Wedding Photos of Getting ready

The following “Getting ready” 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 “Getting ready” 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 Turkey bridal portrait of the beautiful bride at the Bodrum Swiss Hotel as she is getting ready in front of the mirrors

A Florence elegant wedding day detail picture created while the bride shows her wedding rings during the getting ready

Italy Florence wedding rings getting ready bw Tuscany bride florence wedding

Château de Dangu artistic wedding photography style in an image in France showing the Groom getting ready in BW

Chateau de Dangu France French wedding photography bw Jean Baptiste Chauvin getting ready France groom

Hesse artistic wedding photography style in an image from the hotel during the Getting ready event

style hesse wedding photography Hesse hotel Germany getting ready

An extraordinary Hesse wedding image from Germany brides home as she is getting ready and putting on her basketball shoes

basketball shoes shoes tying shoes bw Hesse converse

Washington DC wedding reportage photojournalist created this image as two groomsmen play chess while the groom is getting ready

Johnny Shryock dc wedding photojournalist groomsmen groom DC Washington DC chess

An exceptional Santa Barbara wedding image by a pro California photographer exhibiting a woman gets her makeup applied

Santa Barbara wedding image California photographer makeup California Dress hanging Santa Barbara

Boston wedding documentary photographer created this image at the AC Marriott showing A bride is reflected after getting ready on her wedding day

reflected Boston wedding documentary Boston wedding day AC Marriott Boston photographer bride

A beautiful Vergennes, Vermont documentary wedding photography example from Basin Harbor Club showing the Bride and bridesmaids getting ready

bride Basin Harbor Club venue getting ready bridesmaids Vermont Vergennes Basin Harbor Club

Best South Berwick, Maine documentary wedding picture from the Red Barn at Outlook Farm showing a Bridesmaid getting help down after getting vail off of window

getting help South Berwick Simi Rabinowitz Red Barn at Outlook Farm South Berwick bride getting ready Outlook Farm

A dramatic Sedona, Arizona documentary wedding photography example from Sky Ranch Lodge showing the Groom checks time while getting ready

groom Sedona wedding Sky Ranch Lodge wedding venue getting ready AZ photography checks time

Best Beijing documentary wedding photojournalism image from Getting ready as The bride is making up and her mother is crying

mother Beijing wedding photojournalism making up bride getting ready Beijing crying

An exceptional Luebeck wedding image by a pro German photographer exhibiting a bridesmaid getting ready as the brides dress is still hanging

bridesmaid German getting ready German photographer dress hanging

Best Rockville, Maryland documentary wedding picture from Glenview Mansion showing Bridesmaids getting ready while waiting on the couple

Waiting Maryland Glenview Mansion Glenview Mansion venue getting ready Rockville MD Rockville

A top Caminha wedding photographer captured this picture of a young girl with a door and shoes

Caminha wedding photographer kids getting ready door Daniel Monteiro shoes Children

Best Ridgway documentary wedding picture from Colorado showing The bride getting her final details put on before heading to first look

Colorado before first look getting ready colorado bride Ridgway CO final details

Zgierz wedding documentary photographer created this image of a Poland Bridesmaid helping the bride put on the veil

bw bride getting ready Poland Bridesmaid Zgierz wedding photographer Poland bride Zgierz

Best Lodz documentary wedding picture from Poland showing the quiet Getting ready session

Poland Poland bride getting ready Lodz documentary wedding Lodz

An extraordinary North Yorkshire wedding image by a professional UK photographer at the Raven Hall conveying The bridal party leaving their getting ready location to walk to the ceremony in the rain, with umbrellas going up

rain North Yorkshire leaving UK Photographer Patrick Mateer North Yorkshire wedding image Raven Hall venue

Northumberland wedding reportage photojournalist created this image at the Doxford Barns in England as The bride cries as she reads a card from her bridesmaid during the getting ready stage

England Patrick Mateer Northumberland cries reads bride card

A top Istanbul wedding photographer captured this picture at the Wyndham Kalamis showing the Grooms mother is watching carefully the getting ready

getting ready grooms mother istanbul wedding photographer Turkey Istanbul watching Nilufer Nalbantoglu

Lyon wedding reportage photographer captured this moment as the couple is getting ready with some help

Lyon couple Bride getting dressed lyon wedding reportage Sebastien Clavel getting ready Lyon photographer Lyon

Best Paris documentary wedding picture of The Groom and his friend getting ready

Paris documentary wedding Paris France getting ready friend groom

An elegant Chittenden, Vermont documentary wedding photography example from the Mountain Top Inn showing a bridesmaid getting the veil ready for the bride

veil Vermont getting ready Vermont wedding photography Chittenden bride Chittenden

Yonne, Burgundy wedding day bridal portrait at Chateau de Vallery showing the bride relaxed during getting ready

getting ready burgundy wedding Yonne bride France shadows Chateau de Vallery weddings wood floor

Best La Defense documentary wedding photography from Hôtel MGallery Nest showing the The Groom takes a breath and drinks before getting ready

breath groom Hôtel MGallery Nest La Défense drinks La Defense documentary wedding Hôtel MGallery Nest getting ready

A black and white Stowe, Vermont documentary wedding picture from Edson Hill Farm of the Bride and her mom getting ready with a really tender moment

Edson Hill Farm black and white Vermont Vermont documentary Edson Hill Stowe mom

Best Versailles documentary wedding picture showing the Bride breastfeeding while getting ready

France Versailles breastfeeding Versailles documentary wedding bride getting ready

A black and white Occitanie documentary wedding picture of the bride getting ready with her sister and mom

Ludovic Lieffrig Occitanie documentary wedding Occitanie mom sister black and white getting ready

Best Brooklyn documentary wedding picture from New York City showing the birdal party getting ready in style

Brooklyn Brooklyn documentary wedding New York City style getting ready New York City wedding

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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.