Photos You Need to Capture on the Big Day – Checklist

Your wedding day is going to go by super-fast in a loving, exciting blur and suddenly all the months of planning will be over. Finally married to your significant other, you will spend the rest of your lives together looking back on the memories of that special day. Specifically – the picture album. To make sure that you remember every detail, and don’t miss out on capturing a special moment, we’ve compiled a checklist of the photos you might want to capture.

Getting Ready

• The dress hanging or laid out
• Close up of your shoes and accessories
• Bridal flowers laid out
• Wedding rings laid out
• Bride and bridesmaids getting hair and make-up done
• Grooms and groomsmen fixing their suits
• Parents helping the bride and groom getting ready – fixing the veil, straightening the tie
• Putting on jewellery or watches
• Close up of bride holding the bouquet
• Bride looking in full length mirror fully dressed
• Coming down the stairs
• Leaving out the door
• Family shots
• Bride and bride’s father (or person giving her away) walking towards the car
• First Look reactions – either between you and your fiancé, your parents or you bridesmaids

The Journey

• Bride(s) and father/mother outside
• Bride(s) and bridesmaids/man/flower girls/page boys outside
• Groom(s) and groomsmen/page boys outside
• Shot of the wedding car or other transport
• Shots inside the wedding cars

The Ceremony

• Shots of empty venue – altar, flowers, seating
• Groom and groomsmen waiting inside venue/church
• Guests arriving and taking their seats
• Bride arriving in wedding car
• Bride stepping out of car
• Bride and bridesmaids before walking down the isle
• Bride/groom walking up the aisle
• Groom’s reaction
• Giving the bride away
• Exchanging of vows
• Exchanging of the rings
• The First Kiss
• Signing the register
• View of guests from the front
• The couple walking back down the aisle
• The couple walking back down the aisle from above
• Newlywed shot
• Confetti throwing
• Greeting guests outside venue
• Couple in the back seat of wedding car

Staged Photos

• Romantic shots of the couple alone
• Couple with bridesmaids/groomsmen
• Couple with entire wedding party
• Bride with bridesmaids/maid of honour
• Groom and groomsmen/best man
• Couple with siblings
• Couple with their children
• Couple with any children in the wedding party
• Couple with any pets at wedding
• Couple with each of each set of parents
• Couple with both sets of parents
• Couple with close family members
• Shots with close friends

Reception

• The empty venue
• Details and room decor shots, including close ups of table settings, place cards, favours, centre pieces, floral arches
• Wedding cake close up shots
• Newly married couple arriving
• Toasts and speeches
• Cutting the cake
• The first dance
• Bride/groom dancing with parents
• Couple mingling with guests
• Guests dancing
• Throwing the bouquet
• Taking off the garter (optional)
• Last dance between couple (optional)
• Couple exiting (optional)