So you’re getting married (congratulations!) and looking online for nontraditional wedding photos inspo for your wedding photography? I freaking got you.
Because, as a wedding photographer known for her colorful, nontraditional wedding photography style, I’ve got a ton of tips (and examples!) of ways you can make your wedding photos uniquely your own.
After all, you and your partner aren’t traditional people, so why the hell should your wedding photos be anything but as nontraditional and cool as you?
Check out the pictures below for some tips and inspiration on nontraditional wedding photography for your big day!
Bring Your Pet To Your Wedding
Let’s be honest, our pets are our best friends and there is no reason they should be left out of your big day. Whether you have a hoard of furry friends, or one that’s been with you from the start, having them there will make your day extra special.
Don’t have any younger relatives to be your ring bearer? Have your dog step in. They are sure to be smiling ear to ear as they trot down the aisle toward you (and may even stop on the way to get some pets).
There are even some states where you don’t need a witness to get married and instead your pet can put their paw print on the marriage license. However your pet is involved in the wedding, you are sure to get some memorable and nontraditional wedding photograpy that will make your day even more special!
Take Fun, Nontraditional Wedding Photos With Drinks
Drinks (either alcoholic or non-alcoholic) are at every single wedding. While many people overlook them, they can help bring a light and fun element to your pictures. These can be a pre-wedding drink with your wedding party, a toast with you and your wedding guests, or a first shotgun with your new spouse.
Having some sort of drink in your hand can help make you feel more comfortable too, and feel like you have to pose a little less which will help your true personality shine through. You can even take some super cool, nontraditional photos of any specialty drinks you have during your cocktail hour!
Get Artsy With It
There are a lot of cool elements you can add to your wedding pictures (during the shoot or while editing) to really make your pictures stand out. Some of my favorite things to do are to use smoke bombs, play with the shutter speed, and add a double exposure effect to your wedding pictures.
These effects, and other editing techniques, can help enhance your photos and even add more of a moody and mysterious feel to your photos(which is especially cool if you have a spooky halloween wedding). These types of nontraditional wedding photos are some of my favorites, as they tend to be ridiculously unique!
Document Your Guests Having a Blast At the Reception
Some of the best moments from your wedding that will make for the most natural, nontraditional wedding photos? Your guests just doing their thing during the reception.
Which isn’t something you can exactly plan for, but it is something a wedding photographer (like me!) will naturally capture if they have a documentary-style approach to wedding photography!
And trust me, photos of your college friends breaking out the cigars…. Or all of your wedding guests jumping in the pool. Or your family being absolute goofballs… Those aren’t just non-traditional wedding photos, they’re iconic and will have you and your partner in your feels when you look back.
Capture Candid Dance Floor Moves
Dance floor photography deserves a whole-ass section of its own because when your DJ hits play on favorite songs that you and your favorite peeps can’t help but dance to? Your wedding photographer should be right there to capture the madness. Playing classics like the Macarena, the Electric Slide, or the Wobble makes for great nontraditional wedding photography as all of your guests get up and dance together.
(P.S. I’m a sucker for dance floor photos, they are on my must-have photos list because they’re some of the most fun, nontraditional wedding pictures to take and look back on, and they show so much personality.)
Another fun way to liven up the dance floor is to break out props, which help relax you and your guests and get genuine smiles out of everyone.
You don’t have to spend a ton of money on props and can even just go to your local dollar store or party store and grab some oversized glasses, plastic hats, and confetti poppers for you and your guests to use. Or, you can make your props a little more personalized and get things like signs for your guests to hold with your names on them, the date of your wedding, or anything else to commemorate your special day.
Incorporate Fun Themes At Your Wedding
Having a theme for your wedding can take your special day to the next level, add some much more personality, and make for some unforgettable nontraditional wedding photography.
(One of my wedding photography couples did a pop art-inspired wedding photo shoot and the pictures came out absolutely stunning. These nontraditional wedding photos were so vibrant, and even the photos of the setup were eye-catching.)
You can even get your guests in on it and have everyone come dressed to match your theme. I mean who wouldn’t want a Gatsby themed wedding where everyone looks like they are in the peak of the Roaring 20s?
Use Nontraditional Wedding Colors
Everyone knows that most couples choose the same wedding colors. White, black, and green. Or maybe white, black, and pastel. BUT, you should know that when it comes to your wedding colors, you don’t have to follow anyone else’s vibe. Choose whatever the hell you want.
I love when couples choose a more nontraditional color palette and these weddings have resulted in some pretty amazing pictures.
One of my favorite weddings I’ve ever photographed was a nontraditional wedding where the couple opted for a darker and moodier color palette. The bride even had a dark navy colored dress instead of the traditional white. Even though we took some of the traditional pictures (like Ashley and the wedding party) the colors made the wedding photos feel completely different from any other wedding.
We even got to play with some cool elements like a green smoke behind them to elevate their wedding pictures even more. The results were moody and mysterious nontraditional wedding photos unlike any other.
Have an Outdoor Reception Dance Floor
While this may not be an option all year round, I absolutely love an outdoor dance floor. There is nothing better than celebrating your nuptials dancing the night away under the stars. You can also add some string lights to light up the dance floor once it gets dark.
An outdoor dance floor gives you some more room and lets you and your guests let loose a little more and enjoy themselves without being cramped in a small space.
They can also give you the chance to end the night on a magical note with fireworks. Whether it’s with handheld sparklers or a full-on fireworks display, you’re sure to get some perfect, nontraditional wedding photos.
Let Loose Before The Ceremony
Getting married can be stressful, especially in the hours leading up to you and your partner saying I do. One of my favorite things to do with my couples is to try to get the wedding parties on both sides to let some of that anxious energy out and just have fun with their closest friends.
Surprise group hugs. Having your wedding party toss you up in the air. Doing a reveal to your wedding party and then icing them (you know, where you hand them a Smirnoff Ice that rules demand they immediately chug?). All of those are awesome ways to bring some laughter and fun into your pre-ceremony wedding pictures and bring out your and your peeps’ true personalities.
Looking for a Nontraditional Wedding Photographer?
Hiii, I’m Kylee, and hopefully, after browsing this blog post, you can tell them I’m down for fun, weird, colorful, and cool weddings and couples.
Whether you opt for a unique color scheme, props that everyone can pose with, or if you just go out and have the time of your life on the dance floor, I’d love to capture some amazing nontraditional wedding photos that will last you a lifetime.
If that’s what you’re looking for, let’s chat.
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