All of here at TeamWED are strong advocates of Doing Your Own Thing. Too often brides who are planning end up making choices they might not have otherwise made because they got it into their heads that that is simply how things are done. While depending on what is being discussed, it may be true that *most* brides do X in a certain way, there are always statistical outliers. And hey, a wedding is just a kind of party, even if planning a wedding is sometimes a lot more painful than planning a Sunday barbecue.
Where this tendency for brides to do someone else’s thing is most evident is in the area of wedding photography. Why’s that? Wedding photography has gotten pretty standardized over the years since it’s beginnings back when the portable camera set-up was invented. You have your bride and groom poses, your brides and bridesmaids poses, your grooms and groomsmen poses, etc. Sometimes whole families will be photographed together or the bride and groom will take a few minutes to poses in a local park, but there’s frequently little photographic variety from wedding to wedding.
So how can a bride and groom spice up their wedding photography? Try these ideas on for size:
Photobooth Extreme
More and more couples are setting up wedding photobooths at their receptions, but they can be pretty boring. Try providing props — think fake mustaches and silly hats — so that guests can have some fun. Whether or not you like this option is dependent on whether you are all right with guests taking the lead. Don’t forget, however, that you and your groom and the attendants can also use the wedding photobooth as often as you like!
Lean to the Left
Jump… run at the camera… lean into a wedding party huddle. Just let your wedding photographer know that you’re looking for some fun wedding photo ideas and s/he may be able to inspire you. We know of at least one bride and groom who organized a touch football game during the reception, and that made for great pics! Let your imagination be your guide, here, and don’t be afraid to lean, squat, run, jump, spin, or do a little jig.
Guests In On the Act
Here’s a recipe for a beautiful wedding photo: Have your wedding photographer stand behind the officiant at the close of the ceremony before the recessional and take a picture of you and your attendants with your wedding guests in the background. If you’d rather not have anyone hidden, stand further down the aisle so you’re not in line with any guests. This makes for a wonderful photo and serves as a reminder of who attended your wedding.
Have Gown, Will Travel
You’re going to leave your wedding guests drinking free cocktails and shooting the breeze while you take pictures between the ceremony and reception, so what’s a few more minutes of your time? Before the wedding, find the nearest fair or open farm or arboretum or other public venue and take some wedding photos there, day of. What’s cooler than a bride and groom on a ferris wheel or a gaggle of groomsmen riding the hay tractor? Not much!
You’re An Animal!
Don’t forget that Fido and Fluffy love you — have them handy and include them in a few pictures. Better yet, stop off at home and get some snaps with them there. If bigger fauna is your thing, you could get a few wedding photos taken on horseback or with your favorite Holstein. It might sound a little weird to some people, but the animal-loving brides and grooms out there will understand.
Seriously Extreme Wedding Photography
Finally, consider doing what some young Chinese brides and grooms are doing and stage elaborate action shots. For example, the groom as a freedom fighter taking the bride away while army men cover their escape and mines explode all around. Like we said earlier, let your imagination run wild!
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Wedding Reception Entertainment
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