7 Poses for a Unique Wedding Gallery

Before a wedding day, I always have several conversations with the bride and groom about the shots they want. A lot of it comes down to logistics: if you want sunset photos, you’ll have to step out during dinner; family pictures can be really quick if I have a detailed list and everyone who’s on it knows about it; the first look with the bride’s dad can’t coincide with the groomsmen session unless I have a second shooter. The list goes on!

However, I can usually get a good feeling for the level of uniqueness a couple wants for their wedding based on the shot list they give me, any inspiration photos they have, or if they just tell me, “We don’t want our wedding gallery to look like everyone else’s.” If that’s the case and you need some inspiration yourself for more unique poses, here are a few ideas:

Walking Photos

Do your bride and groom want the session to feel editorial and not staged, like you’re just a fly on the wall? Take photos of them in transition. They could be walking from ceremony to reception, talking to each other after the ceremony is over, sharing conversations with their guests, or even switching poses. These photos make the gallery feel more natural, and it gives the photos some movement. Photos like this also turn from fun transition photos to dramatic ones when they’re in black and white.

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Neck-Down Shots

photo of bride in white dress with her hand wrapped around a groom in a black suit's arm, holding her bouquet, taken from the shoulder down

These photos are just so elegant. Photos like this not only don’t feel staged, but they are also timeless, and they shift the focus for a moment to the ensemble: the flowers, the rings, the suit, the dress, even the manicure.

bride in white dress holding her white bouquet while groom in black suit holds her hand, taken from the shoulder down

Just a simple shift of the groom’s hand takes these shots to another level of elegance and romance. If your bride and groom want a very elegant-feeling gallery, then you have to add this shot to the list. The gentle hand-hold shows the affection the couple has for each other in a tenderer, sweeter way. Photos like this are timeless, but they also add elegance to a wedding where lots of couples opt for a more casual shot list. What makes these unique is the angle they’re taken from— usually, people think the bride and groom’s faces have to be in the picture to make it a romantic shot, but that isn’t the case!

Serious Shots

seated bride in a white dress looking forward while standing groom looks down on her in a brick garden

Your wedding day is one of the happiest days of your life, and I love the pictures that are full of joy, with the bride and groom smiling ear to ear at each other. Those are a given. However, there is a place for serious photos at a wedding, if only for the fact that they look really cool! At this styled shoot, the table setting was very unique, and the venue was outdoorsy yet elegant and romantic, so it was the perfect set-up for this kind of shot. To me, shots like this just look regal, like they could be on the cover of a magazine or hanging in a mansion, and I love adding them to a shot list where the bride and groom want something different.

Groom’s Bouquet

bride in a white dress with a white parasol walking hand in hand with her groom in a black suit holding her bouquet through an arch of greenery and white and pink roses on a brick path

Hear me out: the bride does not ALWAYS have to be holding the bouquet. In this case, the bouquet switched hands to make way for this cute parasol, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. Sometimes, it just makes for a great photo if the bride is holding onto the groom’s arm while the groom carries the bouquet. It’s unique, and it has an elegant and genuine feel to it. Combine that with a photo in motion, and you get a photo that looks real, like its viewers are standing right there with this bride and groom on their wedding day.

Bride in white holding a a white parasol kissing a groom in a black suit holding her bouquet in front of a wall covered in ivy.

Veil Shots

I do shots under the veil all the time because it creates a smooth, bright background for a closeup shot. However, posing the bride with the veil over her face and photographing it from the outside gives the photo a whole new look. It changes from a sweet, bright closeup shot to a shot that looks like a piece of art, adding a level of mystery that isn’t often found in wedding galleries. It reminds me of an old portrait!

bride in white dress under her veil in a garden, holding her bouquet

This photo also looks GREAT in black and white! It has a very vintage feel here that I just love. If your bride and groom request shots that look vintage and artsy, definitely add this one to your shot list for their wedding day.

black and white image of bride under her veil holding her bouquet

The Couple and Their Details

bride in white dress holding white flowers sitting in front of a groom in black suit at their wedding table with tall flowers, place settings, and a floral tablecloth in a garden

I just wrote a post about the importance of capturing ALL the details of a wedding day– not just the flat-lay and the wedding dress. If at all possible, I’d encourage you to capture the bride and groom WITH their details. And not just the heirlooms, the perfume, or the vow books. Capture shots of them in their reception space before the reception. Capture them sitting at a set table. Capture them with their guest book or with whatever unique item they have at their reception (ice cream cart, Star Wars helmets, etc.). These shots will be unique for every wedding, which is something brides and grooms love to receive in their galleries, and it’s a great memory for them to look back on.

Read the Detail Shot Post

Props

This all depends on the vibe your couple wants for their wedding, but props can be a gamechanger. The bouquet is a great place to start, but, depending on how unique they want to be, you can go anywhere with props!

Bride and groom almost kissing from the side in front of a white parasol

It could be something the bride and groom both love (like their dog), or it could be something like this parasol. It’s a great background piece, and it gives a more unique feel than a veil in the background (or nothing in the background). This parasol was perfect for this garden wedding shoot, and it gives these portraits the perfect elegant-spring-brunch-garden-party feel! If that’s what your bride and groom are going for, show them these, and ask them to invest in a parasol.

Bonus! Distance Shots

Just because I love all of you, I’m going to give you one more idea to make your next wedding gallery stand out. Last but not least is this showstopper…

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: get the distance shot! These shots are incredibly dramatic, no matter the feel of the wedding. There’s just something about capturing a couple from a distance that makes the shot feel like a scene from a movie. Whether there are cascading mountains, brick ruins, or vine-covered walls in the background, you’re almost always guaranteed a winner with this shot.

Read about distance shots

I hope these shots inspire you to make your wedding galleries more unique and give you some ideas to accommodate couples who want something off the beaten path. You’re telling their story through photos, and they deserve their wedding gallery to be something they can look back on and be proud of!