WPJA.com HomeWedding Photojournalist Association

Wedding Photos of Ethereal

For Couples / Wedding Photos of Ethereal

The following “Ethereal” 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 “Ethereal” 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.

Enter Keywords:  
A stunning long exposure captures the bride and groom standing on soft Tulum sand while their bridal party moves in a gentle circle around them, creating dreamy pastel light trails and a romantic, ethereal feel.
Long Exposure Of Bride And Groom On Tulum Sand With Bridal Party Circling Around Them, Creating Dreamy Pastel Light Trails And A Soft, Romantic, Ethereal Ambiance On The Beach
circleDreamy Scenelong exposurepastel colorssandbridal partylight trails
A close pre-wedding embrace that radiates intense passion and profound affection. The Longwood Gardens setting provides a cool backdrop, creating an ethereal image that feels entirely devoted to their connection.
Ethereal Embrace: Passion and Profound Affection Amidst Longwood Gardens' Cool Radiance
etherealPennsylvaniaPennsylvania PreWedding PhotographyKennett SquarePassionLongwood Gardensgarden engagement
Parma Sole — The bride and groom share a free, heartfelt embrace in a black-and-white portrait, creating an ethereal and dreamy wedding image filled with emotion.
Bride and Groom Share Heartfelt Embrace Black and White Ethereal Portrait
bw portraitembraceetherealdreamyParma Sole IstanbulemotionIstanbul wedding portrait
Leiden, Zuid Holland — The bride gazes toward the dunes in a black-and-white, dreamlike silhouette portrait, capturing an ethereal and artistic image against the natural landscape.
Leiden Silhouette: Bride's Ethereal Gaze to Dunes, Dreamlike Black-and-White Artistic Portrait
Leidenbw portraitdreamlikenatural landscapeLeiden Bridal Portraitartistic portraitethereal
Acadia National Park — The bride and groom stand low in a tall, vertical minimalist frame on the cliffs, surrounded by fog, creating an ethereal and dramatic wedding portrait in the national park.
Ethereal Dramatic Cliffside Wedding Portrait In Fog At Acadia National Park Maine
Dramaticbride groom cliffsfoggy wedding scenefogAcadia park venueAcadia National Park weddingAcadia National Park
In Shanghai, China, an artistic portrait captures the bride obscured by a curtain of light-colored, shimmering strands, creating a diffused and ethereal effect.
Ethereal Portrait Of Bride Obscured By Shimmering Strands In Shanghai China Wedding
strandsdiffusionShanghai China weddingShanghai brideChina wedding venueShanghai China portraitShimmering
At All Saints Church in Babbacombe, Torquay, a beam of light dramatically illuminates the couple as they exchange vows beneath soaring gothic arches. The ethereal scene highlights romance, devotion, and the spiritual significance of their union.
A Dramatic Beam Of Light Illuminates Vows Beneath Gothic Arches At All Saints Church, Babbacombe, Torquay
spiritualgothic archesdevotionAll Saints Churchexchange vowscoupleethereal
In Vendée, a backlit mist spray enhances photos of the bride's preparations. The ethereal light captures intimate moments before the ceremony, highlighting anticipation and delicate details.
Ethereal Backlighting and Mist Capture Intimate Bridal Preparations and Anticipation in Vendée, France
Vendeebacklitgetting readymist spraypre ceremonyintimatedetails
The couple rests beneath an ancient oak tree at Castello di Valenzano, Italy, in an infrared portrait that transforms the landscape into a dreamlike and ethereal scene.
Couple Rests Under Ancient Oak In Dreamlike Portrait At Castello Di Valenzano, Italy
dreamlikeoak tree portraitinfrareddreamlike wedding scenetreecoupleCastello di Valenzano
Soft, directional light from a nearby window illuminates the bride's face at the Swann House in Washington DC, creating a delicate and ethereal portrait during her morning preparations.
Soft Window Light Illuminates Bride’s Face In Delicate Morning Swann House Portrait, Washington DC
faceportraitSwann Housebrideswann house portraitWashington DCSwann House
A groom joyfully lifts his bride amidst the ethereal mist and fog of Pico do Arieiro's mountains.
Groom Joyfully Lifts Bride Amidst Ethereal Mist and Fog in Pico do Arieiro’s Mountainous, Dreamy Scene
Madeira Wedding Portraitmountainsetherealfogmistlifting brideMadeira
At a reception venue in Paris, Île-de-France, the bride and groom tenderly gaze into each other's eyes, with the wind gently moving the bride's veil, beautifully rimlit from behind to create an ethereal glow.
Bride and Groom Share Tender Gaze as Wind Rims Veil with Ethereal Glow at Paris Reception Venue
glowParis ethereal weddingParis romantic portraitParisveilgazebacklit
In Nanping, Fujian, a low-angle shot captures the bride with her veil elegantly sweeping across the cloudy sky, creating a dramatic and ethereal effect that highlights her graceful presence against the backdrop.
Bride's Veil Sweeps Across Cloudy Sky in Dramatic Low-Angle Shot, Highlighting Graceful Presence in Nanping, Fujian
Fujian cloudy veilsweeping veil dramafujian weddingpresenceNanping elegant bridegracefulChina
At Hambacher Schloss, the bride stands on the edge of the castle wall with her dress flowing gracefully, blending with the clouds in the blue sky behind her, creating a picturesque and ethereal scene.
