So we did the part you are dreading. We pulled portraits straight from real Love & Lavender weddings and sorted them by who is actually in the frame: the whole party, the family, the bride, the groom, the two of you, and your guests. Every one is a pose you can point at and copy.
Pin the ones that feel like you, screenshot the rest, and hand the whole thing to your photographer. Click any portrait to see the full wedding it came from. For even more, browse our Real Weddings directory.
Group Shots: The Whole Wedding Party
These are the big wedding group shots: the whole party, the bridesmaids, the groomsmen, every family-portrait-sized grouping in one place. Groups go sideways fast, so hand everyone a shape and a job. Get the formal version in the bag first, then let it get a little silly.
The Whole Party, Posed Together
Get the full-party shot early, before anyone drifts toward the bar. Stagger the heights, keep the couple in the middle, and shoot it while the light still has some shape to it.
See Hunter and Kirsten’s Backyard Wedding →
One Long Line, Holding Hands
Spread the whole party into one long line, join hands, and either walk or just stand there. It fills a wide frame and gives a big group an easy shape to hold. An open field behind you helps.
See Angela and Kim’s Cambodian Wedding →
Party Staggered Down the Steps
Put the party on a staircase and let everyone stand a step or two apart. The built-in height changes do the composition for you, so a big group stops reading as a flat line. Bridesmaids down one side, groomsmen the other, couple in the middle.
See Lyndenn and Josh’s Wedding →
Bride and Bridesmaids Mid-Jump
Leave the guys out and get the bride and her bridesmaids jumping together. A plain brick wall keeps the background clean, and matching dresses photograph especially well in mid-air.
See Lyndenn and Josh’s Wedding →
The Whole Party in a Single Row
Stand the whole party in one straight row, shoulder to shoulder, and let the colors do the work. It is the least fussy group shot there is, and everyone reads clearly. The mix of green dresses against the trees keeps it from feeling stiff.
See Danny and Jillian’s Rustic Wedding →
Bridesmaids Flanking the Bride
Bride in the middle, bridesmaids tight on both sides, bouquets held low and even. This is the shot they will all be texting each other that night. Matching mint dresses and a row of flowers handles the styling for you.
See Caitlin and Rob’s Alabama Wedding →
Groomsmen Mid-Laugh, Ring Bearer Included
Skip the stand-at-attention lineup and get the guys actually laughing, with the ring bearer tucked in looking up at them. A real laugh out of a group of men in suits beats a stiff row every time.
See Trelise and Alan’s Vineyard Wedding →
Groomsmen Mid-Jump
Find a loud, colorful wall and have the groomsmen jump in front of it. The flat backdrop keeps the chaos readable while the color carries the rest. A bright yellow wall turned this one into the keeper.
See Lauren and David’s Charleston Wedding →
The Whole Party, Mid-Jump
The jumping bridal-party shot is a cliche because it works. Sand makes for soft landings and a clean, bright background. Just get everyone off the ground on the same count or it falls apart.
See Pieter and Ingrid’s Beach Wedding →
Wedding Party Pulling the Couple Apart
The couple kisses in the middle while everyone else hams it up trying to drag them apart. It is the cure for the stiff, everybody-smile group photo. Give the party a job and they hand you the movement.
See Nicole and Michael’s Country Wedding →
Arms Around Each Other, Walking Away
Have the whole group link arms and walk away from the camera together. You get the backs of the dresses, the bride’s open back, and a sense of motion a posed lineup never has. A long view behind you helps, but any open space works.
See Sarah and Jason’s Farm Wedding →
Mustache Props for the Whole Group
Hand out photo-booth props, mustaches on sticks here, and let the bridesmaids and flower girls ham it up. The props solve the what-do-I-do-with-my-face problem for the whole group at once. A striped backdrop keeps it graphic.
See Rob and Amy’s Rock and Roll Wedding →
Bridesmaids Spelling Out MRS
Hand each bridesmaid a cut-out letter and spell something out. It gives a big group something to hold and turns a plain lineup into a moment. MRS, the date, your new last name, whatever fits the hands you have.
See Britt and Bob’s Gallery Wedding →
Bridesmaids Kissing the Bride’s Cheeks
Have two of your people lean in and kiss your cheeks at the same time. It breaks the smile-and-hold monotony and pulls a real laugh out of the whole group. Pile in close so the frame stays full.
See Helene and Garret’s Jamaica Wedding →
The Group in Matching Robes
Get the group shot before anyone is dressed, in the matching robes. Pile onto a bed or a couch and let it stay loose. Coordinated robes make even a phone snap look intentional.
See Alexandra and Nicholas’s Ballroom Wedding →
Arm in Arm With Two Bridesmaids
Not every group shot needs the whole party at once. Here the groom links arms with two bridesmaids, bouquets out, for one quick tight cluster. The small groupings are where the genuine smiles hide.
