Wedding Photos of Sunshine

The following “Sunshine” 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 “Sunshine” 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 WPJA wedding photographer captures an intimate portrait of an engaged couple in Lyon, France, as they share a tender kiss in a beautiful golden field illuminated by the warm backlight of the sunshine

Amour Doré: A Golden Kiss in Lyon

In a serene forest in Genesee, Colorado, this couple shares a kiss as the sun rays filter through the trees, illuminating the vibrant green grass beneath them.

COLORADO COUPLE EMBRACES IN IDYLLIC FOREST WEDDING KISS

wedding kiss Colorado wedding vibrant green green grass sunshine forest wedding

An engaged couple poses for portraits at the beach in sunshine near Playa Las Grutas Village, Punta Ballena Maldonado, Uruguay

Sun-Kissed Love: Capturing an Engaged Couple's Beach Portraits in Playa Las Grutas Village, Punta Ballena Maldonado, Uruguay

Playa Las Grutas Village sunshine Punta Ballena Maldonado Beach Portrait Uruguay Uruguay Engagement Photography ocean

A couple is seen laughing and enjoying each other's company during a walk through the streets of Odivelas, Lisbon in their engagement portrait

Romantic Engagement Portrait: Couple's Laughter Radiates Through the Streets of Odivelas, Lisbon

couple laughing stroll traditional wear sunshine Odivelas Engagement Photography Odivelas Lisbon

At Burg Reichenstein, the bride sits on rocks in the sunshine, her dress cascading below her, during a portrait session on her wedding day at the castle.

ROYALTY ON THE ROCKS: WEDDING DAY GLORY AT BURG REICHENSTEIN

Burg Reichenstein Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland Palatinate Bridal Portrait sunshine cascading dress sitting on rocks

Couple celebrates their engagement in NYC by basking in the sunshine of Central Park on a big rock near the trees

New York Couple's Central Park Engagement: Basking in Sunshine on a Big Rock near the Trees

NYC couple portrait big rock sitting on rock clouds and sky New York City - Metro sunshine NY Central Park

A couple is smiling in the sunshine of Montpellier, France, while the woman is being given a piggyback ride

Montpellier, France: Couple smiling in the sunshine while woman receives piggyback ride

piggyback ride Montpellier sunshine couple smiling Montpellier PreWedding Session Occitanie

A couple in Centre-Val de Loire smiles and hugs in the sunshine amongst a poppy field

Centre-Val de Loire: Smiling couple embraces in romantic poppy field during sunny day

sunshine Centre-Val de Loire hugs smiles Centre Val de Loire Engaged Couple Poppy field

The couple had their engagement session in U Street, DC, with creative photography showcasing an urban vibe with street art and sunshine

U Street, DC Engagement Session - Capturing Creative Urban Vibes with Street Art & Sunshine

DC engagement session sunshine street art Washington DC urban vibes U Street

This documentary-style wedding picture captures many emotional moments in one frame, with hugs at the end of the ceremony at Domaine de Conseillant in Aquitaine, France

At Domaine de Conseillant in Aquitaine, France, an emotional documentary-style wedding photo is captured of hugs at the end of the ceremony

Domaine de Conseillant Aquitaine Emotional moments sunshine Cubzac les Ponts Gironde Gironde Wedding Photography

The couple had an engagement session walking in the sunshine of California for their save-the-date wedding announcement picture

California Engagement Session: Couple Walking in Sunshine for Wedding Announcement Image

sunshine California Save the Date California engagement session couple walking Northern California

The couple ran together in the afternoon sunlight in Kashmir, India, with the trees illuminated around them for their save-the-date wedding announcement picture

Kashmir, India: Couple running in afternoon sunlight, trees lit for their wedding announcement picture

Kashmir Engagement Photography afternoon sunlight India couple running trees Kashmir sunshine

This Oakland couple's prewedding photoshoot included an engagement portrait of them walking hand in hand through tall, dry grass, capturing the beauty and joy of their relationship

Oakland: Prewedding photoshoot captured couple's beauty, joy in tall, dry grass

Hand in hand California - Northern sunshine dry grass Oakland engagement photography Oakland

A happy couple is embracing in Epping Forest, UK, as they eagerly await their upcoming wedding

In Epping Forest, UK, a loving, engaged couple is joyfully in love, embracing in anticipation of their nuptials

Essex UK Epping Forest Engagement sunshine London Epping Forest embracing

The couple, elated to be celebrating their engagement at Nantucket Sound, MA, are about to embark on the next step of their journey together, as they pose for a lifestyle engagement photoshoot on their boat and toast the occasion with champagne

