Wedding Car Photography: The Moments You Will Want Your Photographer to Capture

Your wedding car is there to get you where you need to be, but it can also become one of the most beautiful features in your wedding photographs.

From the anticipation before the ceremony to your first journey together afterwards, there are plenty of moments worth capturing.

The car waiting before you leave

Before anyone gets inside, ask your photographer to capture the car waiting outside.

The ribbons are fresh, the car has just been prepared and there is usually a lovely sense of anticipation surrounding the moment.

A wide photograph showing the car outside your home, hotel or preparation venue can help tell the story of the morning.

The little details

Classic cars are full of details that modern vehicles simply do not have.

Chrome grilles, bonnet ornaments, period door handles, polished hubcaps, wood trim, leather interiors and wedding ribbons all make beautiful close-up photographs.

These images also add variety to your final gallery.

The moment you first see the car

There is often a genuine reaction when a couple or their family first sees the wedding car prepared and waiting.

Do not feel that every photograph needs to be posed.

Some of the best images are simply you walking outside, seeing the car and realising it really is time to leave.

Getting into the car

A chauffeur holding the door while a bride gathers her dress can create one of the most traditional wedding-car photographs.

It is practical, elegant and part of the natural sequence of the day.

The journey

Photographs through the window can be particularly special.

Perhaps you are laughing with your dad on the way to church, holding your bouquet while watching the countryside pass or sharing a quiet moment before arriving.

These often become some of the most personal photographs because they capture a part of the day most guests never see.

Your arrival

The car pulling up outside the ceremony creates a completely different image from a stationary portrait.

If timings allow, your photographer may be able to capture the vehicle approaching, the chauffeur stepping out and the door opening before you enter the ceremony.

Your first journey together

After the ceremony, the atmosphere inside the car is completely different.

The nerves have gone. You are married.

Those first ten or twenty minutes together can include laughter, relief and the first chance you have had to speak privately all day.

A photograph through the rear window or open door can capture that beautifully.

Portraits with the car

Allow a little time at your reception venue for some photographs beside your wedding car.

You do not need dozens.

A few relaxed portraits, a wider image showing the venue and perhaps a close photograph beside the bonnet can be enough.

Tell your photographer in advance

If wedding-car photographs are important to you, mention it before the day.

Your photographer can then include them within the schedule rather than trying to squeeze them in at the last minute.

Your wedding transport is part of the story of your day. It deserves to appear in the story your photographs tell too.

Photos courtesy of VP Photography Sussex