Category: Photography

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3 Tips to look natural, yet amazing in your wedding photographs

It is a fact that you look best in pictures where your personality shines through. When a photograph captures you just as you are, it is one that everyone will love.

Your wedding day photographs will serve as the memories of your big lifetime event in the years to come. Hence, you have to make sure that they show the real version of you, and you look as amazing as is possible.

Here we bring you three practical tips that will ensure you look great in your wedding photographs. Let us find out what they are.

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1. Find the right photographer for the job

Remember that it is not just one orchestrated shoot that your photographer has to take on your wedding day. He has to capture moments as they occur, as well as group photos and posed ones which are timed. A talented photographer has good sense of lighting, position and knows the best angles for a picture. He will also be able to recognize which poses will highlight your best features. So, make sure that the photographer you select for the job is capable of all this. Check out his wedding portfolio and pay close attention to how the brides and grooms look in the pictures. Has he really brought out their best in his pictures? If yes, you may have found the right candidate.

2. Find the right profile for your shots

There is no single perfect pose that works for everyone. You will have to find the one that works for you. For some it may be a slight tilt of the head, for others it may be best when they look straight at the camera. Don’t just practice before the mirror to find this perfect angle. Instead, look at your existing pictures and find the ones where you look the best. What is common to them? If you look best in pictures taken at a certain angle, try to stick to this position for your planned shots.

3.Smile from within

Do you know how many photos lack the beauty that they ought to have, just because the couple fake their smile? In this article, Marianne Power of the Daily Mail reveals that there is nothing more irritating than a fake smile, and goes on to suggest how a fake smile makes you resemble an over-zealous salesman. So, don’t be a Cheshire cat who thinks it is necessary to grin throughout the session. Instead, smile from deep within. If you feel your jaws are frozen from the effort of smiling, let the happiness you feel reflect in your eyes. Such a photo would look genuine and much better than one in which you fake a smile.

Now you know what you need to look fabulous in your wedding pictures. On an additional note, don’t forget to touch up your hair and makeup ever so often, so you look fresh as a daisy, all through the day.

For all your wedding shopping needs, as well as valuable tips and advice on planning the perfect wedding, visit your one-stop bridal destination at Best for Bride.

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Capture the Magic: Compelling Reasons Why a Wedding Video is an Absolute Must-Have!

You have booked your wedding photographer, and you are pretty certain that photos are all that’s needed to capture your milestone event. Many brides who took a similar stand, now regret not having had their weddings videographed. So, before you make this decision, look at why you should consider a wedding video, even when you already have a wedding photographer.

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Videos capture moments as it is

However capable your wedding photographer is, photos are what they are called—Stills!

To remember and enjoy the exact moment as it was, a video is better. It also captures all the in-between moments between photos. Another thing to remember is that videos are not choreographed, and so it is the best way to capture people naturally. If you are a bride who is conscious in front of the camera, you do not have to worry about looking stiff and posed in a video, like you do in photos.

It is a keepsake of the beautiful moments at your wedding

Your father’s speech, the tears of joy that rolled down your mother’s eyes as she watched you walk down the aisle, the laughter and cheer while dancing at your reception, the commotion when you threw your bouquet—there is no way photos can recreate this like a video can. Videos have sound and motion, and hence allow you to preserve every moment of your wedding day as it occurred. It is the perfect way to remember the day as it was, and you will enjoy watching it again on your anniversary or other special days in the future.

Keep it short and it will be interesting

Your videographer may have been around for the entire day, but that doesn’t mean your wedding video should go on forever. Have him capture and edit the highlights, while also adding the special moments and interesting things that happened. Videos also allow you to remember the fun moments on the day, like the jokes you shared with your bridesmaids as you dressed up. Another factor is that it is almost impossible to get your video wrong. While the quality of your photographs depend on how talented your photographer is, you can be certain that your videos will cover it and make up for anything your photographer may have missed.

It allows you to remember everyone long after they are gone

Photos can achieve this too, but videos are the way to remember the older members of your bridal party as they were in flesh and blood, long after they are gone. Similarly, children at your wedding party would love to see how they were, long after they’ve grown up. Your video holds the key to the past, and it will be wonderful for your children and grandchildren to see all the people they’ve only heard of, when they watch your wedding video.

If you are still wondering if video is a must or a maybe at your wedding, we say go for it! After all, it is not everyday that you get married. So, capturing every moment of your big day is worth every dime you spend.

