Wedding Photos of Emotion

The following “Emotion” 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 “Emotion” 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.

Getting ready with bride and parents - Valencia surprise

Valencia Surprise: Bride Getting Ready for Wedding - Photo with Parents

Vertical engagement pictures of a couple with bokeh lights | Dorset photographer pre-wedding shoot with photographer

The couple's faces, close in profile, were illuminated in a dreamlike haze of bokeh lights, a romantic vertical engagement photo capturing the intensity of their emotion

Dorset Engagement Photography vertical UK intensity bokeh lights close in England

A young lady is overcome with emotion while making A speech at this outdoor wedding

speech young lady emotion CA Foresthill outdoor wedding

The mountains in the photo set in Seattle show a couple deeply in love.

The black-and-white image conveys surprise, emotion and originality, with a passionate and romantic scene of a couple in the mountains

Seattle mountains intimate moment emotion Seattle couple loving scene couple mountains emotional authenticity

Playa del Carmen wedding photographer - Emotional hug

Emotional hug for the bride

hugging Playa del Carmen embrace bridal girl crying flower girl

Bridesmaids assist with signage during the Maid of Honors' speech

weep function after party funny reception party fun

A woman hugs the bride

hugging bridal wife bw Ouddorp black and white

The father of the bride tears up seeing his daughter in her wedding dress

parent weep before ceremony Netherlands bride wedding preparations

Photo of a man and woman hugging the bride and groom at their wedding in Shropshire, UK by a Lancashire, England wedding reportage photographer.

Image of a man and woman hugging the bride and groom

UK bridal hugging outdoors emotion wife Shropshire

A photograph of a bride and her sister crying after exchanging gifts which was a reminder of their late nan

before ceremony weep crying wedding preparations wife emotion Lancashire

Bride hugs her father before the wedding ceremony in Abbazia San Faustino

Bride hugs her father before the ceremony

emotion getting ready bride Abbazia San Faustino father

family hugs in black and white at the wedding ceremony

emotion bw black and white embrace Alcoy bride Alcoy wedding photographer

Bride gets emotional while around her bridesmaids before the wedding ceremony in Oaxaca-Puerto Escondido

the Bride gets emotional while around her bridesmaids

bw bridesmaids tears Escondido Oaxaca photography crying getting ready

Bride gets emotional as the groom holds her during the wedding ceremony at the Glacier National Park, Montana

Bride gets emotional as the groom holds her during the outdoor ceremony

Glacier National Park wife emotion marriage ceremony bride Montana photographer matrimony

New Jersey Wedding Photography - bride and groom Just Married

bride and groom Just Married and with tears and a flower girl

girl flower girl New Jersey NJ emotion bride and groom flowergirl

Bride hugs her mother-in-law as her bridesmaid wipes away tears of happiness at the end of the ceremony

affection Midcoast Maine Maine emotion embrace tears crying

Boothbay Harbor Maine Wedding Photographer Bride's sister tearfully hugging a loved one after seeing her sister get into her wedding gown - Linekin Bay Resort Boothbay Harbor Maine

the Bride's sister tearfully hugging a loved one after seeing her sister get into her wedding gown

crying parents tears affection embrace Maine Maine wedding photographer

Emotional moment between maid of honor and bride while getting ready before the wedding. - Saint Charles Country Club Wedding

an Emotional moment between maid of honor and bride while getting ready before the wedding

brides friends getting ready Saint Charles Country Club wedding preparations crying tears before ceremony

Bride hugs her sister during her wedding at Meyers Castle.

the Bride hugs her sister during her wedding

embrace affection brides friend Dyer photographer bridal party bride hugging

Bride sheds a tear during her wedding ceremony - Meyers Castle Wedding Ceremony

the Bride sheds a tear during her garden ceremony

matrimony outdoors outside crying ceremony bw tears

Montréal Québec Bride hugging her dad while groom looks on smiling

a Bride hugging her dad while groom looks on smiling

newlyweds Quebec wedding photography married couple Montreal photographer Quebec bride and groom reception

Bride smiles as the groom gets emotional during the wedding ceremony in London, UK

a Bride smiles as the groom gets emotional during the indoor ceremony

married couple bride and groom London bw matrimony nuptials wedding couple

Bride hugs guests after the wedding ceremony in Spoleto - Il Baio

a Bride hugs guests after the indoor ceremony

affection embrace bridal Il Baio hugging Spoleto wedding photography guests

Guests laugh with the bride at the wedding in Bulverde, Texas

the Guests laugh with the bride at the wedding

bw wedding guest Bulverde photographer Texas Bulverde affection hugging

Women guests after the wedding in Cuenca

Women guests embracing after the wedding

tears monochrome emotion bw Cuenca black and white Cuenca women

Bride and groom get emotional and hug

bride and groom ceremony hugging Lima Peru emotion

Photo of bride getting emotional from maid of honors speech

maid of honor UK Eaves hall reception bride speech emotion

Canada bride and groom get emotional during the wedding ceremony outside

the bride and groom getting emotional during the ceremony outside

ceremony outdoor ceremony emotion Canada bride and groom

Black-and-white photo. Face to face emotion.

Face to face emotion at the wedding

Portofino Italy emotion black and white

Outdoor photo of guests getting emotional during the wedding ceremony in New Rochelle, NY

Outdoor photo of guests getting emotional during the ceremony

New Rochelle ceremony guests Outdoor emotion NY

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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.