Time to mix things up. Forget the stiff formal shots — these are the bridesmaid photos that actually make you laugh when you look back at them, and every one of them is something I do at real weddings rather than something I found on Pinterest.
I have put the how as well as the what against each one, because most of these live or die on a small detail: where everyone looks, who says the daft thing, how much room you leave. Get that bit right and they work on anybody.
First, the practical bit
How long do bridesmaid photos take? Fifteen to twenty minutes is plenty for the fun ones, on top of the five minutes the formal group shot takes. If someone has told you to set aside an hour for bridal party photos, that hour is mostly people being fetched from the bar.
When in the day? Straight after the ceremony and confetti is the sweet spot — everyone is together, everyone is buzzing, and nobody has wandered off yet. Golden hour is worth a second, shorter trip outside later on.
Who holds what? Nominate one person for bouquets and one for handbags and phones before we start. Sounds trivial. Saves about five minutes every single time.
And tell me which ones you want. Send me two or three from this list beforehand and I will build them into the timeline. The worst version of this is remembering at 9pm that you wanted the can-can shot.
Fun Bridesmaid Photo Ideas
The Walk & Talk
Simple but always effective. Link arms, walk towards me, chat and giggle — and sneak in a little “look at your favourite” moment for some natural reactions.
The trick is to give you something to talk about. I usually ask the bridesmaids to tell the bride the most embarrassing thing she has ever done, which gets a real reaction rather than a posed one. Walk slower than feels natural, keep a gap between you so the dresses show, and do it three times — the third pass is always the best one because everyone has stopped thinking about their feet.
The “OMG She’s Beautiful!” Pose
Light-hearted fun with a touch of dramatic silliness — perfect for over-the-top reactions and laughter.
Bride in front, bridesmaids behind, hands on faces, and the brief is simply: overdo it. The reason this one works so reliably is that everybody knows it is a joke, so nobody is self-conscious — and about two seconds after the fake reaction you get the real one. That is the frame I am actually waiting for.
The Drop
Always a winner for laughs — especially if the wedding dress makes moving a bit tricky!
The bridesmaids drop to their knees as the bride walks towards them, arms up, full theatre. Two things make it: the bride walking in rather than standing still, so there is movement, and everyone dropping at the same moment rather than in a Mexican wave. Count it in out loud. It is also the single best one for a lawn or a wide gravel drive where there is room to be daft.
The Back
Perfect when everyone’s already lined up — a beautiful way to show off the dresses and bouquets from behind.
This is the one people do not think to ask for and then love. Backs of dresses are where the detail usually is — the ties, the buttons, the drape — and a line of them walking away with a view in front is a properly elegant frame. Works especially well with a mismatched or multiway set, because the differences read clearly from behind. More on getting those right in my bridesmaid dress inspiration guide.
The Sass
Bring out the attitude! Striking, confident, and full of personality.
Hands on hips, chin up, nobody smiling — which of course means everyone is smiling within four seconds, and both versions are worth having. I shoot this one slightly from below, because it makes everyone look taller and gives it the magazine feel it is going for.
The Can-Can
Legs up, laughter out — a classic for maximum giggles!
Link arms properly, hold on tight, and do it on flat ground — grass with a slope has ended more can-cans than I can count. Best done in shoes you can actually move in, which for most bridesmaids by this point in the day means barefoot, and honestly that makes it funnier.
Bouquets Up
A brilliant alternative to the standard line-up, and it takes about ten seconds.
Everyone raises their bouquets above their heads at once. It fills the top of the frame with the flowers you paid for, it gets everybody looking up and laughing, and it turns a straight row of people into something with real energy. Works standing or with the bride sat in the middle.
Look at the Ring!
The bride flashes her new wedding ring while the bridesmaids go wild with excitement — a must-have moment!
Get the hand high and near the faces rather than down by the waist, otherwise the ring disappears in the photograph. Bridesmaids crowd in and react. Cheesy, completely knowing, and one of the shots most brides tell me afterwards they are glad they have.
The Bouquet Toss — girls only
Not the whole-room version, just your bridesmaids.
Everyone bunched together and genuinely trying to catch it makes for far better photographs than the polite formal toss. Faces do extraordinary things when a bouquet is in the air. Give me a countdown so I am on the right group rather than on you.
Champagne Sprays
A fun bridesmaid favourite for chaos and emotion! (Best saved for after dinner to avoid outfit disasters.)
Two practical notes from having photographed a few: warm the bottle in the sun for a minute if you want a decent spray, and point it away from anybody in silk. Outside, with the light behind the spray, is where it looks best — backlighting turns the fizz into something you can actually see.
Heart Sunglasses and Props
A bag of cheap sunglasses is the best five pounds you will spend on your wedding photographs.
Heart-shaped, oversized, whatever — hand them out and the whole group relaxes instantly, because they are looking at each other rather than at a camera. The same works for a sign, a bottle, a disposable camera. Anything to hold takes the awkwardness out of a group who do not know what to do with their hands.
Simple Steps
Not too crazy, but a group shot on the steps always adds a touch of elegance beyond the standard lineup.
