Fun wedding photo ideas to take with your bridal party

Bridesmaids and groomsmen have a couple of key tasks on a wedding day: Stay calm, tackle the aisle, mingle, make speeches and keep watch over their bride and groom.

Now, however, you can add jumping, running, walking, beach walks and hamming it up to the list. And it’s all in the pursuit of creating the most memorable of wedding photos.

According to Andy Song, one of the founders of Dreamlife Photos and Video, modern couples are embracing the chance to take wedding party photos filled with personality and fun. These build on more traditional posed shots to capture a real sense of the joy, love and atmosphere of the big day, and the relationships between the key players.

“Weddings are a very daunting experience,” says Andy, who has watched the photography and videography business grow from a garage in Auckland to encompass operations in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and New York.

“There’s so much pressure on the bride and groom to make sure that everything they have planned runs perfectly, so the last thing they want to do is to endure a one or two-hour photo session that is dull and boring.”

Enter the idea of having a little fun in front of the camera and injecting a real sense of themselves – and their friends and siblings – into the images.

“The brides and grooms of today are looking for something a little bit more unique and edgy for their wedding party photos,” says Andy. “It’s not about moulding them into the same shots you see day in and day out; it’s about capturing their day and their personalities.

“So what will often happen is they will get the more formal images out of the way straight after the ceremony and then look to relax with their wedding party and let the real them shine through.

“For example, you might have a more laidback couple who enjoy going to the beach, so you shoot them strolling along the sand with everyone, holding hands, having conversations and basically just enjoying the afternoon with their friends and a few glasses of bubbly,” says Andy. And if a bridesmaid or two decides to dip her toes into the water, all the better.

The end result is a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, which then shines through in the photos.

Other elements to draw on in creating memorable wedding party moments include great lighting, backgrounds and foregrounds, and even props, paying heed to the different trends favoured in different cities, from an elegant and glamourous focus in Sydney and Melbourne to a softer, more candid experience in Brisbane.

Then there’s the idea of turning expectation on its ear, such as the below shot of a groom and his attendants, with nary a cufflink or bow tie to be seen.

“This sort of attendant shot is quite interesting, because it’s not something people are used to, or expect to see,” says Andy, who notes Dreamlife is regularly voted among the top 10 photography companies in Australia.

“We’ve all seen images with the bridesmaids kissing their bride, but it’s not so common for the men to do, as they’re often less inclined to display their affection.

“So when we do suggest this type of shot, you often find the groom might be a bit shy and embarrassed about the whole thing, and of course his groomsmen make full use of the situation.”

But it’s something they ultimately really love, as do the girls.

Andy opened up the Dreamlife portfolio to share a showcase of other possibilities for fun attendant photos choc full of personality.