Join Photo Insiders
The Joy Blog

Wedding Photography: How to Pose a Bride and Groom (Posing Tutorial)

english weddings
How to Pose a Bride and Groom

As a wedding and portrait photographer, I know the importance of capturing the right moment and getting the perfect shot. The bride and groom are the main focus of the wedding day and their pictures should reflect the love and joy they share. In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to pose a bride and groom in a traditional way, but also how to break the rules and have some fun with the poses.

First things first, when posing a bride and groom, the bride would typically hold a bouquet. However, if she doesn’t have one, the traditional way to pose hands is for the bride to place her hand in her pant pocket. This looks good and it’s a traditional pose. The bride and groom should then lean on their back legs with the front leg bent. The bride should then lower her hands and the groom should hold them. They should look at each other and give each other a kiss. Then, they should look nose to nose and finally, look at the camera.

Next, I’ll show you how to have some fun with traditional poses. The bride and groom should turn towards each other and get their hips to touch. The bride should then put her arms around the groom and drop her backhand while keeping the front hand up. The groom should then bring the hand that’s on the bride’s waist towards her back instead of her bicep. They should take a step closer to each other and look towards the window.

Another traditional pose is the front pose. However, this pose doesn’t show much of the couple. To fix this, the bride should move her hair out of the way and hold the groom’s hand while snuggling into him. The groom should then lower his shoulder and wrap his arms around the bride. The couple should then look at the camera, look at each other, and look away from each other in opposite directions.

The last traditional pose is the bride and groom holding hands and stepping away from each other. However, instead of just holding hands, the couple can hold onto their jacket or lapel and look at each other, then look away from each other in opposite directions.

In conclusion, posing the bride and groom can be traditional or it can be a little more fun and creative. The most important thing is to capture the love and connection between the bride and groom. Use these tips as a guide to creating beautiful, timeless pictures that the couple will treasure for a lifetime.

Ready to learn more?

Take the free Speed Posing 101 class

Learn how to pose individuals, couples, and groups with precision and speed. This free class will help you shoot with confidence no matter the situation and consistently wow your clients with a variety of stunning images.

Take the free class

Latest from the blog

Want BREATHTAKING Beach Photos? Watch This Croatia Photoshoot Now!

Mixing Natural Light with Flash Photography | Canon + Profoto

How to Pose a Bride | Wedding Photography Tutorial


Meet Vanessa

Photography education that gives your art an edge

Vanessa has been photographing weddings, events, portraits and lifestyle for over 20 years.

She's a Canon Explorer of Light, an honor given to only 5 photographers in the United States, and her work has been published by Yahoo! News, Grace Ormonde, Style Me Pretty, Rangefinder and more.

With her practical and open-book style of teaching, she shares everything she knows with hundreds of thousands of photographers as an educator and influential sparker.

Work with Vanessa →

Join Vanessa Joy's Photo Insiders

Come sit at our “lunch table” and learn with top-notch video lessons released monthly, a private community and live photoshoots. Join our live group coaching calls, request videos, and get your individual questions answered.

Become a member

Free downloads

Don't leave without your goody bag
Free Preset

Steal my favorite preset

Save time editing with this preset that I personally use on my outdoor photos to brighten and warm up the scene.

i'm ready

Free guide

The Posing Inspiration Guide

Use my poses that your clients will love. Swipe ideas for posing individuals, couples, groups, and details.

yup, i need it

Free Class

Speed Posing 101

Struggling feeling confident shooting, delivering a variety of images, and posing with precision and speed? This is for you!

let's do this!

Get photography tips and resources

Join our email list to get it all directly in your inbox.