious photo that you might want in terms of wedding photo ideas, though depending on your photographer’s level of experience it could be missed. So make sure you speak with your wedding photographer about this shot if you like it. I just love this moment from this wedding I shot in France of the couple being newlyweds for only a few seconds.

17. Laughing At Weddings

Joy and laughter are two huge ingredients at weddings and I’m always on the lookout for laughter to document with my camera during a wedding day. I’m not suggesting that your wedding photographer won’t capture moments just like this at your wedding, though like I’ve said before, if you want to see more images like this then tell them the importance of laughter amongst you and your wedding guests during your wedding.

18. The First Kiss

Another classic here. Having shot so many weddings before I’m always aware of exactly when the first kiss is going to happen. That’s what experience can get you. Maybe this kind of photo isn’t among your favourite wedding photo ideas, though if it is perhaps ask your photographer to make sure they liaise with the celebrant, vicar or whoever is conducting the ceremony to make sure they’re out of the way during the first kiss moment so that they can get the perfect shot. I loved this outdoor wedding at Scarlet Hall.

19. The Table Decor

I have so many photos of table decor from my years of shooting and it’s always great to get great shots of the room before anyone is in there. Weddings are all about people and that’s why I’ve used this image as the example for this wedding photo ideas article. I’m always trying to create unique images throughout my work. So capturing the table decor for my bride and groom was on my list to capture, so I was happy to photograph it with some of their wedding guests in the shot too. This was a beautiful wedding on Lake Como and the decor was just incredible by Ratti Flora.

20. The Wedding Cake

How incredible is this cake by Poppy Pickering Cake Design? One of the most traditional elements of a wedding day is the wedding cake, and it’s still going strong. So it’s most likely that you’ll want to get a good photo of your wedding cake. Again in this image, I’ve tried to incorporate some natural and human elements into the shot. I have so many more great photos of this cake but I’ve used this one to show how I like to get people into my photos as much as possible.

21. The First Dance

This is such a great photo opportunity and one photo that you will love to look back on. I just love this one of Matthew and Lauren in Villa Zagara in Sorrento. The best advice I can give for this is just to enjoy and embrace the moment. Let your wedding photographer do the work and capture the atmosphere and moments. Super excited to get back for my next Sorrento wedding.

22. The Cutting Of The Cake

Another classic wedding photo idea and it doesn’t have to be a cheesy moment. It’s easy to just throw this off as a throwaway moment so I always try to get the best lighting conditions to make my cake cutting photo, just like this one at Achnagairn Castle in Scotland.

23. Sparkler Exit

Sparkler photos at weddings are a great idea and add a new dynamic to your wedding day. Things can get a bit tricky if you’re having a summer wedding as these photos are best made once it gets dark. However in the summer when it gets darker much later it’s tricky, as most people are pretty drunk at this time after having such a great time at the after party. So coordinating this gets difficult. However, if you liaise with your wedding planner and photographer you should be able to work something out to bring this wedding photo idea to life.

24. Wedding Ceremony Location

When it comes down to your wedding ceremony, it’s likely that you’ll have picked a spot or location that you love. I shot this Dolomites wedding for Karassa + Bryan in northern Italy. Although I’m aware that not all wedding ceremony locations will be as dramatic as this, you’ll still want your wedding photographer to get some good photos of your ceremony spot. If it’s indoors, cosy and romantic or outside in the British countryside, make sure you get some images that show the atmosphere of your wedding ceremony location.

Choosing a venue with good surroundings, interesting light and a layout that works well for your day can make a huge difference to your photos too. If you’re still deciding, this guide on how to choose a wedding venue should help.

25. Time With Your Guests

Spending time with your guests will likely be one of the most important parts of your wedding photography you’ll want to capture. It doesn’t matter if it’s a city wedding in London with 300 guests or an intimate small family wedding of just 10 people. These moments will be cherished and the images will live on for many generations. So I take extra care and put in extra effort to capture images just like this.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and that it’s given you a bit of inspiration for your wedding day. If you’re planning a wedding anytime soon, I’d love to hear from you.

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