Wedding Photos of Sunrise

The following “Sunrise” 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 “Sunrise” 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.

Amidst the serene beauty of Crater Lake National Park, the bride and groom share a moment of pure joy as their Stihl-suspender-wearing officiant officiates their sunrise ceremony.

Crater Lake Wedding: A Bride, A Groom, An Officiant, and A Sunrise | In the Stunning Beauty of the National Park

Capturing the essence of romance at Baker Beach, California, where the sunrise kisses the shore and the wind wraps love in its embrace.

Sunrise Romance: Love's Embrace at Baker Beach

Baker Beach PreWedding Portrait Baker Beach wind kisses beach engagement sunrise California - Northern

Captured amidst the scenic Loonse en Drunense duinen, this stunning engagement portrait session showcases the radiant couple basking in the warm embrace of a sunrise.

Love in Loonse en Drunense Duinen

fields Netherlands North Brabant PreWedding Portrait Drunen De Loonse en Drunense Duinen National Park warm embrace sunrise

A picturesque photo of a couple taken at the peak of Pic du Cagire in France, with the stunning sunrise in the background, after a scenic two-hour hike.

Picturesque Photo of Couple at Peak of Pic du Cagire, France: Stunning Sunrise Backdrop After Scenic Two-Hour Hike

Haute Garonne wedding photography mountain sunrise Haute-Garonne Pic du Cagire hike

Romantic sunrise engagement session captures love and beauty at Prai Grande - Torres - Rio Grande do Sul with a stunning backdrop and silhouetted embrace.

Silhouetted Love at Prai Grande

Prai Grande vertical format sunrise orange sky Torres stunning backdrop Silhouetted couple

Wedding day picture at Praia de Guaxuma (Brazil) showcasing the beautiful sunrise as the backdrop. A romantic setting for a memorable wedding celebration.

Sunrise Shines in Romantic Wedding Photo at Praia de Guaxuma

love Brazil beach wedding Praia de Guaxuma romantic couple beautiful backdrop

A couple in Boulder, CO, is captured in a serene and romantic kiss during their sunrise engagement session atop a mountain, in a warm and picturesque scene.

Boulder Sunrise Engagement Pic: Couple's Serene Mountain Kiss

boulder pre wedding Boulder engagement photo Colorado pre wedding session warm scene Colorado boulder Colorado Couple Photoshoot

In Boulder, Colorado, a couple stands in front of snow-covered mountains at sunrise, wrapping each other in a warm embrace during their engagement portrait session.

Boulder Sunrise: Embracing Love in Front of Snow-Covered Mountains - Engagement Portrait Session

boulder Colorado Boulder Engagement Portrait sunrise snow covered mountains warm embrace mountain engagement

A couple stands on a frozen alpine lake at sunrise in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

Frozen Alpine Lake Embrace: Sunrise Engagement Portrait in Rocky Mountain National Park

snowy landscape Colorado mountain engagement Colorado engagement session Rocky Mountain National Park sunrise frozen alpine

Captured in Boulder, CO, this engagement portrait shows a couple embracing under the morning sun in a meadow with a beautiful hillside view.

Boulder Morning Embrace: A Captured Hillside Portrait

Colorado sunrise hug from behind hillside morning sun boulder Boulder Engagement Portrait

The Elliots Beach engagement portrait captures the couple against a sky filled with birds at sunrise in Besant Nagar, Chennai, India.

Birds of Love: Elliots Beach Sunrise Sparks Pre-Wedding Romance

India sunrise Elliots Beach Besant Nagar Chennai Chennai PreWedding Portrait birds in flight

A creative couple portrait captured by a Maui wedding photographer in the fine art style, as the couple walks hand in hand on the sandy beach in Paia, Hawaii at sunrise with water washing up on shore.

Romantic Wanderers: Maui Fine Art Couple Portrait in Paia Sunrise

Maui engagement photographer beach engagement Paia Maui shore Hawaii Hand in hand

Sweeping the picturesque Colorado landscape, this award-winning wedding portrait captures two grooms embracing in a modern and stylish pose during a serene sunrise, creating a contemporary and heartfelt image.

Embracing Serene Sunrise: Stylish Colorado Grooms Capture Contemporary, Heartfelt Image

stylish pose sunrise grooms portrait Colorado landscape contemporary image wedding portrait Colorado

In Colorado, at a trail head outside of Georgetown, a couple wearing matching hats walk hand in hand towards the camera while laughing, as the sun rises over the mountains for their engagement picture session with a WPJA wedding photographer

Mountain-bound Love: A Sunlit Journey of Laughter and Togetherness

Colorado mountains sunrise Hand in hand matching hats Georgetown CO engagement Georgetown CO

In Chamonix, French Alps, a Malaysian couple shares a tender kiss. The sun gently rises above the towering mountains, casting a warm glow on the picturesque church steeple in the background.

