Top Moment You Need to Capture at Your Wedding (Updated for 2025)

Top Moment You Need to Capture at Your Wedding

The reason you want great wedding photos is that they provide glorious memories for years to come. While the ceremony itself is important, it is really the crescendo at the end of long day which usually begins with the bride preparing herself for her dream moment.

While your wedding photographer is there to capture your wedding, he or she will also tell a story about your entire wedding day. So much is happening from the moment you get up. Your bridesmaids will arrive, followed by your photographer, who is ready to record the day in pictures.

While everything else about your wedding day is fleeting – the food, decorations, and flowers will only last for a few hours – your wedding photos will last a lifetime, and perhaps longer. You will be telling the story of your wedding to your grandchildren. So much planning has gone into this day. That is why you want the best photographer you can afford. These precious memories will joyfully be retold and relieved through pictures for years to come.

Your photographer should incorporate your theme and style into his or her pictures. If you are getting married in a sophisticated gown in your city’s finest hotel, the elegance of the surroundings should come through even when you are being photographed with your hair in curlers.

If your wedding has a laid-back country theme and will take place in a renovated barn, a photo of the bride, wearing her veil, on horseback, can set the mood for the entire day.

Once the bride’s attendants arrive, it’s all about getting her ready for her big moment.

Preparing to Get Dressed

From getting into her bridal undies to slipping into her gown can take hours, the pre-wedding festivities can take hours and are certainly worth remembering. Close female relatives and the entire bridal party have a hand in turning the bride into a princess. This provides opportunities for lots of candid shots of the bride perfecting her hair and make-up.

Perhaps some spa-pampering for all has been planned. When the maid of honor finally gets the bride into her dress, it’s a magical moment. There should be pictures of the general mayhem and the bridesmaids’ reaction when they finally see her in her dress. No wedding preparation would be complete without a shot of mom and daughter hugging.

While the groom frequently takes second-stage to the bride, there should be both candid and formal pictures of the groom and his groomsmen getting into their tuxedos or other wedding finery.

Daddy’s Little Girl

You’re getting married, but you’ll always be Daddy’s little girl. The special bond between father and daughter is especially poignant on your wedding day, when Dad can’t help but get choked up when he first catches a glimpse of his little angel in her wedding dress.

From that initial sight to when he walks her down the aisle, a proud and teary-eyed Dad actually slides into center stage. It’s hard to resist such tender-hearted moments, and a professional photographer will capture them for infinity.

All in The Family

Once Dad and daughter arrive at the wedding venue, there should be enough time for pictures of the entire family, including in-laws, and bridal party. For many couples, this is the first time the groom sees his beloved in her bridal gown. The photographer will be there for that special moment.

Then, there will be a myriad of photographs with an infinite number of combinations: the couple with their parents, bride and groom with siblings, the bride with her attendants, the groom and his groomsmen, the entire bridal party, and photos of everyone together.

When everyone has entered the venue, there should be photos of both the inside and outside of the building.

The Ceremony

This is what the entire day is about, and there are exclusive moments that will be remembered forever:

The groom escorting his mother to her seat.

There should be a close-up picture as the groom anxiously waits for his bride by the altar. Grooms traditionally seem to suffer from a case of nerves, and Britain’s Prince Harry was no exception at his recent wedding.

The photographer will be photographing the bridal party heading toward the altar.

The big moment has arrived as the bride and her Dad, or other escort, walks her down the aisle. The photographer will shift his attention from the bride to the groom as he watches her come closer. The wedding is becoming real to both of them, and the photographer will capture both of their joy.

The ceremony itself is filled with photographic moments, from the couple in front of their officiant to the parents watching their children officially tie the knot. Then, of course, there is the official exchange of wedding rings.

The end of the ceremony is captured with the couple kissing and walking down the aisle together. No longer nervous, and perhaps relieved that it’s over, they will be beaming with joy.

After the Wedding and Before the Reception

While the guests head toward the reception, the photographer will duplicate the combination of family pictures that were taken prior to the ceremony, this time with the bride and groom as officially married.

The bridal couple, parents, other family members, and bridal party will be photographed in every possible combination.

The Reception

While the ceremony was a solemn rite, the reception is meant to be fun, and the photographs should reflect the joy and glee.

There should be pictures of the decorations, champagne, menu, hors d’oeuvres, and tables. The piece de resistance will, of course, be the cake.

Wedding guests will be photographed as they enter the venue. The big moment, however, is when the bride and groom make their official entrance. This is the perfect opportunity of close-ups of the guests toasting the happy couple. The photographer will shoot pictures of the couple smiling and mingling with their guests.

Let the dancing begin, and let it all be photographed. Everyone will remember the couple’s first dance, the bride being waltzed around the floor by her proud dad, and the groom guiding his mother around the dancefloor. Then, the bridal party will join the bride and groom in a dance. After the traditional dances, everyone takes to the dancefloor. All of these photos will be candid, and many of them will be priceless, especially if they involve children.

As people settle down for their meal, the photographer eases up a bit, perhaps to have a bite himself. But he or she returns to capture the action when the bride and groom cut the wedding.

After more dancing, the bride will toss her bouquet, and a photo of the lucky girl who catches it is a must.

At some point during the festivities, the bride and groom will leave. The photographer will photograph their final moment at the reception and their departure in their wedding vehicle.

Your wedding may be the most important event of your life, and you want to remember every moment of it. In addition to hiring a professional photographer, many couples provide instant cameras at each table for the guests to use and perhaps to catch that once-in-lifetime moment that might otherwise have been missed.