Pictures are worth a thousand words and wedding photos are so important as they give you a permanent reminder of one of the happiest days of your life. When you’ve spent so long choosing the dress and making yourself beautiful, the images must be great quality and capture the spirit of the day, as well as have the classic group shots.

Because we know that great pictures don’t happen by chance, here are our tips to creating a stunning wedding that will look its best in the pictures and having the right team to get the perfect pictures –

Invest in an excellent wedding photographer – Not all photographers are equal, so if you want great pictures, you need a great photographer. Not only do they need to be skilled at photography, make sure you choose someone who has a style that you connect with, whether that’s glossy and stylised, natural reportage style, or fun and quirky, check their portfolios and make sure you’re clear they fit with what you want.

Choose a stunning location and venue 

Dress your set – Think of your wedding venue like a movie set and make sure it is dressed properly with accessories and lighting to really bring out the magic. Flowers, candles, fairy lights and personal touches such as photos incorporated into the design make your wedding unique and give so many interesting and beautiful elements to come out in your photography.

Use your guests – Now that everyone has phones with cameras, ask your guests to take pictures and share them on a dedicated Facebook page or Instagram account for candid shots from the day and moments you may have missed. Also consider setting up a fun photo booth area where guests can pose with props and have a laugh creating some brilliant images. Make sure you give them instructions where to share those images, or instruct your photographer to keep an eye out.

Practice your Photo Face – This sounds a bit silly, but if you don’t feel natural in front of the camera, or have a tendency to pull funny faces or have your eyes closed, then practice posing for the camera until you get something you like and can repeat on demand. How do you think the celebrities always look so great in photos? Trust me, they don’t leave it up to chance!