All of June we are highlighting “bridal month” and reporting 2021 bridal trends to our customers. Whether you are planning your wedding, dreaming of it one day or just love all things bridal like we do, we have all the 2021 Bridal Trends right here. In this post we are focusing on photography and have reached out to Stephanie West from Stephanie West Photography. Stephanie has shot some beautiful photos for us and as well as one of our own employee’s engagement photos.
Stephanie West Photography, the insanely gorgeous and detailed shot Stephanie took for our new homepage look!
All brides know that wedding photos are truly a must. Even if you don’t go with the largest package out there some moments need to be captured. These are the memories you’ll cherish forever and even look back on the very next day on Instagram. Ha! We recommend having a shoot list prior to meeting with your photographer so you can ensure getting every last dreamy shot. So, what are brides selecting for their shoot list? We reached out to Stephanie from Stephanie West Photography and asked her what are is trending in the bridal photography for 2021 and here is what she said.
The most popular trend is including pets in the photo shoot. I always invite my couples to bring their pets to their sessions but I also advise them to bring someone to handle the pet or take him home after his 15 minutes of fame is over.
Stephanie West Photography
Reflections – mirrors, water and glass are always fun to incorporate in wedding shots. This technique really helps a photo go from ordinary to really unique. Stephanie has been known to carry a crystal and a large prism in her bag that she likes to pull out when a beautiful environment perfectly frames a couple.
Stephanie West Photography, Jennifer + Jared
Nature – Couples always want to be photographed in beautiful places, but recently and more frequently, they want to go deep into nature for their portraits. When a couple requests to go to a place like the Hocking Hills for their portrait session, Stephanie always makes sure to capture the beauty of the surrounding environment with wide shots in addition to close-up portraits.
Stephanie West Photography 2021, Kelsey + Brian
First Looks – Seeing each other before the ceremony is no longer taboo and in fact, very popular. The First Look has actually been trending for several years, but what we are just now beginning to see are couples getting ready together at their homes or in hotel rooms. The pandemic might have something to do with this trend, as couples are having much smaller weddings and many are even getting married at their own or a family member’s home.
Stephanie West Photography 2020, Mary + Nick
Candid photos – The most popular request by far is that couples want to have fun natural photos of themselves and their guests, families and friends. No posed portraits! When Stephanie photographs a wedding the focus is on the couple of course. However, she’s always looking around for what the guests are doing to try to capture authentic moments.
Stephanie West Photography, the daughter of the bride giving a thumbs up during their ceremony!
All about the Details – Couples didn’t used to focus so much on the “stuff” at their wedding but many clients are requesting detailed shots. From the dress and the bouquet to the place settings, wedding favors and the cake, they want great photos of the things that set their wedding apart from all the other weddings they have attended. We totally get this as we love all fine details. Plus, we understand the amount of work and love that goes into the little things. When Stephanie photographs a wedding, she tries to make sure to photograph anything in which someone has spent time and/or money. An added benefit of beautiful detailed shots is that this is exactly what magazines and websites want for publication – details that inspire their readers to create original, unique-to-them details for their own weddings.
Stephanie West Photography, a closeup of the wedding invitation with a hint of the bouquet and veil.
Stephanie is the type of person you meet and you feel like you’ve known a million years. There is nothing pretentious about her despite her completely flawless and dreamlike photos. She is as natural as they come and so is her photography style. We love the lighting in her photos and her ability to capture the couple’s true feelings. Her philosophy is “being there” for her couples. She believes in capturing a wedding authentically, moment by moment, not copying another photographer’s photos from Pinterest. She insists that real moments, real emotion and beautiful light create the most magical wedding photos and that’s what she aims to photograph every time she steps into a wedding venue. We can’t recommend her enough. She is 100% Argo Approved!
To contact Stephanie directly, visit her
website. 
