How to Look Natural in Wedding Photos & Have Fun Doing It

How to look natural in wedding photos – this is one of my most-asked questions from couples in the lead-up to their dream day.

Your photos don’t only represent a significant investment, they’re also the documentation that enables you to cherish your day for a long time to come.

Getting your pictures just right is as important to your photographer as it is to you and here, I’m sharing my top tips for how to look natural in wedding photos to help you capture the images of your dreams.

Practice makes perfect

Book an engagement shoot. It may feel like an additional cost you don’t need in the run-up to your wedding, but this one really is an investment.

How often are you in front of the camera in day-to-day life? For most couples, it’s rarely, but on your wedding day, you’ll be in the lens often for six or more hours. But that doesn’t mean you can’t look completely comfortable, as Beth and Adam’s Suffolk estate wedding photos reveal.

If you’re feeling nervous about being in the spotlight, it will probably show. Booking an engagement shoot will give you the chance to get to know your photographer, become comfortable with the process and learn how to look natural in wedding photos.

Shake it off

If there’s one thing you don’t want when planning how to get natural wedding photos, it’s stiffness. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have posed formal photos in the mix.

Whatever style of photography you choose, ensure that you have the opportunity to move. That could be while the picture is being taken or in moments in between, like Hannah and Kieran did as they wandered through Houchins’ wildflower meadow.

This will help you loosen up and keep nerves at bay, looking happy and yourselves. You could even take a seat to really kick-back and relax. That’s exactly what Kirsty and Jack did in the magnificent surrounds of Hedsor House.

Time it right

Your wedding is one huge party all about the two of you. Of course, you want to capture every moment, but you also want to treasure them in the now.

That’s why if you’re wondering how to get natural wedding photos, you need to consider the timing.
Bite-sized photography sessions periodically through the day will take the pressure off and prevent you from getting smile ache. It also maximises time for flowing Champagne, fantastic food and fun on the dance floor.

Take a look at Rachel and Patrick’s dreamy photos at their Upwaltham Barns wedding to see how this could work. And for inspiration for your bridal portraits, don’t miss Amber’s stunning photos from her Gaynes Park wedding.

Work the room

Use your venue to your advantage, especially for your group photos. With multiple people involved, it’s easy for these to look a little too staged.

But use your venue to give you something natural to do – whether that’s a feature that makes you laugh or a vineyard you can wander through – and you’ll instantly have more fun, relax, and rock your wedding photos.

Check out the pre-ceremony wedding party photos at Philippa and Gordon’s barn wedding to see this in action.

Remember that not all of your group photos need to be posed. When Karen married Chris at their South Farm wedding, their wedding morning preparation photos were totally stunning. Especially moments between Karen and their eldest daughter, who was bridesmaid

But of course the grounds at South Farm are so stunning that their couple photographs were equally breathtaking

All you need is love

Until the big day actually arrives, it’s hard to imagine the elated bubble of loved-up happiness that you’ll both be in. Don’t dismiss the effect this has.

The one golden rule for how to look natural in wedding photos is to be yourselves around each other. Kiss, embrace, hold hands. Laugh, chat, let them carry you over the threshold… Have a look at Leona and Ross’s stunning fine art wedding portraits for inspiration.

Their formal groups were just as beautiful,showing you intimate group shots can be just a beautifully poised yet relaxed

Each of these utterly personal moments tells the authentic story of your wedding day and will instantly add elegance and emotion to your wedding photos.

Making the most of Braxted Park’s walled garden and landscape, Hayleigh and Ben had the privacy to embrace, laugh and walk together in their first moments as newlyweds. You can feel the romance with one glance at their Braxted Park wedding photos at sunset.