Bride's Dress Flows Gracefully, Blending with Clouds in Picturesque Scene at Hambacher Schloss Wall Edge
Hambacher Schloss elegancegraceful dress cloudsbrideRhineland-Palatinatebridal graceflowing dressPicturesque blue sky
At Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset, UK, a portrait capture the groom and the bride with her veil flowing gracefully in the wind above the water, creating a dramatic and ethereal scene on the reef.
Groom and Bride's Veil Gracefully Flow in Wind for Dramatic Portrait at Kimmeridge Bay Reef, Dorset, UK
dramatic wedding sceneethereal coastal weddingKimmeridge reefflowing veil portraitetherealDorsetreef
In Bologna, a black-and-white photograph captures a tender scene with the bride and groom, as the bride's veil elegantly sweeps across the entire frame, adding a dramatic and ethereal touch.
Bride's Veil Sweeps Dramatically Across Frame in Tender Black-and-White Portrait with Groom in Bologna
Bologna brideiconic Italian portraitbrideItalian scenegroomVeil PortraitDramatic
At Gîte des Fonteneilles in Indre, a captivating shot captures the bride's veil as it is beautifully illuminated by the light, creating a delicate and ethereal effect that enhances the ambiance of the day.
Bride's Veil Illuminated in Captivating Light at Gîte des Fonteneilles, Indre
French venueethereal bridal sceneIndreetherealambianceGite des Fonteneilleslight
Infrared kiss under veil, Villa Carafa, Andria wedding reception, unique chromatic filter, ethereal, romantic, artistic photography.
Infrared Veil Kiss Captured at Villa Carafa Wedding with Artistic Flair
veilromanticBarletta-Andria-TranietherealVilla Carafa receptionVilla Carafa weddingVilla Carafa
At Nella Terra Cellars in Sunol, California, a couple poses for sunset portraits against the stunning backdrop of the Bay Area's rolling hills, with sunlight rim lighting the hills for an ethereal glow.
Couple's Sunset Portraits Emanate Ethereal Glow with Rim-Lit Hills at Nella Terra Cellars, Sunol, California
glowromanticNella Terra Cellarscapturing ethereal romancesunsetlightBay Area beauty
In Certaldo, Tuscany, Italy, a detailed artful shot captures the bride's wedding dress illuminated by backlight. The gentle glow highlights the intricate details and textures of the fabric, creating an ethereal image.
Bride's Dress Illuminated in Backlit Detail Shot, Certaldo, Tuscany, Italy
etherealCertaldo wedding photographyartful shotBacklighthighlightsCertaldoTuscany
Amidst a lush forest, a couple shares a tender kiss, bathed in soft, ethereal light
Couple's Tender Kiss Bathed in Light Amidst Lush Forest
coupletender forest embracelush forestforestForest couplekisstender
A soft, dreamlike shot of a first look in a palm house in Bulgaria. Mist appears on the lens, adding to the ethereal atmosphere.
First Look Magic: Mist-Kissed Romance in a Dreamy Palm House Setting
atmospherefirst looksoft focus first lookpalm housemisty lens effectmistlens
The wedding details seen by a WPJA photographer captures the ethereal beauty of a dress hanging in pieces in the prep room at Ruurlo.
Ethereal Beauty: Wedding Dress in Prep Room at Ruurlo
dress in piecesetherealhanging wedding dressgownbeautyroomethereal dress detail
An ethereal ceremony captured by a WPJA photographer at Red Rocks Trading Post. Rain adds depth to this picturesque spring wedding.
Ethereal Rain: Spring Ceremony at Red Rocks Trading Post
weddingumbrellasethereal umbrella shotspringspring wedding rainceremonycaptured
A stunning portrait captures the romance of a Jaén, Spain wedding, as the couple stands under a dazzling art installation of twinkling stars and an ethereal purple sky.
Enchanting Jaén Wedding Photo: Love Shines Under Celestial Art Installation
Jaénromancetwinkling starsart installationSpainJaén wedding photographypurple sky
A stunning photo captures the bride with her ethereal veil at the Ruínas do Cassino Pálace Hotel in Canela, Brazil, adding a touch of charm and intrigue to the historic building.
Brazilian Bride's Ethereal Veil Adds Charm to Ruínas do Cassino Pálace Hotel Wedding
historic buildingruinsRuínas do Cassino Pálace HotelCanela Bridal PortraitetherealCanela Brideveil
In Oise, the bride's hands expertly snip away at the shimmering ribbons cascading down from her vibrant bouquet as the ethereal fog creates a magical backdrop.
Bride's Skillful Snip of Shimmering Ribbons Enhances Ethereal Atmosphere in Oise
ShimmeringOise wedding venuesSnipbackdropcascadinghandsOise
Bride's veil and dress train illuminated by natural light inside Eglise de Corny-sur-Moselle during the wedding day.
Corny-sur-Moselle Wedding | Bride's Veil & Dress Train Illuminated by Natural Light at Eglise de Corny-sur-Moselle
natural lightwedding day BridalMoselle wedding venuebride veilEglise de Corny sur Moselle photographersmarriagebridal fashion
Captivating bride photographed with chromatic infrared technique at a Foggia, Apulia ceremony location.
FOGGIA, APULIA | Captivating Bride Photographed with Chromatic Infrared Technique
ImageryFoggiaemotiveexquisiteVisualFoggia brideportraits
An elegant goth bride in a striking black dress and crown sits between two windows on a snowy day in Edmonton, Alberta at her ceremony location.
ELEGANT GOTH BRIDE | Striking Black Dress & Crown at Edmonton Ceremony Location
Edmonton photographybrideEdmontongothic romancesittingthroneDramatic

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.