Wedding Photos of Tears

The following “Tears” images were created by documentary wedding photographers from the WPJA, who regularly submit their best candid moments, artistic portraits, details, and scene setters for review by our WPJA competition judges.

WEDDINGS + ELOPEMENTS + ARTISTIC PORTRAITS & DETAILS + ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS

Some of the “Tears” marriage photography samples below may have come from the getting ready events, the actual wedding ceremony, the reception after-party, an engagement session with the couple, or possibly be artistic portraits or detail shots.

FINE ART WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY: Our Artistic Guild award winners take a more creative approach to wedding day Portraits and use their innovative skills to capture the Details of each couple’s special day. The Artistic Guild’s Scene Setters are some of the most notable and breathtaking from within the artistic WPJA contest categories. Playing with light and shadow, special effects, and post-production editing, these images embrace the artistic component of wedding photography.

PRE-WEDDING ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY: The story of every couple starts long before the wedding day, and the engagement marks one of the most important milestones in their story. Engaged couples often want to celebrate the occasion and announce their upcoming wedding with a photoshoot. Pre-wedding portraits of an engaged couple can be just as moving and compelling as the images taken on the wedding day. Engagement portraits can win a Diamond Award, an exclusive WPJA award whose winner is selected from the best engagement photography in the world.

In this Purple award-winning picture, the mother of the Isere Bride is seen speaking emotionally on behalf of her daughter at a park near City Hall, with tears streaming down her face

Tears of Love: A Mother's Emotional Speech for the Isere Bride

In this candid shot taken at the bride's home during a celebrant-led wedding in Berkhamsted, the bride is overcome with emotion as a tear escapes her eye while reading her personalized vows to her groom, who is unseen in the photo

A Tearful Moment: Bride's Candid Emotion Captured in Emotional Wedding Vows

black and white Berkhamsted Bride Hertfordshire wedding photography Hertfordshire emotion reading tears

A touching moment as the bride and groom tearfully listen to their children's heartfelt speech during their wedding ceremony at Saint-Julien sur Garonne

Capturing Tears of Joy: Emotional Family Speech Steals Hearts at Saint-Julien sur Garonne Wedding

touching moment tears Haute Garonne Documentary Wedding Photography Saint-Julien sur Garonne Haute-Garonne church ceremony bride and groom

In an emotional moment, a father embraces the bride, moved to tears, at an outdoor reception venue in Amsterdam, Noord Holland

Captured Emotion: Tearful Father's Touching Embrace at Amsterdam Wedding

emotion Noord Holland FOB Amsterdam Documentary Wedding Photography tears Bride and father Amsterdam

A touching moment captured behind the church during a documentary wedding in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, as the bride's father is moved to tears

Emotional Father's Tears Steal the Spotlight at Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Documentary Wedding

France wedding photography Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes hug emotion brides father touching moment tears

Amid the giant sequoia trees in Tuolumne Grove, Yosemite, California, the newlyweds shared an emotional moment with the exchange of letters from their loved ones that evoked joyous smiles from the Groom and tearful eyes from the Bride

The Groom and Bride shared an emotional moment in Tuolumne Grove, Yosemite, California

Tuolumne Grove Emotional moment California - Northern bride newlyweds Exchange Of Letters loved ones

The bride's sisters' heartfelt speech at Scotland Run in Williamstown NJ elicited both laughter and tears

Scotland Run in Williamstown, NJ brought both laughter and tears with the bride's sisters' heartfelt speech

heartfelt speech Scotland Run brides sisters heartfelt Williamstown wedding tears laughter

At Kilworth House Hotel in Leicestershire, UK, the groom was overcome with emotion upon seeing his bride walk down the aisle

At Kilworth House Hotel, Leicestershire, UK, the groom was moved to tears at his bride's entrance

brides entrance bride and mother tears Kilworth House Hotel Leicestershire wedding photography Leicestershire emotional groom

At Rossleague Manor in Galway, Ireland, the bride's friends and family were brought to tears upon seeing her for the first time in the bridal suite

At Rossleague Manor in Galway, Ireland, joy filled the bridal suite when the bride was seen

Galway Rossleague Manor Galway Family and Friends bridal suite Ireland Galway Wedding Photography first look

At a wedding ceremony in Perth, Western Australia, an elderly relative was moved to tears while witnessing the signing of the marriage certificate

In Perth, Western Australia, an elderly relative was moved to tears at a wedding ceremony

tears grandmother perth wedding photography Western Australia marriage certificate signing bw moment emotion