See Alaina and Dan’s Vineyard Wedding →
Family Portraits
Wedding family portraits are the frames the grandparents will ask for prints of. Some you set up, and some you just have to be ready to catch as they happen.
Walking Down the Aisle With Dad
Tell your photographer to shoot the walk from the front, not just from behind. The look between a parent and a bride on that aisle is the one family portrait you cannot stage. It happens once and it happens fast, so make sure someone is in position for it.
See Trelise and Alan’s Vineyard Wedding →
The Flower Girl and Ring Bearer
Pair the littlest two with their props and shoot fast, while they are still in a good mood. A flower basket and a moss pillow are all the direction they need, and you have maybe five minutes before the snacks wear off.
See Brandi and Lee’s Austin Wedding →
The Flower Girl and Her Reflection
Stand the flower girl beside any reflective surface and she shows up twice in the frame. Kids love seeing themselves, so the smile comes for free. A purple tutu does not hurt the cause.
See Alexandria and Jackson’s Mountain Wedding →
Sparkler Spirals Around the Three of You
Hold a long exposure while someone draws spirals with a sparkler, with the three of you in the middle and the little one held between you. Part portrait, part fireworks, and worth the few tries it takes. Hand the sparklers to grown-ups you trust.
See Nicole and Michael’s Country Wedding →
Bride Portraits
These bride and groom portraits start with her, the solo shots where the dress and the veil get a frame to themselves. Steal a pose, hand the list to your photographer, and you will not spend the morning wondering what to do with your hands. The groom gets his own section next.
Looking Off to the Side
Turn your face off to the side instead of staring down the lens. It reads calmer than a straight-on smile and shows off the hair, the veil, and the bouquet at once. Alexandria shot her bridal portraits two days before the wedding, worth copying if you already know the day itself will be packed.
See Alexandria and Jackson’s Mountain Wedding →
Veil Over the Face, Looking Down
Pull the veil forward over your face and look down at the flowers. It hides the camera-shy stiffness most of us carry, and a portrait becomes a quiet little moment instead.
See Abigail and Nathan’s Mountain Elopement →
Shooting Through the Veil
Shoot straight through the veil while you actually grin. The layer of tulle softens the whole frame, and the starfish bouquet is the only thing giving away that this one happened at the beach.
See Jessica and Heath’s Beach Wedding →
Lying Down, Skirt Fanned Out
Lie back and have someone fan the skirt into a full circle around you. It is the one pose where the dress gets to be the entire picture. Nicole kept hers from going too precious with a fistful of sunflowers.
See Nicole and Michael’s Country Wedding →
Bouquet Pushed Toward the Lens
Hold the bouquet out toward the lens so it sits big in the foreground while your face stays sharp behind it. You get real depth without any special gear. The wide-brim hat is a personality call, and if it is your day, wear the thing.
See Martina and Matteo’s Italian Wedding →
A Hand to the Hair, Eyes Down
Bring one hand up to tuck your hair back and let your eyes drop. The downward gaze reads soft and unposed, and the raised hand shows off the headpiece, the ring, and your makeup all at once.
See Alex and Kamen’s Boho Wedding →
Checking a Hand Mirror
Hand the bride a small mirror and shoot the second she checks her reflection. You get her face twice and a candid that never looks staged. Sarah’s leafy flower crown makes this one, but any getting-ready detail works the same way.
See Sarah and Jason’s Farm Wedding →
Opening a Gift Before the Ceremony
If your partner sends a gift to the getting-ready room, make sure someone is there to catch you opening it. The reaction is the photo, and a real one beats a posed smile every time.
See Lyndsay and Mike’s Los Cabos Wedding →
Laughing on the Edge of the Bed
Sit on the edge of the bed mid-prep and laugh at whatever your people are saying. Heels half on, garter going, nobody holding their breath. These in-between frames tend to age better than the formal ones.
See Christina and Jeffery’s Tuscany Wedding →
Putting the Earrings In
Put the earrings in last and let the photographer shoot your hands up at your ears. It frames your face and shows off the jewelry without resorting to a stiff flat-lay.
See Roselina and Morten’s French Chateau Wedding →
Ring Hand Across the Face
Lift your ring hand across your face so the ring sits right beside your eye, and crop in tight. It is the artsy outlier in a gallery full of full-length shots, and the one the detail lovers will linger on.
See Katlea and Nayef’s Ballroom Wedding →
Groom Portraits
Now the groom. Grooms tend to freeze the second a camera turns their way. The fix is giving him something to do, a tie to knot or a note to read, so the portrait looks like more than standing at attention. Here is how real grooms pulled it off.
Holding a Note for the Bride
Hand the groom a sign and the portrait comes with its own caption. More to the point, it gives him something to do with his hands, which is usually the whole problem. Alex’s note doubled as a sweet thing to send the bride before the first look.