The elated engaged couple toasting their love on a boat at Nantucket Sound, MA, embark on the journey of forever together

sunshine boat Nantucket Nantucket Sound on the water Nantucket Engagement Photography MA

A portrait of couple during a pre-wedding session shows them in Princeton, smiling in the sunshine while holding a sprig between their faces

In Princeton's sunshine, a couple smiles while holding a sprig between their faces in a lifestyle portrait

profiles sunshine Princeton smiles sprig Princeton Engagement Photography

The engaged couple enjoyed a lifestyle pre-wedding portrait at Reedy Park in Greenville, SC, with the sun shining down on them as he kissed her shoulder from their spot atop the stone wall forty feet up

In Greenville, SC's Reedy Park, the sun shone on the engaged couple atop a stone wall as he kissed her shoulder

sitting on wall park engagement Greenville Engagement Photography South Carolina kissing shoulder Reedy Park Greenville

The engaged couple embraced in the sunshine of Parc de la tête d'or, Lyon, for their pre-wedding lifestyle portrait

In Lyon's Parc de la tête d'or, the engaged couple embraced in sunshine for a lifestyle session

Lyon park setting Lyon engagement photography sitting in grass sunshine Parc de la Tete dOr

The couple is captured in a lifestyle engagement portrait, sitting on the steps in the sunshine after a walk in the vineyards of Franciacorta near Iseo Lake in Italia

Iseo Lake, Italia: Couple captured in sunshine sitting on wood steps after vineyard walk

sitting on steps sunshine Italy Lombardy Franciacorta Franciacorta Engagement Photographer Iseo Lake

A Princeton portrait of an engaged couple shading their faces from the sun with her hand

The couple, soon to be married, are captured in a tender portrait session, shielding their faces from the sun with her hand

shading faces kiss on head New Jersey Princeton Engagement Photography blocking sun Princeton sunshine

The Florida sunshine bathes the bride and groom in its warm glow as they pose for outdoor portraits

The radiant bride and groom were graced with the warmth of sunshine

sunshine Florida FL Chicago photographer chicago couple portrait warm glow

A couple is enjoying the sun with their eyes closed, cheek to cheek, in a black and white frame in Fleurance, Gers, France for a lifestyle portrait

A black and white photo of an engaged couple enjoying the sun cheek to cheek with their eyes closed

Fleurance eyes closed sunshine black and white check to check Gers Gers engagement photography

On their wedding day, the couple posed for a portrait session while sitting on a stone wall in the breeze, with sunshine and sunglasses, at the Bademli Bahce Hotel in Sogut, Marmaris, Turkey

At Bademli Bahce Hotel in Sogut, Marmaris, Turkey, the couple posed for a wedding portrait in the sunshine with sunglasses

Marmaris breeze Turkey Sogut sunshine sunglasses Bademli Bahce Hotel

The newlyweds experienced a magical confetti moment outside San Giusto Cathedral, Trieste, Italy, as the excited bride and cringing groom got showered in the sunshine

The newlyweds gleefully embraced their confetti moment outside as the bride beamed with joy and the groom cringed in anticipation

Trieste Italy confetti trieste photographer church exit San Giusto Cathedral sunshine

A romantic session in Altamura, Italy for a lifestyle portrait featuring a flare and embracing the sunshine

A romantic portrait of a couple embracing in the sunshine with a flare effect

sunshine Altamura flare effect Bari couple Bari Engagement Photographer Bari sun flare

The bride and groom share a romantic kiss in the sunshine while holding hands at the Ferghettina winery vineyard in Adro, Italy

The couple exchanged a tender kiss in the radiant sunshine, signifying their everlasting devotion

romantic kiss Adro Photographer Ferghettina Winery vineyard winery Adro IT Ferghettina Di Gatti Roberto

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

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

The couple had their session in Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the reception venue, where she kissed him, while he held her flowers and the sunshine shone from behind

In Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, the couple kissed during their portrait session at the reception venue, in the sunshine

couple kissing France Biarritz Photographer Biarritz Southwestern France flowers Basque Coast

The sun shines brightly at the Trocadero Clubhouse in San Francisco, as two flower girls smile at each other before walking down the aisle for an outdoor wedding

Two flower girls smiled at each other in the sunshine as they walked down the aisle for an outdoor wedding

flower girls aisle San Francisco photographer Trocadero Clubhouse grass San Francisco SF outdoor ceremony

The bride and groom posed in traditional attire on the steps of Assiniboine Park in Canada, basking in the sunshine of their ceremony location

The bride and groom basked in the sunshine of their ceremony location while posing in traditional attire on the steps

Winnipeg Photographer Winnipeg traditional attire sitting on steps Assiniboine Park Manitoba sunshine

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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.