What I'm Loving for 2026 and 2027 Weddings‍

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After photographing weddings for 3 years, I've started to notice what creates the kind of images couples keep coming back to, even printing a few years later.

Here's what I'm drawn to for 2026 and 2027 weddings - not as trends, but as principles that make weddings feel timeless and true. 

1. Timelines with Breathing Room

My transition from graduate school & research to being a wedding photographer and business owner gives me a unique perspective - I'm always trying to learn and do better for my clients. For 2026, I intentionally implemented a change to my collections and timelines - moving from hourly based wedding collections to a full-day coverage model. I don't want clients to worry about inevitable timeline disruptions leading to missed moments in the final gallery. I want to leave room for unhurried moments because space in the timeline leads to space for your genuine emotion to surface.

There is also a certain magic that happens in transitions. Your new spouse or mother-in-law carrying your dress for you, the way you look back at me while we are walking to a portrait location, you and your dad laughing moments before he walks you down the aisle - it all comes together to create the essence of your day. 

Hurried and rushed timelines take away from all of this. From all of the weddings & elopements I’ve photographed, I’ve found that couples who like their day, like their photos. It’s really that simple.

2. More Movement, Less Stiff Posing

Most couples come to me and say that they want natural, candid photos. They also say that they feel uncomfortable or awkward in front of the camera. The good news? Almost everyone feels this way and it’s totally possible to get these photos. However, the answer isn’t having zero direction from your wedding photographer - it’s having gentle guidance, prioritizing prompted moments with movement over stiff posing, with the space for your natural emotions to unfold. 

We will still get the classic “smile-at-the-camera” photos and some of those fairytale posed photos - of course - but your best photos happen when you forget I’m there. Not only will I give you the base of what you do, but I’ll create the environment to help you feel comfortable and let you shine from there.

Another aspect that helps create the kind of photos that couples come to me for? Their design choices, specifically in their outfits. Flowing fabrics, accessories and details, and an eye for their own personal style. These little details, while they can feel insignificant while you’re choosing them, come together beautifully to showcase you and your personality and connection - which is ultimately what I’m trying to photograph.

3. Free Form Florals & Long Conversation Tables

For florals, I’m looking forward to less tight, stiff structures, and more organic texture that create softness & romance. We want to allow your florals to support your story, not steal or restrain it.

For tablescapes & reception setups, I love love love long, rectangular tables. I hear from many of my couples that they want people to talk, mingle, and enjoy their time together. I understand why people think that round tables facilitate this, but in reality, they are so large that you can really only talk to those next to you. For this reason - long, rectangular tables invite presence by allowing you to talk to those next to you and in front of and around you. It’s a much more “conversation-friendly” setup. Additionally, it photographs so beautifully and symmetrically.

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4. Film and Nature Inspired Color Palettes

1. Golden Hour Garden
Butter yellow + cream + sage green

2. Coastal Twilight
Navy + cream + champagne

3. Sun-Faded Romance
Dusty rose + cream + champagne

4. Love in the Forest
Hunter green + brown + cream

5. Mediterranean Afternoon
Lavender + butter yellow + cream

6. Timeless Contrast
Black + white + cream + champagne

7. Sunset Canyon
Dusty rose + brown + champagne + cream

8. Editorial Orchard
Sage green + cream + butter yellow + champagne

9. Provençal Sunset
Soft lavender + burnt orange + cream + champagne

10. Modern Romance
Black + ivory white + deep burgundy red

For more thoughts and information, check out my blog post on 2026 and 2027 color palettes.

5. Candlelight and Golden Hour Prioritized 

Light will influence every single decision I make on your wedding day. The more you give me, the more I have to work with.

Here are a few of my favorite lighting additions to your day:

• Candles (does your venue allow real, lit candles? Do they require a votive or hurricane?)
  
  • Candle photo from viansa 
• Bistro Lights (does your venue package include this or is it extra?) 
  
  • Photo of ggc from katherine and roberto 
• Colored Lights (does your venue or DJ include this? Don’t use lasers - they can ruin the sensor on mirrorless cameras, and therefore your photos) 
  
  • Cake photo from thomas fogarty 
• Golden Hour or Sunset Photos 
  
  • Soft, dreamy light perfect for your romantic couples portraits and film 
• Direct light via sun or flash 
  
  • Perfect for editorial and fashion-forward themes 

6. Analog Details & Guest Experience 

Tactile details are unhurried, confident, and intentional. They’re one of the things that separates a really refined guest experience.

Think: handwritten letters, custom place cards and menus, hardbound vow books, film photography, vinyl or a live band, handmade ceramic favors, live art. 

Imagine your guests’ experience as they watch their names engraved on a wine bottle from your venue that they’ll take home with them. Maybe they too will open on your one year anniversary and remember the wonderful weekend they had and the memories they made. Little details like these will set your wedding apart from the rest.

7. Smaller, more intentional guest lists

A wedding of 60-100 people photographs so much more intimately than a 300+ person guest list. When we start getting into 200+ guests, I find that most couples aren’t able to actually spend time with all of their guests.

With number 6 in mind, smaller and more intentional guest lists make these kinds of custom favors and experience so much more feasible, from a planning perspective. 

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What I'm Ready to Leave Behind

• Timelines so packed there's no room for the unplanned
• Things chosen for Instagram or others, rather than yourself 
• Overly choreographed moments that feel performed, rather than lived 
  
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If any of this resonates with how you're dreaming about your wedding, I'd love to hear from you. And for my 2026 and 2027 couples already planning - there's no pressure to do any of this, but if it speaks to you, I’m here to help bounce ideas off of and I'll be there to document it all beautifully.‍

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