Wedding Photos of Smiling

The following “Smiling” 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 “Smiling” 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 France Father discovered his daughter with emotion in this wedding image

Milano, Italy engagement photo with a couple and a background with repeating lines

stairs smiling Milano Milan pre wedding portrait engagement photos Milan couple

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes black and white couple portraits in Lyon

couple pre wedding shoot Auvergne Rhône Alpes Auvergne Rhone Alpes engagement photographers black and white Auvergne Rhône Alpes smiling

Dandenong pre wedding portraits for a couple in the woods of Victoria, Australia

forest Gaelle Le Berre Victoria-AUS engagement photo Dandenong engaged couple smiling Dandenong pre wedding portraits

Caeté MG tightly shot black and white couple portraits of pretty faces

Caeté smiling MG Caeté engagement photographers pre wedding shoot Caeté

Châtenay Malabry Engagement portrait session before their wedding

sitting couple smiling pre wedding portraits engagement photo Châtenay Malabry lavender Châtenay Malabry

Biarritz, France Lovers smiling and sitting outdoors for their engagement portrait session

Biarritz pre wedding portraits France Biarritz engagement photo Biarritz sitting Blue

Twelve Apostles Hotel, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa wedding image of The bride smiling through her tears as she says her vows during the outdoor wedding ceremony

hotel tears vows Twelve Apostles Hotel South Africa wedding image western cape

Pirinopolis, Goias prewedding photoshoot with running couple Love games

Pirinopolis smiling Pirinopolis engagement photographers Goiás pre wedding shoot Pirinopolis stone road

Noordhoek, Cape Town engagement photographer Making use of the rising sun for this intimate photo of the engaged couple

Cape Town Noordhoek beach smiling Noordhoek engagement photographers lens flare

A vibrant, warm and colourful couple against an industrial, cold and grey backdrop, playing on contrasts at the Prince Charles Airport, Harare, Zimbabwe

Harare pre wedding portraits smiling engagement photo Harare shadows high heels

Western Cape Town engagement photographer: I saw this divide of colours in the wall colours and played with this theme of divide for this fun photo

smiling minimalism Cape Town pink engagement photo Cape Town Cape Town pre wedding portraits

Urban Love with a colorful, stucco background at Capitola Beach, California

California engagement session Capitola Beach Blue smiling California pre wedding location Capitola Beach colorful

San Francisco, California engagement shoot with Love in Mission District

pre wedding session San Francisco San Francisco engagement photos close up California engaged couple smiling

Couple portraits at sunset in the hills of Godley Head, Christchurch NZ

Christchurch NZ sitting down Godley Head Road pre wedding location Christchurch smiling Christchurch engagement session

Lancashire England couple pre-wedding portraits in warm light

smiling Lancashire warm light engaged couple Lancashire engagement session pre wedding location Lancashire England

Santorini Greece engagement image of a couple smiling

Greece Santorini Santorini engagement session Derya Engin smiling pre wedding location Santorini

Zandvoort Safarilodge wedding photography - The day came to an end, getting out car sunset darkness

Zandvoort Safarilodge Netherlands bride and groom Netherlands wedding photographer dusk groom smiling Jess van Ruiven

Castelvecchio Vinery - Italy Wedding Day Photography of an Emotional Moment

Emotional hug for the bride

hugging italy bride Castelvecchio Vinery Daniele Borghello italy wedding photographer bride italy wedding venue

Bishopsbourne, Kent, UK Engagement Portrait | This couple have such a fun relationship - they share a joke as they walk

Engagement Portrait with a couple having such a fun relationship as they share a joke as they walk

garden UK smiling Bishopsbourne pre wedding portraits engagement photo Bishopsbourne Bishopsbourne

Montepulciano - Tuscany - Italy pre wedding photographer: a romantic moment in Montepulciano with an engaged couple about to kiss

pre wedding photo of a romantic minuted with an engaged couple about to kiss

hallway Montepulciano Italy smiling wall Tuscany pre wedding shoot Montepulciano

Derbyshire UK engagement and pre wedding photography | A Couple kissing

tightly framed pre wedding photography showing A Couple kissing

engagement photo Derbyshire UK close up smiling noses Derbyshire

winter engagement portraits with a couple enjoying the snow

winter NJ pre wedding location Frenchtown smiling Frenchtown engagement session snowing

Calella de Palafrugells, Spain Engagement session in the garden of Cap Roig

Engagement session in the garden with a hat

smiling engagement photo Calella de Palafrugells Calella de Palafrugells embracing Spain hat

engagement session in the French Pyrénées with traditional clothing

pre wedding location Franco Turmenistan Traditional Franco engagement session Franco formal smiling

engagement photograph of a couple laughing under an umbrella

engagement photo Attica Attica black and white Attica pre wedding portraits Manos Skoularikos umbrella smiling

Engagement shoot at Kamondo Stairs, Galata, Istanbul | A couple holding hands and smiling

Engagement shoot at the Stairs with A couple holding hands and smiling

Galata engagement images Istanbul Kamondo Stairs holding hands Galata e session Galata engagement photography smiling

Kilyos Beach, Istanbul pre wedding session with a couple smiling and hugging at sunset

a beach pre wedding session with a couple smiling and hugging at sunset

sunset portrait Istanbul engagement photographer Istanbul engagement photos Istanbul pre wedding portraits Istanbul smiling Kilyos Beach

England engagement photography: Lytham St Annes | It is all about us

England engagement photography is all about love and being together

pre wedding location Lytham St Annes sitting Lytham St Annes engagement session Lytham St Annes smiling grass fields

The bride sees her husband to be

black and white richmond bride richmond weddings Virginia Bride Brittany Diliberto bride Bee Two Sweet

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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.