At Virginia Park Lodge, the sad aunt was tearfully kissing a framed photo of someone dearly missed on the special day

The saddened aunt tenderly kissed the framed photo of her dearly missed loved one on the bittersweet day

framed photos Cavan Photographer Cavan Deerpark tears Virginia Park Lodge Ireland

At the Broadway Hall, Bellingham, WA, an emotional bride reads special vows written for her new stepchildren

The bride's eyes glistened with tears as she read heartfelt vows, written especially for her new stepchildren, out loud

tears reading vows Washington photographer emotional bride vows to children Washington Washington bride

At a Private Residence in Glen Allen, Virginia, the mom holds back tears during tea ceremony gifting

The mom held back tears during the Chinese tea ceremony as she gifted her daughter a necklace

Virginia virginia wedding photographer tea ceremony gifting tears gift necklace Glen Allen

At a Perth, Western Australia Wedding Reception Party, the bride is crying during speeches

At the wedding reception, the bride was moved to tears by the toasts

perth perth bride emotional bride Western Australia tears perth wedding photographer

Outside The Madison, Riverside, NJ, the bride looks at her father and tears up as she is about to walk down the aisle for her Madison wedding ceremony

The bride tearfully gazed at her father before she walked down the aisle for her outdoor wedding ceremony

new jersey wedding photographer Riverside NJ Bride and father New Jersey walking down aisle tears The Madison

In Hangzhou City, Zhejiang, the ceremony was about to begin, and the bride was moved to tears as she waited beside the ceremony area

As the bride holding an umbrella waited beside the ceremony area with rain on the ground, she was moved to tears as the ceremony was about to begin

Hangzhou City hangzhou wedding photographer Zhejiang Hangzhou Ceremony umbrella reflection parasol

showing tears and emotion during the speeches

emotion Bordeaux France Bordeaux photographer tears speeches

During the reception at Estate at Florentine Gardens, New Jersey, the groom tears up as he watches sneak peek video with bride

The groom was moved to tears as he and his bride watched a sneak peek video at their estate reception

new jersey wedding photographer New Jersey Estate at Florentine Gardens video tears

Best Fremont, California documentary wedding photography of the family wiping the brides tears

Fremont CA CA documentary wedding photography bride tears Fremont california bride family

An exceptional Iași wedding image by a pro Romania photographer at the Saint Spiridon Church exhibiting a tearful Moment during the orthodox ceremony

wiping Romania Romania photographer tearful Patricia Tanase orthodox ceremony Romania bride and groom

A black and white Colorado documentary wedding picture from Greenbriar Inn showing the Boulder bride wiping grooms tear during toasts

A black and white Boulder, Colorado documentary wedding picture from Greenbriar Inn showing the bride wiping grooms tear during toasts

toasts groom black and white wiping bride Colorado documentary wedding tear

View this pivotal moment at Sanderling Resort in Duck NC wedding picture showing the Best man wipes tears and sweat for the groom at the beach ceremony on the sand by the waves

NC wedding picture sand waves Sanderling Resort in Duck beach ceremony sweat Neil Thurston

A Colorado wedding photojournalist at the Timber Ridge Lodge in Keystone captured this moment of Tears falling from the brides face as she giggles during the ceremony

Keystone photographer Lucy Schultz bride Keystone tears Timber Ridge Lodge giggles

A top Vail wedding photojournalist created this image in the backcountry of a groomsman crying during ceremony

outdoor wedding image Vail photographer crying ceremony backcountry groomsman Vail

Ontario, Canada marriage ceremony award-winning image showing The maid of honour couldn't hold back the tears as she proudly walked down the aisle

Ontario photographer Canada walking canada weddings Ontario tears aisle

Saint Cast, France nuptial day award-winning image of The bride crying with her mother

France nuptial day MOB crying tears bride indoor ceremony Saint Cast

Beijing nuptial day award-winning image of groom Tears

groom Beijing wedding day tears detail hand bride

Delamere Manor nuptial day award-winning image of Brides mum crying as the bride sees her grandad

Andy Griffiths framed bride mum UK nuptial day image bride grandad

The Lombardi House, Los Angeles, California wedding photo showing Tears run down on the grooms face as he hugs his grandmother

hugs Lombardi House Los Angeles bride Los Angeles grandmother tears

A top Rome wedding photographer at Villa Pocci captured this picture showing The bride couldn't hold her tears during the ceremony when her sister had their speeches

The bride couldn't hold her tears during the ceremony when her sister had their speeches

outdoor vows Rome outdoor ceremony tears event bride speeches sister

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WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.