For more wedding advice and tips, visit us on Best for Bride.

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Wedding Reception Photo Booth Alternatives


While photo booths remain popular for wedding receptions, many couples are seeking fun and cheaper photo booth alternatives. Before paying photo booth rental fees, consider these ideas for reception photos. These wedding reception photo ideas are much more enjoyable, personal, and useful than posing for a string of photo booth shots.

Include a white board and dry erase markers in an area for guest photos. Invite them to write a sign to be used at the background for their photos. Guests can write the date, the newlywed’s names, or location. Some couples get into writing goofy signs.

A fun twist on this idea is to have two thought bubble signs with dry erase or chalkboard paint surface. Chalkboard paint makes it easy to have a sign cut from wood and turned into a chalkboard. You may want to use a surface preparing paint depending on what is used to make the sign. Chalkboard paint requires a specific drying time before use such as seven days. Be sure to follow the directions and allow the appropriate time.

Instead of a booth, some couples create a white frame reminiscent of Polaroid photos. It can be a simple white board with a large square cutout. The white frame should be slightly larger at the bottom. The frame can be suspended from the ceiling. Guests stand behind the frame for their photos. On the bottom section of the white frame is the perfect place to put the newlywed’s names and date.

Text is commonly used for space in art and even on clothing. You can use this same style for your wedding photo booth. If you want a unique backdrop for guest photos without breaking the budget, make a backdrop by writing the lyrics to a love song or poem on white paper. One couple took a roll of white paper and wrote a sonnet by Pablo Neruda followed by another love poem in black ink. The one poem served as a backdrop while the other lay on the floor for the newlyweds and guests to stand on for a great photo.

A great alternative to photo booths is to hire a caricaturist. The caricature artist can make sketches of the guests that sit before them. Instead of a string of useless tiny photos, the guests receive an artistic rendering of themselves. If you don’t want the comical caricature style, you can hire a portrait artist working in a medium like charcoal to create more realistic sketches.

One couple set up a wonderful photo area with family mementos, an old desk, antiques, and a sign with the names of the newlyweds. Guests could use some of the items as props if they choose. The photo setting can reflect the theme of the wedding as well as the personalities of the couple.

For more ideas for your wedding day, visit the Best for Bride blog. There you will find many fun and new ideas for wedding ceremonies and receptions.

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Fun Wedding Photo Ideas

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The wedding photos do not have to be the same joyless shots of the bridal party arranged like a class picture. People are getting creative with the wedding photos. These fun wedding photo ideas can be used to create keepsakes that will be treasured forever.

One bride had a modest heart cutout of the back of each of her bridesmaids’ dresses. For one great photo, the bride and bridesmaids faced away from the camera with the bride in the center. Having their arms around each other or holding hands would be a sentimental touch.

The newlyweds can take have a photo taken of them holding their parents’ wedding photos. Couples can create a special moment to be part of the wedding photos by placing a word made with large white letters in the grass within the photo. “Love” or “forever” are some good options for the word.

Involve your guests. Have an outline of a heart drawn on the pavement and have guests stand on the outline with the bride and groom standing inside the heart. With everyone facing the photographer, the photo is an excellent way to remember all the friends and family that were at the wedding. Also, it helps the guests feel more involved rather than being sent off to the reception and wait for the photos to be finished.

Creative bride and groom photos can be wonderful keepsakes to be framed and cherished for years to come. One romantic pose is of the bride facing away from the camera with the groom’s arms around her waist. With his hands, he can make a heart shape by having the thumb and index finger of one hand touching the thumb and index finger of the other hand.

Due to the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the big day, many couples miss out on touching photo opportunities before the ceremony. Some people have found ways to keep the tradition and still have a wedding photograph of the couple before the wedding. A common strategy is to keep a door between the bride and groom. A partially open door serves as a partition between the couple. A sentimental twist to this wedding photo pose is for the couple to exchange love letters and read them while the photographer takes pictures of the bride and groom’s reactions to the letters.

Sparklers can be great props for a fun wedding photo. The couple could be inside a heart made from sparklers. Some couples get the bridal party and guests involved in holding sparklers for fun wedding photos. If planning to use sparklers, the couple should check to be sure the use of sparklers won’t break the rules of the venue. An alternative location could be used for some sparkler photos or other fun props can be planned if the sparkers aren’t acceptable for the chosen venue.

For more great tips about adding fun to your special day, browse the Best for Bride blog. From planning to the reception, the bride and groom can have an enjoyable experience.