Your wedding photos will hold the memory of your wedding for years to come. They should reflect you and your spouse as a couple, and they should stand the test of time. When you flip through your wedding album a week, a month, or years after your wedding, your photos should take you back to that day-- all the anticipation, excitement, and joy. How you capture your special day is important, so here are some tips and ideas for getting your best wedding photos.

1. Before or after the ceremony?

The question of whether you and your spouse-to-be should take pictures before or after you exchange matching wedding bands is a tricky one. A lot of couples highly anticipate the moment when the groom sees the bride walking down the aisle for the first time. For this reason alone, many couples choose to do their wedding photos after the ceremony. However, there are a lot of benefits to doing it before the ceremony: 1. The lighting is likely to be better; 2. The bride's makeup will be fresh; 3. You won't keep your guests waiting as long between the ceremony and the reception. If you're considering taking your photos before the ceremony, but you want that special "first look" moment, consider setting a private one up before you take photos. This way, you aren't sharing your "first look" moment with tons of other people, and it can be captured better via camera.

2. Getting ready.

Some of the most fun and touching wedding shots are candids between the bride and the bridesmaids, as well as between the groom and the groomsmen. If you're the bride, consider having the photographer in the room while you're getting your makeup and hair done, having a glass of champagne with your bridesmaids, and just generally spending time with special people in your life. If you're the groom, consider having the photographer document your last moments as a bachelor with your groomsmen and other important gentlemen in your life.

3. Ten must-have photos.

Here are 10 photos to be sure your photographer gets: 

1. The bride next to her hanging wedding dress

2. The bride's mother helping her zip up her wedding dress

3.  The wedding dress next to a bridesmaid's dress

4.  The bride fixing her hair/looking at herself in the mirror

5.  A close-up of the rings

6.  The bride with her bridesmaids

7.  The groom with his groomsmen

8.  The groom while waiting for the bride

9.  The groom when he sees the bride for the first time

10. Your first kiss as husband and wife

4. Trust your photographer.

It's likely that your wedding photographer has been shooting weddings for a long time. With that said, trust the photographer! If she stages a photo that seems awkward or silly, go with it! It very well might produce your favorite photo from your wedding. 

5. Get photos from guests.

Finally, consider a way for your guests to contribute wedding photos. A lot of people have been using hashtags on Instagram to keep up with photos their guests post on the photo sharing app. Some couples leave out disposable camera on tables at the reception so that guests can capture photos that way. Who knows, maybe a guest-captured photo will be one of your best wedding photos!

Browse our matching wedding bands before your photographer takes pictures of your rings.