See Alex and Alonso’s La Caille Wedding →
Reading Her Letter
Swap letters in the morning and photograph him reading his. Head down, genuinely moved, no eye contact with the lens required. This is how you get a groom portrait that is more than him standing there.
See this Southern Rustic Wedding →
Adjusting the Watch
The watch fidget is the groom’s version of the bride’s earring shot. It gives him a job, shows off the suit, and keeps him from freezing up. Navy with a soft pink boutonniere does the rest.
See Helene and Garret’s Jamaica Wedding →
Getting Dressed, Jacket Still Off
Catch him before the jacket goes on, when the suspenders and untied tie are the whole look. The getting-ready layer is usually more interesting than the finished suit, so let the photographer work the hands and the small details.
See Roselina and Morten’s French Chateau Wedding →
Tying the Tie
Shoot him knotting his tie from the side, near a window. The side light does the work, and he is too busy to think about posing.
See Christina and Jeffery’s Tuscany Wedding →
Getting His Bow Tie Fixed
Have a groomsman or his dad straighten the bow tie, and shoot the two of them in it. A solo portrait turns into a small relationship moment, hands busy and eyes down, with none of the usual stiffness.
See Trelise and Alan’s Vineyard Wedding →
Close on the Cufflinks, No Face
Crop above the hands and lose the face completely. The cufflinks, the boutonniere, the watch: this is the detail shot that rounds out a getting-ready spread. Tight, simple, and quietly expensive-looking.
See Hilde and Yngve’s Lake Como Wedding →
The Two of You: Couple Portraits
Couple portraits are where most of your wedding portrait time goes, and these are the photos you will actually hang. Most of them come down to one trick: look at each other and not the lens, then let the photographer catch the in-between.
Walking Hand in Hand
Walk toward the camera holding hands and actually talk to each other. The motion loosens everyone up, which is why a photographer usually starts here.
See Kyle and Layne’s Oklahoma Wedding →
Faces Touching, Both Smiling
Once you have warmed up, move in until your faces touch and just grin at each other. It is the close, easy frame nobody overthinks, because by then you have stopped noticing the camera.
See Kyle and Layne’s Oklahoma Wedding →
Under One Umbrella
Rain in the forecast is a prop, not a problem. One umbrella, shoulders together, and you walk away with a frame nobody else in your inbox has. A parasol does the same job if the sun shows up instead.
See Lauren and David’s Charleston Wedding →
Face to Face, Holding Both Hands
Stand toe to toe, hold both hands, and look at each other instead of the camera. It is the safest direction for couples who freeze up, and it almost always works.
See Bridger and Nick’s Carolina Yacht Club Wedding →
An Embrace, Eyes to the Camera
Pull each other into an embrace and let her look back at the camera over his shoulder. The hug keeps it close while the eye contact makes it the frame you would actually send to family.
See Bridger and Nick’s Carolina Yacht Club Wedding →
Nestled Together on the Grass
Sit on the ground and have one of you lean all the way back into the other. It reads more relaxed than any standing pose and gives nervous hands somewhere to go. Under a tree the light goes soft and so does everyone’s posture.
See Candise and Paul’s Farm Wedding →
Caught Mid-Laugh
Ask your photographer to make you laugh, or better, have your partner do it. The real laugh is the whole game, and it never looks the same way twice. April’s groom had a kilt and a sea breeze working for him, but the laugh is what carries the frame.
See April and Stuart’s Scotland Castle Wedding →
A Kiss in Profile
The simplest pose in the book is also the one you will frame: a real kiss, shot from the side so both profiles read clean. Put some distance between you and the background and the whole thing turns cinematic.
See Rebecca and Tristin’s Park Session →
Both Feet Off the Ground
Count to three and jump. It is goofy, it takes a few tries, and it ends up looking like how the day actually felt. Save it for after the formals so nobody is fretting about the dress.
See Maren and Jeremy’s Wedding →
Holding a Just Married Sign
A hand-lettered sign gives you something to hold and a caption built in. Pile into a truck bed, a vintage car, or onto a couch and let the prop do the talking. Easy to make, easy to keep.
See Mandy and Eric’s Beach Wedding →
Bring the Dog Into the Frame
If the dog is family, the dog is in the portrait. Put a bow tie on him, hand the leash to someone just out of frame, and shoot fast before he loses interest. Nobody has ever regretted the dog photo.
See Hannah and Dan’s Garden Wedding →
Seated at Your Own Table
You do not need a scenic overlook. Two chairs at your own reception table, leaning in, makes a portrait you can grab between courses, golden hour or not.
See Alyvia and Brandon’s Wedding →
Both of You Under the Veil
Pull the veil up and over both of you, then look at each other underneath it. The layer of tulle wraps the frame in soft light and turns a standard couple shot into something intimate. Works best with a long veil and a willing groom.
