Wedding Photos of Lights

The following “Lights” 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 “Lights” 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.

The pre-wedding photo session in Istanbul, Turkey features a stunning display of vibrant colors illuminating the scene at the Suleymaniye Mosque

Istanbul, Turkey: Stunning Pre-Wedding Photoshoot at Suleymaniye Mosque with Vibrant Colors

A night wedding image was created in Utrecht, Netherlands, with the groom and a friend driving a tractor outside of the barn venue hosting the party

The groom and a friend drove a tractor at a barn wedding in Utrecht, Netherlands

night wedding Utrecht wedding netherlands wedding tractor drive wedding image groom tractor barn wedding Utrecht

In the picturesque Le Manoir du Thil, in Eure, Normandy, the newlyweds under a tree that was lit up with hundreds of twinkling lights as the night finished

The newlyweds celebrated their wedding at the picturesque Manoir, with a lit-up tree and hundreds of twinkling lights

newlyweds Night tree twinkling lights picturesque Le Manoir du Thil Lights

The distant sound of music and laughter drifted through the balmy night air from Maceió, Alagoas, across the tranquil water to the reception venue near the big tree

A wedding photojournalist was documenting the happy couple and guests at a night reception near a big tree

night shot reception venue Lights Alagoas wedding photography reflection Maceió Alagoas

The couple's energetic first dance at Tunnels Beaches wedding venue in Devon, England was captured in a picture, showing their overflowing joy and happiness

At Tunnels Beaches in Devon, England, a picture captured the couple's joyous first dance

first dance dancing United Kingdom Tunnels Beaches Devon wedding reportage Lights Devon

The couples' last dance at the reception, held at 658 Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, was captured in a documentary-style wedding photograph

At 658 Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, the couples' last dance was documented in a wedding photograph

Charlotte Wedding Photography North Carolina last dance Lights Charlotte 658 Center

The couple's joy was illuminated by the enchanting lights of the Mayflower's marquee in Washington DC, as they embraced

The couple's joy was artfully captured in the luminous ambience of the marquee filled with light bulbs

Lights light bulb Washington DC The Mayflower Hotel marquee

The couple posed for a romantic portrait at Schloss Hambach in the night, with warm toned wall mounted fixtures and a blue dusk sky overhead

At Schloss Hambach, the couple posed for a portrait at night with warm toned fixtures on the exterior building wall

Rhineland Palatinate Hambach Castle warm tones blue sky Rhineland Palatinate Photographer Lights night portrait

The bride was getting ready for her big day in a luxurious Zhejiang hotel, with a makeup artist by her side and a mirror with lights around the edges

The bride is getting ready in a luxurious hotel, with a makeup artist and a mirror surrounded by lights

Zhejiang photographer makeup China Zhejiang Hotel Zhejiang bridal preparations bride getting ready

The bride and groom shared a kiss at sunset under the market lights at Blanc Denver wedding venue in CO

At Blanc Denver wedding venue in CO, the bride and groom shared a kiss at sunset under the market lights

Denver kiss at sunset Blanc Denver denver photographer Lights market sunset portrait

At night, a couple embracing in front of the Hotel Zug's gazebo arbor is illuminated by lights against a dark background

The Hotel Zug's gazebo arbor is illuminated by lights at night, highlighting a couple embracing in the dark

Zug Photographer Zug Hotel night portrait Lights gazebo Switzerland Zug

bride and groom towards the cutting of the cake

Altamura Italian photographer Lights cake cutting Italy Luigi Porzia Photographer night reception

A Save the Date in Denver. Colorado portrait of a Couple standing in front of Colorado flags and lights

Denver Colorado flags Mark Creery denver photographer Colorado Lights

A Philadelphia lifestyle couples Nighttime Engagement Shoot on Addison Street

John Ryan nighttime Addison street Night Addison Street Philadelphia

Viterbo scene setter wedding venue photography at Convento di San Francesco in Gallese, Italy showing The tables of the wedding banquet after the sunset, with lights attached to two large pines

trees Convento di San Francesco Gallese Italy tables pines wedding banquet

Colorado scene setter wedding day photography image of the couple embracing at The Barn at Raccoon Creek

The Barn at Raccoon Creek Colorado lit Lights Raccoon Creek Colorado couple scene setter

Lombardy creative actual wedding day couple portrait with the bridal party holding drinks and lights

Lucio Zogno Lombardy Italy couple portrait w bridal party Lombardy wedding drinks Lights

Great wedding photography of the couple from Convento di San Francesco, Gallese created in the blurred lights of the illuminations, in the night

bokeh Gallese blurred Convento di San Francesco Night Lights Gallese couple

A beautiful Burg Rheinstein couple portrait at Night with lights and darkness

Rheinstein Castle Medieval castle Germany couple portrait Rhineland Palatinate Burg Rheinstein Trechtingshausen

Ruda wedding documentary photographer created this image at Villa Iachia showing purple Lights add shadows during the first dance

Lights Ruda shadows purple first dance Ruda wedding photographer IT

A top Lille wedding photographer captured this picture of the first dance of the bride and groom

Lille wedding photographer reception venue DJ lights Lights fog bride and groom Lille

Best UK documentary wedding photography from Cornwell Manor of the the bride and groom having an intimate and fun first dance

fun Lights Cornwell Manor first dance bw intimate

Best Bayern documentary wedding picture of the couple enjoying their first dance

Bayern Lights DE couple Germany Bayern documentary wedding first dance

Dramatic Villa La Favorita wedding image of this Mantua bride and groom created a few seconds before the lights for cutting the cake come on

Mantua bride and groom Villa La Favorita wedding Dramatic Villa La Favorita La Favorita venue image Lights cutting the cake

World's best creative wedding portrait photography from Marco Luigi Winery, Bento Gonçalves of the bride and groom in front of a wall of lights

Bento Gonçalves wall Brazil Bride and groom Brazil Lights Brazil wedding portrait

A high quality South Lake Tahoe wedding detail picture showing the Dress hanging from lights in a dark room

South Lake Tahoe Lights dark room California brides gown California - Northern Lake Tahoe wedding picture

World's best and most unconventional Turkish wedding portraits from Mersin Hilton Hotel of a couple posing through the lights of hotel

Mersin Mersin Hilton Hotel posing Lights Mersin couple Turkish wedding portrait

World's most visionary and best wedding couple portrait images from Bayern using Silhouettes and lights

Germany silhouettes Lights Bavaria Bayern bride and groom Bayern wedding couple

Downtown Kansas City couple engagement portraits with a couple with downtown lights at night in the city

MO engagement portrait Downtown Kansas City wedding photography city Kansas City couple Kansas City Kansas City photographer

World's best creative wedding portrait photography from English Manor in Ocean Township, NJ during an Intimate minute together alone on the patio at night under lights

NJ bride and groom patio Lights NJ wedding portrait photography Ocean Township intimate Night

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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.