2025 Wedding Photography Trends
The 2025 wedding trends are finally here! After the wild years of 2021 to 2024 — it looks like 2025 is shaping up to be more stable than previous years.
2024 was an odd year for many wedding photographers. It is now known as the engagement gap. There just weren’t as many relationships that formed in 2020 as opposed to a regular year, thanks Covid!
Anyway, let’s take a look at what I predict we’ll be seeing more of in 2025 on the photography side of things. I’ll slide in a few other wedding trends and traditions that I think we’re saying goodbye to!
Related: 2024 Wedding Photography Trends
True to color editing
The Sepiagate moment of 2024 turned a lot of couples away from the warm tone and desaturated greens editing style that has been super trendy in the past few years. I’ve personally seen a huge uptick in my own inquiries where couples are specifically looking for more true-to-life and classic editing. Something that makes their wedding gallery not look dated a few years from now.
Candid wedding photography
Going with the previous entry — couples are also looking for a more authentic approach to how their wedding day is captured. This is not something new but couples are now more and more interested in photographs that will take them back to the moment as opposed to posed and set up shots.
Higher F-stops
This one is a little more technical than the others. A higher f-stop on a camera generally means that more parts of the picture are in focus. Although blurred out backgrounds are not on the way out, I’ve seen a huge increase in couples wanting more things in focus. This goes hand in hand with a more documentary-style approach that couples are wanting more of.
Film Photography
Wedding film photography was also on my list of 2024 wedding trends and it’s not stopping at all! 35mm photography has been trending pretty hard for the last 10 years and has made its way into the wedding world recently. I am totally in love with it as I shoot, develop, and scan everything in my studio!
First look alternatives
We all know the first look by now. It’s not really a trend anymore as about half of the weddings I capture have one. There are some really cool first look alternatives that I’ve seen in recent years and I believe they’ll only be more prevalent in 2025.
Rehearsal dinner coverage
Over the last few years, I’ve seen a slow decline in couples wanting engagement photos. On of the best things about taking engagement pictures is that you’ll get more familiar and comfortable with your wedding photographer. A great way to still develop a relationship with your photographer is to have them capture your rehearsal dinner or welcome party if you’re not interested in an engagement photo session.
Late night details
Say goodbye to the picture perfect details of the rings and invites and say hello to the messy midnight details of the reception. Half-eaten cake, beer cans, and flower petals also tell the story of how the day went and they definitely shouldn’t be left out.
Other wedding trends
Here are a few more trends I believe we’ll see more of in 2025 that are not necessarily photography related, although they’ll have an impact on how your pictures will come out.
Non-traditional wedding parties
This is something I see more of every year. The best woman or the man of honor in addition to mix and match wedding party dresses and suits. I am totally on board with this trend!
Wedding Content creators
Imagine something that’s a cross between a photographer and a videographer. A wedding content creator is someone who captures all the behind the scenes content on your wedding day. Everything is captured on a phone and typically delivered within a few days. Although a content creator doesn’t replace a professional photographer or videographer, they’re perfect for couples who want content to share on and immediately after the wedding day.
Reading your vows in private
This connects directly to the alternatives of the first look I already mentioned. I personally love it when couples opt for a private moment to read their vows to each other. You get some alone time with your partner, and it keeps the ceremony shorter. Pretty ideal for those introverted couples.
The wedding weekend
Originally, like really originally — like hundreds of years ago, weddings were multi-day events as guests traveled immense distances over a few days to attend the wedding. Fast forward to now, couples are increasingly hosting long weekends at a BnB or boutique hotels. A welcome party on Friday night, the wedding day on Saturday, and then a Sunday brunch with activities to follow.