Engagement and pre-wedding photo ideasNineteen shots, and how to get them.

Golden hour · the Lumière look

Six ideas for golden hour.

The hour before sunset does half the work: low, warm light, soft shadows and a glow behind the hair and veil. Put the sun behind or beside you, never in your faces.

1. 

   01

   Through a soft foreground

   Shoot through something out of focus: leaves, a balustrade, the edge of a lamp post. He stands behind her, forehead to her temple, and she laughs with her eyes half closed. A long lens, around 105mm, keeps the faces large and the background soft.

   Shot in Rome

2. 

   02

   The walk

   Hand in hand, walking toward the camera, full length, with the place around you. Walk slower than feels natural and talk to each other, not to the lens.

   Shot in Paris

3. 

   03

   Over the shoulder

   Shot over his shoulder while she straightens his bow tie. You get her face, his silhouette and a reason to laugh.

   Shot in New York

4. 

   04

   The detail

   Laced hands on warm stone with the bouquet and the veil, faces out of the frame. Every album needs one quiet picture.

   Shot in Paris

5. 

   05

   The kiss against the sun

   A forehead kiss in near profile with the low sun behind you. Let it flare into the lens: it lowers the contrast and makes the frame feel remembered rather than posed.

   Shot in Bali

6. 

   06

   The look back

   She leans on a parapet and glances back over her shoulder at him. The easiest way to a real expression: he says something only she can hear.

   Shot in Rome

Night and rain · the Noir look

Six ideas for a night in the rain.

Black and white forgives everything and flatters everyone. Shoot after rain, when the cobbles mirror the lamps, and let one side of each face fall into shadow.

1. 

   07

   Under one umbrella

   A street lamp behind you turns the falling rain into silver streaks and rims her veil with light. He holds the umbrella; she holds his lapel and laughs up at him.

   Shot in London

2. 

   08

   The long street, from above

   Climb a few stairs and shoot down the length of a wet street: the two of you small, walking away arm in arm, your shadows stretching back from a single lamp.

   Shot in London

3. 

   09

   The stolen kiss

   From across the street, mid-stride: he pulls her in and kisses her cheek. One blurred passer-by in the foreground makes it feel caught, not staged.

   Shot in Venice

4. 

   10

   His jacket

   From inside a dark archway looking out: he drapes his jacket over her shoulders, backlit by the lamp. The arch frames the picture for you.

   Shot in Prague

5. 

   11

   Hands only

   Looking down: his hand holding hers, rain on skin and cuff, the silk and the veil on the wet cobbles. No faces and no bodies, just the two hands.

   Shot in London

6. 

   12

   The lamp post

   Over his shoulder, his dark shoulder filling a third of the frame: she leans back on an iron lamp post with a slow half smile, the light raking across her face.

   Shot in Venice

Daylight in motion · the Mouvement look

Six ideas for a bright morning.

Soft, even daylight and something moving: a veil, a skirt, the two of you. A slightly slow shutter blurs the silk and keeps the faces sharp enough.

1. 

   13

   Wind in the veil

   Through soft foreground leaves, the wind lifting the veil, both laughing to camera. A very long, light veil is the single best prop you can bring.

   Shot in Santorini

2. 

   14

   The spin

   A wide frame in a big open space: she spins and the veil draws an arc. Stand far back and let the place be part of the picture.

   Shot on the Amalfi Coast

3. 

   15

   The run down the stairs

   Running down a grand staircase toward the camera, hand in hand. Do it three times: the second take is usually the one.

   Shot in Santorini

4. 

   16

   Her hand pulling his

   A detail: her hand pulling his, the veil streaming behind, faces out of the frame. It says where you are going.

   Shot in Lake Como

5. 

   17

   Wrapped in the veil

   Close, a kiss on the cheek with the veil wrapped around you both. Soft daylight, real creases in the silk, nothing arranged.

   Shot on the Amalfi Coast

6. 

   18

   Down the allée

   Walking away down an avenue of trees or a garden path while she looks back. The natural last frame before the ring.

   Shot in Lake Como

The last frame

Nineteen: the ring.

What to wear

Clean lines photograph best.

• Plain silk over lace. A clean ivory silk crepe gown with thin straps catches light beautifully. Lace, beading and sequins turn into noise on camera.
• A long, light veil. It is the one prop that works in every look: glowing at sunset, catching the lamps at night, flying in the morning wind.
• A black tuxedo for him. It anchors every frame, in colour or in black and white, and gives you the jacket-over-her-shoulders shot for free.
• Flat shoes in the bag. Cobbles, stairs and gravel allées are where the best frames are. Change for the close-ups.

When to shoot

Light first, location second.

• The hour before sunset for warm, soft colour. In most cities it is also when the famous places are at their busiest, so arrive early.
• Sunrise for empty landmarks. It is the only hour Trocadéro, the Spanish Steps or the Charles Bridge are yours.
• Just after rain, at night for black and white. Wet cobbles double every lamp, and the streets clear.

Choosing the city? See real shoots in Paris, Rome, Santorini, London and sixteen more. Married already? Try our anniversary photoshoot ideas.