Steps do the work of arranging everyone for you — you get height, a proper composition and nobody hidden at the back. Spread out more than feels right, and sit as well as stand so it is not one flat rank.
Golden Hour
Golden hour isn’t just for couple portraits — bring in the bridesmaids for some dreamy, glowing shots too!
The last hour before sunset is worth stealing ten minutes of your evening for. It usually falls somewhere around the end of the meal, so it is easy to slip out for. Backlit, dresses catching the light, everyone slightly drunk and completely relaxed — these are consistently some of my favourite frames of any wedding.
The Dance Floor
The photographs nobody plans and everybody loves.
You do not pose this one. I just stay on the floor with a slow shutter and let it happen — the lights streak, the group blurs, and you get something that actually looks the way the evening felt. If you want these, keep your bridesmaids on the floor early rather than waiting until midnight.
Made in Chelsea
A little formal, a little stylish — mix in the groomsmen, add a few chairs, and create a Vogue-worthy bridal party portrait.
The rule that makes it work: nobody stands in a straight line and nobody does the same thing. Some sit, some lean, some stand, drinks in hands, and everyone looks slightly away from the camera. It takes a couple of minutes to arrange and it is the one that ends up framed.
The Big Hug
Less of a set-up, more of a permission slip.
I ask everyone to pile in on the bride at once. Somebody always goes too hard, the bride always laughs, and you end up with the most honest photograph of the whole set. If you only do one thing on this list, do this one.
Confetti Cannons
A confetti cannon in the hands of a bridesmaid is a genuinely good idea and a mildly dangerous one.
Fired upwards, not at people, and preferably outside or somewhere with a high ceiling. Give me a heads-up so I am not reloading when it goes off — you only get one bang per cannon and there is no second take.
Smoke Flares
Only for the brave! Add a touch of colour and fun with some flares.
Check with your venue first — plenty of Yorkshire venues allow them outdoors and a few do not allow them at all. Hold them out and downwind, never near a dress, and expect the colour to last about ninety seconds. Worth reading my full guide to smoke bombs at weddings before you buy any.
Morning Bridesmaid Photos
The getting-ready hours are where the relaxed, genuinely funny photographs come from — nobody is in heels yet and nobody is being looked at. These are the ones to plan for.
The Girls’ Sleepover
If the bed fits everyone in, it’s always a good one for the inspiration bridesmaid shot! Bonus points if the wedding dress is hanging in the background.
Everybody on the bed, bride in the middle, dress on the wardrobe door behind. Tidy the room first — one suitcase and a phone charger in shot is the difference between this looking lovely and looking like a Travelodge. Curtains open, main light off.
Matching Pyjamas
Matching PJs or loungewear for the morning is one of those small things that photographs far better than it sounds.
It pulls the whole group together visually before anyone is dressed, so your morning photographs look considered rather than accidental. Satin catches the light nicely. A colour that is not white gives you separation from the bride, which is the point.
Prosecco and Drinks
A firm simple favourite — it’s just a must-go-to!
The pour is better than the toast. I would rather photograph the moment the cork goes and everyone flinches than five people holding glasses still. Do it near a window, and do it before hair and make-up finish rather than after, while everyone is still loose.
The Princess
For a few seconds, let your bridesmaids play royal attendants — fluffing the dress and making you feel like absolute royalty!
Four people fanning a train out is a genuinely great photograph and it is also the moment the nerves break. Stand somewhere with space around you, and let them actually fuss rather than freeze in position.
First Looks
You probably already know about this one, but it’s a firm favourite I do every time.
The bridesmaids’ first look at the bride in her dress, with their backs turned until she is ready. I shoot the faces, not the dress — the dress you will see a hundred times. What you will not have seen is your best friend’s face in the second before she realises she is crying. Put them in a line, turn them round one at a time, and do not rush it.
The Bathroom Shot
For something a bit more editorial, take a shot in the bathroom with your besties!
Hotel and venue bathrooms are usually the best-lit room in the building — big mirrors, big windows, white walls bouncing light everywhere. Half the getting-ready photographs you have saved on your phone were taken in one.
Bridesmaids Laughing at Nothing
The catch-all, and the one I take the most of.
Somewhere between the hairspray and the cars arriving, five people who have known each other for twenty years will start laughing about something nobody can later explain. My only job at that point is to be in the room with the right lens on. You cannot plan it — but you can leave enough time in your morning that it has room to happen.
Getting these on your wedding day
Pick three or four. Not fifteen. A short list you actually get through beats a long one that eats an hour of your drinks reception, and the best of these take under a minute each once everyone is in place.
Tell whoever is photographing your wedding which ones you want, and tell them before the day rather than on it. Everything on this list is something I will happily set up — but the ones that work best are the ones I know are coming, because I can put them somewhere with the right light instead of wherever we happen to be standing.
And leave room for the accidents. Every single time, the photograph that ends up on the wall is one nobody asked for.
Have a look at what my packages cover, or see more bridesmaid dress inspiration from real Yorkshire weddings.
