The Right Match

Before any photos are taken on your day in white, the first step is to find a wedding photographer that will be able to achieve your vision. “It’s super important that a couple have really checked out the work of any photographer they speak with – and make sure they love the style of work they produce,” Aszodi explains. Arrange a few appointments and ‘try before you buy’ by checking out a range of photographers’ portfolios. Finding the right photographer isn’t just about how skilled they are, but also whether they’ll be able to capture the mood and shots you’re after too.

For Aszodi, the key shots required from a wedding day include pre-ceremony bridal portraits, highlights from the ceremony such as the ring exchange and first kiss, post-ceremony bridal portraits, and creative shots taken throughout the day that create a story. In order to check off all of these important shots, Aszodi flags that your wedding photographer will be “third wheeling for a massive chunk of the day, so if they don’t make you feel relaxed and happy, it will affect your overall wedding experience”.

“Choose your photographer carefully,” Aszodi affirms, “find someone that you both click with, whose company you enjoy… then you won’t have to even think about being nervous – you will have trust in the person you have chosen and feel at ease around them.”

Informally Formal

A growingly popular wedding photo trend is to frame candid moments; the couple and their guests looking natural rather than staged to portray a sincere representation of the event. This can be a little harder to achieve during the traditional post-ceremony bridal shoot, which typically involves the couple with their groomsmen and bridesmaids posing in both couple and group shots. The wedding photographer directs this shoot, and they should have a few tricks up their sleeve to get those candid-looking images, even while pointing a camera at you.

“I never want my couples to have memories of a photoshoot,” Aszodi says. “When they think back on their day, I want them to remember having a laugh and hanging out with their mates in the bridal party, then decompressing and taking a second with their partner to rationalise the fact that they have just gotten married!” If you’ve done your research and found a photographer you feel comfortable around, evoking a relaxed rather than stilted stance to achieve those candid snaps will be a lot easier. However, for some brides and grooms, relaxing before a camera is a challenge, no matter how comfortable they are with the person standing behind it. Aszodi has solutions for this too. “I focus on getting the couple to interact with each other – then, if I have to, distract them with tasks together, so they forget I’m even there!”

“When the whole bridal party is involved it is a little trickier to keep them all engaged in what we are trying to achieve… but a couple of cheeky games help!” Aszodi continues. “My personal fave is to give them a couple of bottles of sparkling to spray around – it is impossible not to get swept into the fun of that!”

Props are a great way to help couples loosen up. You can take it one step further and bring your furry friends along too – after all, a family portrait wouldn’t be the same without them. “… I love it when couples have their doggie, cause it is so easy for them to focus on giving the animal a little love and attention – and that makes for a great shot!” Aszodi says. “As for other props – sunglasses, jackets, et cetera – I think as long as the couple really own what they are doing and have fun with it, it will look authentic and awesome.”

If the camera is your friend and you’re hoping to sneak in a few slightly more posed shots, that’s not a problem either. Aszodi suggests that “anything with movement” is the way to go. “I like to find a spot in nice light, then get the couple to walk or move in some way.” Taking your new spouse’s hand, walking towards the horizon then looking back over your shoulder is a classic move that won’t go astray on your wedding day – plus