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Photos & Video

Creative Ways to Shoot Your Wedding

Yeah, standard posed pictures are pretty, but you can make your wedding album into a real page-turner by sprinkling it with some unique images

Try a little something different for your wedding photos. Almost any photographer will know to capture a picture of the ring exchange or the cake-cutting ceremony. But you can set your photographic memories apart with some additional—and unusual—ideas for your wedding-day shots.

Give black—and-white photos a shot of color

For your portraits, ask about sepia-tone prints, which look antique, or hand-colored black—and-whites, which can create a rich retro look.

Freeze-frame it

Still-life pictures can record special wedding-day details and capture a mood. The photographer can snap your dress on the hanger, your old sneakers tossed next to the wedding shoes, the bridesmaids' bouquets resting on a table, place cards lined up, and so on.

Arrange special group shots

You might want to record the assembly of all your relatives, from great-grandma down to your baby niece. Or maybe you want a shot with your office buddies, your college friends—or even the people responsible for introducing the two of you. Better still, snag a (giant) group shot of the whole gang. (Have a ladder available for the photographer to stand on.)

Have a fun photo corner

Ask your photographer to set up a backdrop to create an open photo booth at the reception, so your guests can have portraits taken in small groups. Be sure to get two sets of these proofs—one for you to send to each guest with your thank-you notes, and one to keep. Or have the booth set up for instant photos, so that guests can take the snapshots home with them as a fun memento.

Lose the lineup

Assemble your friends sitting on the edge of a dock, or in clusters on the church steps—the photos will look more alive.

Be candid

Have your photographer (or better yet, his assistant) take additional pictures an instant before or after formal shots, and candids of the people waiting in the wings for their turn to say cheese. You'll often get more natural smiles and expressions in these unposed moments.

Get a parting shot

Ask your photographer to get the-party's-over pics—perhaps a final look at rose petals scattered on the grass, or a lone janitor sweeping up the now-deserted dance floor.