Wedding Photos of Before ceremony

The following “Before ceremony” 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 “Before ceremony” 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.

A truthful report of raw emotions in a Bovendonk wedding day image captured by a Hoeven, Netherlands documentary wedding photographer showing the Groom and his brother in BW just before the ceremony starts

An impressive Ritz Carlton DC wedding image of the Washington couple sharing a quiet moment and a glass of champagne at the bar before their ceremony

champagne Ritz Carlton Ritz Carlton DC Washington DC bar Washington couple DC wedding image

Great wedding photography of the groom from Bulgaria

Great BW wedding photography of the groom from Bulgaria posing with good light before his ceremony

Lubomir Jiponov Bulgaria wedding portrait before ceremony groom posing Bulgaria bw Wedding Photography

Philadelphia actual wedding day couple portrait at Merion Tribute House before the ceremony started, the bride and groom walked out the big doors and kissed right before they exited

Philadelphia walked kissed doors before ceremony bride and groom John Ryan

Great wedding photography of the groom from Chateau de St Jean des Plat in Castelnaudary as he prepares by a window for the ceremony

France window Chateau de St Jean des Plat weddings Castelnaudary groom Castelnaudary wedding photography groom

An elegant wedding day detail picture in Colorado showing an Estes Park brides dress hangs in a window before the ceremony

brides gown Estes Park Colorado colorado bride Estes Park bridal dress Dress hanging

A superb example of a wedding detail in this Parana picture in Brazil of the groom Writing the vows before the ceremony

pages Parana written vows Parana wedding picture before ceremony suit

A spiritual black and white Asheville, NC documentary wedding picture showing Bridesmaids supporting the bride during a prayer before the ceremony

NC documentary wedding black and white Asheville prayer spiritual NC

Best Boston documentary wedding photography from the Newbury Hotel showing the Groom and ring bearer preparing the rings before ceremony

rings preparing Boston documentary wedding photography groom ring bearer Boston Newbury Hotel venue

An extraordinary Colorado Springs wedding image by a professional CO photographer conveying the Groom chatting on the phone before the ceremony with a beer while the bride takes a drink of her beer in the foreground

foreground phone colorado bride Colorado beer bottle CO photographer Colorado Springs wedding image

An extraordinary Leicestershire wedding picture by a pro UK photographer at The Woodlands revealing The bridesmaids walking over to the ceremony

United Kingdom walking bridesmaids Leicestershire UK Photographer before ceremony Leicestershire wedding picture

A black and white Philadelphia documentary wedding picture of The bride going through the format of the ceremony with her officiant while a bridesmaid is finishing putting her veil on

officiant black and white bridesmaid format PA veil JD Land

Best France documentary wedding photojournalism image from Hôtel MGallery Nest La Défense showing the Last check for the groom with his mother before going to the ceremony

Hôtel MGallery Last check Hôtel MGallery Nest La Défense mother Nest La Défense France documentary wedding

Colorado wedding documentary photographer created this image at the Copper Mountain Resort showing A bridesmaid crying as the bride comforts her before the wedding ceremony

colorado wedding photographer crying Colorado Copper Mountain Resort bridesmaid comfort

Wedding image from the Grand Hotel dei Castelli in Liguria showing a high angle of the Bride before ceremony at the hotel coming down steps

Julian Kanz steps before ceremony Grand Hotel dei Castelli Liguria bride Liguria weddings Grand Hotel dei Castelli venue

World's best and most unconventional wedding photography from East Yorkshire, UK showing The bride putting on her decorative bangles before the ceremony, this is actually quite a hard and painful process on the wrists

East Yorkshire wedding photography bangles wrists decorative before ceremony Patrick Mateer uk bride

World's most innovative and best France wedding photography of the bride holding her wedding rings in her hand before going to the ceremony

french bride before ceremony stairs France hand hat

World's most visionary and best wedding couple portrait images from Ruderclub Germania showing the Bridal couple relaxes before the wedding ceremony

dusseldorf portrait images dock couple relaxes water Patrycja Janik dusseldorf wedding couple bridal couple

World's most artistic and best wedding portraits from Koc Museum in Istanbul during bridal shooting before the ceremony indoors

Istanbul Koc Museum Istanbul bridal shoot flowing veil Istanbul wedding portrait Turkey

A first class Estes Park wedding portrait of this Colorado bride and groom as they embrace for a private session amongst some trees before their ceremony

embrace before ceremony Colorado bride and groom trees Estes Park CO private photo session

This New York wedding photojournalism picture is a prime example of what candid, nontraditional Indian Lake wedding photography looks like, as the bride gets her makeup done before the ceremony at Timberlock Camp

NY bride makeup Indian Lake before ceremony Indian Lake wedding photography New York

A top wedding photojournalist at Radisson Blu in Bucharest created this image of the Bride and groom dancing in the hotel room before ceremony

bride and groom dancing before ceremony Radisson Blu Bucharest wedding photojournalist Bucharest wedding image

sensitive Poland wedding Detail of engagement ring just before the ceremony

hands engagement ring before ceremony Poland wedding Detail rings sensitive Poland photographer

Popponesset Inn, Mashpee indoor marriage event award-winning image showing the groom kisses his dog before the ceremony

dog MA weddings dogs indoor marriage event Mashpee photographer Popponesset Inn

An eccentric Gap wedding portrait of the France Bride and groom during a silhouette photo shoot before ceremony

clouds trees France silhouette before ceremony Jean Baptiste Chauvin blue sky

The Illinois WPJA is proud to award this non traditional, urban Chicago wedding image of the IL Couple and bridesmaids walking across a street in downtown while on the way to their ceremony

bridesmaids street urban Chicago wedding image walking IL couple before ceremony

Etiler, Istanbul wedding bride artistic image session for bridal portraits before the ceremony

artistic image session Istanbul wedding bride bw Etiler before ceremony Istanbul

Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum, Turkey wedding couple artistic image session in color for bridal portraits before the ceremony

artistic image session Bodrum bridal portraits Bodrum wedding couple Color before ceremony Bodrum

Artistic Golturkbuku, Turkey wedding photography at Mandarin Oriental Bodrum hotel during a bridal portrait session before the ceremony

Bodrum Hotel Uruk Sarisen before ceremony Mandarin Oriental Turkey wedding photography bridal portrait session Bodrum

Lionsgate Event Center artful style wedding detail picture showing the bride pulls her dress into the jeep before heading to first look before the ceremony

dress artful style jeep Lionsgate Event Center wedding detail picture bride Lafayette CO artistic details

Pages

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.