Outdoor weddings are an especially enchanting way to celebrate your love. Whether you dream of saying, “I do” beside a glistening lake under the sun or in an orange-tinted forest in fall, the serenity and natural beauty of being outside offer a dreamy atmosphere that indoor venues can seldom match.

However, capturing the beauty of your outdoor wedding requires some planning and consideration. Here, we run through some key things to remember to ensure your snapshots are as stunning as the event itself.

Work with your photographer

Naturally, if you hire a professional wedding photographer, they will know how to capture the best of your venue and set-up. But that doesn’t mean you should leave it all up to them and not discuss your goals or visions. Working with your photographer and expressing the style and types of photos you are imagining will go a long way to helping them create your dream wedding album. Good communication is the key to successful wedding photography.

It’s important to research your options, as you may find that you don’t want a traditional wedding photo package and would like to discuss more creative options. Some photos require drones or higher vantage points, which also means different lenses – so your photographer will need the opportunity to plan in advance.

Capture your theme

Often, the theme a couple chooses for their wedding holds some sentimental or special meaning for them both. Perhaps you’re opting for a retro theme due to your shared love of a certain era, or maybe you’re crafting a beautifully green, eco-friendly wedding to help protect the planet and demonstrate your love for the natural world.

Ask your photographer to purposefully include elements of your theme in your photographs, to ensure that it lives on once the night has drawn to a close. One of the best aspects of an outdoor wedding is the abundance of natural lighting and decor. Trees can create a shady canopy, flowers add pops of colour and vibrancy, and wide open spaces offer beautiful depth to your photos. Be sure to encourage your guests to interact with the environment to offer plenty of opportunities to your photographer – walking through gardens, smelling flowers, sitting by the lake or standing under the trees can create intimate, candid moments for your wedding album. 

Request sunset and evening shots

If you’re planning on partying under the stars outdoors, be sure to let your photographer know. They’re sure to have some wonderful ideas on how to use the setting sun to create some dramatic and romantic images of you and your guests.

Fairy lights, lanterns and other kinds of outdoor lighting help to create a cosy atmosphere, but your photographer will likely need to bring some additional equipment to help them get high-quality images in low-light settings – so it’s important to communicate your plans for your set-up and photography goals with them. Sparkler shots are a really fun way to get a great shot of you and all your guests laughing – try having them hold up their sparklers like a tunnel for you and your partner to walk under.