Your wedding day is finally here, your favorite people are surrounding you, your dream vendor team is capturing all the incredible details and moments you have invested in. Finally, it is time for that long-anticipated moment of your first kiss as married, swoon! I know you want those dreamy, perfect shots for this moment, and I’m sharing my favorite tips from a photographer’s perspective on how to nail it (and make your photographer love you forever!)
This is definitely a moment you will want to practice ahead of time. Why? Well, this is your iconic moment. You have to decide as a couple how you want to seal this. Do you want quick and polite, traditional, very dramatic? There are actual levels to this. However, the most important thing is you do not want any awkwardness like open eyes, teeth/head bump, or worse, a little too aggressive and you knock over that gorgeous altar arrangement you paid for!
No matter what type of kiss you decide to go for, the one thing you want to make sure you do is hold this kiss for at least three seconds, preferably five! Why? Because your photographer and videographer will have plenty of time to capture and frame the perfect shot. If you do not hold your kiss long enough, or it is a quick peck, you risk not having the shot captured perfectly, and how sad would that be?!
Make sure at your rehearsal to practice your first kiss and get your officiant in on it as well. You will want your officiant to step out of the frame for that shot, so it’s a good one to practice. Most professional officiants know to move, but if you are using a friend or family member, it is a good idea to mention it to them multiple times before the day-of! Most officiant’s will step to the left or right so there is a clear shot of the aisle. Once they move, then you will want to go in for the kiss, and boom, you have a clear, open shot of it to remember!
My favorite first kisses start with a traditional kiss, and slowly evolves into a little bit of a dip! Then you get two different looks for your first kiss and it’s so romantic! In order for this to work best, you will need to have a space that is open enough to do this, and not too much of a logistical issue with your outfits.
As you come back up the aisle with all of the cheers and clapping of your family and friends, do a mid-aisle kiss for another perfect shot! Your guests will give you a huge cheer, and it is a great way to cap off the end of your ceremony. If you want to do a mid-aisle kiss, make sure to mention this to your photography and videography team so they can get set in the perfect locations.
No matter what, the first kiss is a moment to remember, and it will be perfect regardless of the logistics, as celebrating love is always perfect in style!
Photography: Sacia Matthews Photography