See Rachel and Christopher’s Black Tie Wedding →
Her Hand on His Face, Ring Showing
Lean your foreheads together and have her cup his face with the ring hand. You get the rings in the frame without the stiff hands-on-the-chest pose everyone dreads, and the gesture looks like something you would actually do.
See Mark and Bridget’s Cape Town Wedding →
Arms Around His Neck, Looking Up
Loop your arms around his neck and look up at him while he looks down at you. It is a close, natural pose that needs no direction, and a bloom tucked behind the ear gives the eye somewhere to land.
See Laura and Parker’s Safari-Themed Wedding →
A Kiss on a Thrifted Couch
Drag a thrifted couch outside and the whole mood shifts from posed to lived-in. Sink in, kiss, and let the furniture set the scene. A rented loveseat in a field earns its delivery fee.
See Samantha and Bryan’s California Farm Wedding →
Lying Down, a Cheek Kiss
Lie back on a blanket with your faces toward the lens and let one of you steal a kiss on the cheek. Shooting from straight above flatters everyone and keeps it playful. Style the spot with greenery or succulents if you want it to feel intentional.
See Fina and Nathan’s Austin Wedding →
Peeking Over His Shoulder
Tuck in behind your partner and peek one eye over the shoulder. It is a little mischievous, and it solves the what-do-I-do-with-my-face problem in one move. The ivy wall behind Beth is a bonus, not a requirement.
See Beth and Kevin’s Seattle Wedding →
In Front of Mr and Mrs Lettering
Stand in front of your signage and hold hands. The lettering does the storytelling, so the pose can stay dead simple, and your reception backdrop pulls double duty.
See Britt and Bob’s Gallery Wedding →
Rings Up at a Flower Wall
A flower wall is the easiest backdrop you will ever stand in front of, and it makes ring close-ups pop. Hold up your signs and let the blooms carry the color. Rentable, reusable, and it looks the same in any weather.
See Alicia and Gary’s Country Club Wedding →
Holding Mr and Mrs Paddle Signs
Paddle signs on sticks are a five-minute craft project that hand you an instant prop. Hold them up, peek around them, and the awkwardness disappears. Vintage type, kraft paper, whatever suits your day.
See Judith and Josh’s DIY Vintage Wedding →
One From the Front, One From Behind
Shoot the same embrace twice, once toward the lens and once from behind. The back view catches the dress and the bouquet trailing, and the pair together tells the fuller story. Hang them as a set.
See Katrina and Eric’s Berry Farm Wedding →
Two Mirrors, One Reflection Each
Hand each of you a mirror angled to catch the other, and let the photographer build it as a two-panel shot. It is the conceptual swing in a gallery of straightforward poses. Alyona dreamed up the retro version herself, so steal the idea and make it your own.
See Alyona and Max’s Vintage Moscow Wedding →
Holding Up Childhood Photos Mid-Kiss
Hold your baby pictures up to the lens and kiss behind them, out of focus. Past and present in one frame, and a guaranteed tear from the grandparents. Dig the photos out early, this one needs a little prep.
See Tyler and Emily’s Wooded Backyard Wedding →
Guest Portraits
The best guest photos are the ones nobody posed for. Build a corner that does the work, and your friends will hand you the candids.
Guests in the Photo Booth
Set up a backdrop, dump a box of props beside it, and let your guests run the rest. The photos take themselves, and you end up with candids you would never have thought to pose. A floral wall and a bin of silly glasses is the whole formula.
See Cindy and Mario’s Texas Wedding →
FAQs
What wedding portraits should be on my shot list?
Cover the five groups and you will not miss anything you regret later: a few solo shots of each of you, plenty of couple portraits, the full wedding party, the immediate family, and a handful of candids of your guests. Build your list from those buckets and add the specific poses you have fallen for.
How much time do wedding portraits actually take?
Plan for roughly 30 to 45 minutes of couple portraits, another 20 to 30 for the wedding party, and 20 or so for family formals. It always runs long, so pad it. The single best way to buy yourself time is a first look.
Should we do a first look before the ceremony?
If your timeline is tight or you want to actually attend your cocktail hour, yes. A first look lets you knock out most of your couple and party portraits before you walk down the aisle, so the rest of the day is yours. Several couples here did exactly that, and a few even shot a full session days before the wedding.
What is the difference between bridal portraits and couple portraits?
Bridal portraits are just you, the dress, and the details, often shot during getting-ready or in a separate session. Couple portraits are the two of you together. You want both, and they usually happen at different points in the day.
How do we look natural if we are awkward in front of a camera?
Stop posing and start doing. Walk, whisper, laugh at a private joke, look at each other instead of the lens. Almost every photo in here works because the couple was busy with each other, not performing for the camera. Give yourselves a small task and the stiffness disappears.