Romantic Sunrise in Chamonix: A Malaysian Couple's Tender Kiss Amidst the Majestic French Alps

tender kiss church steeple warm glow Chamonix Engagement Photography Chamonix sunrise Haute-Savoie

Engaged couple in an intimate moment at sunrise, captured at Praia do Estaleirinho, Balneário Camboriú, SC

Sun-Kissed Love: A Captivating Engagement Portrait at Praia do Estaleirinho

Balneario Camboriu Engagement Photography Santa Catarina Balneário Camboriú sunrise Praia do Estaleirinho sunlight glow intimate portrait

A couple in a canoe at sunrise on Mineral Lake, WA, gazes towards the horizon as the sun crests, symbolizing the start of their wedding day

Capturing Forever in Golden Hues: A Serene Wedding Sunrise

paddling canoe Washington Documentary Wedding Photography Mineral Lake sunrise Washington canoe

Engaged couple embraces under a stunning Autumn sunrise at North Avenue Beach, Chicago, IL, with Lake Michigan as a backdrop

Enamored Couple Graces North Avenue Beach, Chicago, IL, Amidst Spectacular Autumn Sunrise

Chicago north avenue beach sunrise Chicago engagement photography Autumn stunning sky Lake Michigan

A woman leans into a tree as her fiancé embraces her, gazing adoringly into her eyes during their engagement photo shoot at Minnewanka Lake in Banff, Canada

Love Blossoms by the Lake: A Dreamy Engagement Photo Shoot in Banff, Canada

leaning on tree Banff sunrise Minnewanka Lake Banff Engagement Photography lakeside engagement

This romantic pre-wedding photo was taken in Cappadocia, Turkey at sunrise, when the sky was beautifully transitioning from fiery oranges to crystal blues, accompanied by hot air balloons for a stunning silhouette effect

Sunrise Pre-Wedding Photo in Cappadocia, Turkey: Fiery Oranges and Crystal Blues with Hot Air Balloons

sunrise Turkey Cappadocia deep blue sky Cappadocia engagement photographer silhouette romantic scene

The happy couple stood gracefully on top of a breathtaking hill in Banff, Alberta, Canada, while the sun reached its zenith, creating a stunning backdrop for their engagement portrait. The picturesque scenery of Banff allowed for a truly remarkable photo.

The couple posed on Banff's hill at sunrise for an amazing engagement photo

sunrise Banff scenic hill clouds and sky Banff Engagement Portrait

The beautiful engaged couple embraced during the stunning sunrise at Minnewanka Lake in Banff, Alberta, Canada

Engaged couple embraced at sunrise at Minnewanka Lake, Banff, Canada

Banff Minnewanka Lake Banff Engagement Photography water couple embraced mountains sunrise

At sunrise, the clouds parted to reveal a spectacular view of the National Park, with vivid colors

The couple's pre-wedding photo session at Shenandoah National Park was stunning, with the clouds parting for the sunrise and the vivid colors shining through

Shenandoah Engagement Session sunshine sunrise vivid colors spectacular view Shenandoah National Park

Drumheller lifestyle portrait photography for an Alberta couple who are engaged and standing on a hill before the rising sun

Drumheller lifestyle portrait sunrise Alberta hill sun Drumheller standing

Washington DC lifestyle photography at Lincoln Memorial for a Couple backlit against sunrise in between columns at the Lincoln Memorial

columns Scott Josuweit DC engagement photography sunrise Lincoln Memorial backlit Washington DC

An Alagoas Wedding, Elopement, and Engagement Photographer created this creative, adventurous portrait of this Maceio couple at a beach during the sunrise

Renner Boldrino water ocean Alagoas engagement photographer sunrise Maceió couple Alagoas

Breathtaking Tent Ridge wedding image of a Kananaskis couple in Alberta, Canada showing the Bride and groom having a great time during the sunrise

Tent Ridge Alberta wedding portrait Canada Tent Ridge wedding image Kananaskis couple Alberta Kananaskis

A beautiful Rockbound Lake couple portrait in Alberta, Canada for a Bride and groom with a beautiful sunrise

AB couple portrait Canada Canada Couple Alberta weddings bride and groom lake Rockbound Lake

Scenic wedding photography of the Canadian couple shot from Mount Lipset in Kananaskis showing the Bride and groom holding hands during the sunrise

Mount Lipset portraits Kananaskis Canada holding hands Canadian couple AB wedding photography Mount Lipset

Breathtaking Yosemite wedding image of a Northern California couple at the Portrait Location during Sunrise in Yosemite

mountains Yosemite wedding image Northern California couple sunrise Yosemite Photographer view

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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.