27 Romantic Wedding Photos That Capture Pure, Unadulterated Love

"Chad and Madelyn's sunset lakeside wedding at Gallaher Bend in Knoxville, Tennessee, was as romantic as it was memorable. Moments after their ceremony, they walked down to the dock and embraced as the reality of being husband and wife sank in." -- Kathleen Atkins

"Ajay and Kate exchanged the private letters they wrote to each other during marriage counseling next to the ocean in Gulf Shores, Alabama. That single tear on Kate's face destroyed me. Such a beautiful, emotional moment." -- Leah Moyers

"Arielle and David had planned to get married in a garden venue surrounded by fairy lights. Five minutes before the ceremony began, a truck drove into a electrical pole, which took the power out from the entire block. All the lights went down. The sound system was shot. The caterers no longer had electricity to cook dinner. And the wedding went way off schedule. You’d think this would be a disaster, but it was far from it. Arielle and David were so full of love, and so happy to be getting married, nothing seemed to faze them. By the time cocktail hour rolled around, we were almost out of light for photos. We took this one beside the road near the venue. The sun had just set and David, unprompted, grabbed Arielle. He kissed her as the wind came blowing in from the ocean. Shortly after, we returned to an almost pitch-black reception party. Dinner was lit only by candles and iPhone flashlight apps. The next day Arielle emailed me, 'Who knew magic things could happen even in the dark?'" -- Jonas Seaman

"Lorna and Ed, who live in Canada, got married in Uganda, where they are originally from. Lorna told me that she wanted to have a giraffe in her wedding photos. It wasn't easy but we were able to find some on a game reserve. These two could not stop smiling throughout the morning as we ventured through the plains along with the giraffes." -- Carey Nash

"Throughout the hustle and bustle of their wedding, Pavan and Vinita snuck a beautiful and peaceful moment while a sea of love (Vinita’s stunning red lengha) engulfed them both." -- Gurminder Banga

"It happened: Maggie fell in her wedding gown. All that gym time paid off as Maggie completely saved her dress by catching herself in a perfect yoga plank. Unfortunately this bloodied and wounded her hands. Nick helped her up and joked about her 'officially being a Staver.' We grabbed our first-aid kit from our car and passed it to Nick, who shared that Maggie's resilience is something that really attracted him to her -- that Maggie is joyful, strong and able to roll with the punches." -- Lisa Rhinehart

"It was a cold day in Dusseldorf when Dea and Patrick were unified. It was after their holy matrimony when things were feeling hectic. I pulled them away from the crowds and family members into this empty room where no one was around, so that they could be in the moment." -- Indra Kantawibawa

"A true story about second chances at love. This image makes me want to cry every time I see it. It's so real, it hurts." -- Kent Drake

"I ask a lot of questions when I photograph. I often ask the groom to take a moment to notice something about his partner that he’s never noticed until now. It’s so beautiful watching people rediscover someone they thought they knew everything about." -- James Day

"I shot this traditional Kikuyu tribal wedding in Nairobi, Kenya. I captured a quiet moment when the couple forgot that I was even there. I got a glimpse into the essence of their love." -- Cendino Teme

"Kate and Adam decided to do away with tradition and get ready together in the morning. It was so lovely to see them help each other put the finishing touches to their outfits for their big day." -- Cat Chang

"This was during Monqiue and Tony's first look. It is just so romantic because she was so giddy to see him and he was so nervous and anxious to see her. Then when he turned around, he gasped because she was so stunning. Then they just laughed and kissed and hugged and were so darn excited to get married, they couldn't contain it." -- Ren Lenhof

"After 28 years together, it was finally legal for Rex and Rod to get married. Their families still disapproved of their union, so only a small handful of friends came. But it was so touching and full of love and happiness that even I was crying. I felt sorry for their families to have missed out on such a beautiful trip and wedding, but the grooms gave a speech saying that they were surrounded by 'family' because family is who loves and supports you." -- Laura Grier

"Monique and Wayne's wedding was nothing short of spectacular. In the midst of all the excitement and action, they would find time to embrace each other and just get lost in each other." -- Kirth Bobb

"On a family weekend away to celebrate James' birthday, James got down on one knee and proposed to the love of his life, Ellie. Celebrations continued through the night and into the next day where they had secretly planned to hold an intimate wedding that no one knew anything about. Over the moon, their guests couldn't believe their ears when after the ceremony James THEN announced they he and Ellie were pregnant! He handed confetti canons around the guests and on the count of three, everyone fired the canons at the same time to watch blue ribbons float to the ground. James and Ellie found out at that very moment, that they were going to be having a beautiful baby boy to call their own." -- Jack Gilchrist

"Keith and Emma were married on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand. Now these guys live in the tropical North of Australia, so for them to be standing high on a mountain, freshly married, buffeted by squalls of snow, was beyond extraordinary. In my head I still see them there together alone on that rock, amongst the storm, amongst the mountains and then this ray of light coming down lighting them up. I've lived amongst the mountains nearly all my life, mountains are my home, my church and so that capture has special deeper meaning for me too." -- Jim Pollard

"A candid moment captured during the couple's ceremony." -- Jonathan Connolly

"While talking with Robin and Olaf about their upcoming wedding, Robin sent this to me in an email, 'We finally got excited about [the wedding]! Prior to this, getting married was more thought of as a chore, like going to the dentist.' Apparently she and Olaf had an inside joke about getting married being their 'dentist appointment.' So when he went out of town right before their wedding, she left him an adorable note that read: 'Can't wait to go to the dentist with you.'" -- Maggie Gaudaen

"Few moments are as romantic as resting on a hammock with your new spouse after an awesome beach wedding." -- Ryan Brenizer

"The groom, Sean, asked a friend to borrow this classic car for the wedding. I'm sure this was a bit more than he bargained for." -- Gina Esposito

"When a couple is seeing each other for the first time on their wedding day, as a photographer, I prefer to remove myself from the scene when possible to help the moment feel more natural. This undirected kiss happened just seconds after the groom turned and saw her for the first time." -- Rob Greer

"Jennifer and Karl were married on a warm spring day. We still aren’t sure where the steam came from in this photo! None of the other outtakes in the series had it and I didn’t add anything to create the smokey look from behind. We have all decided that they are just one smoking hot couple!" -- Kelli Wilke

"Vicky and Ben drove all the way across the country to elope in Yosemite National Park -- just the two of them. Their wedding day consisted of a sunrise first look, adventurous portraits and hiking through Yosemite together. The day was fun and lighthearted, but when it came time for their ceremony, they were both incredibly serious as the weight of the moment came over them. This photo really captures the moment that it hit them, why they drove (and hiked) all that way: so they could promise their lives to each other with the mountains as their witnesses!" -- Abbi Hearne

"I love the way Nick is holding Caitlin, the way her hands are in his hair. Their body language speaks so much to me." -- Ali Horner

"These two had just said 'I do' on top of a mountain. It was freezing and windy but they snuggled close and kept each other warm! Those 'almost kisses' get me every time!" -- Amanda Sutton

"This photo was inspired by this couple's love for classic literature, specifically the Peter Pan quote that Kaylan chose to engrave in Kyle's wedding band: 'Come with me and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land.'" -- Lisa Rhinehart

"This couple wanted to elope on Colorado's Black Powder Pass at sunrise, which meant hiking up in the dark. There was quite a bit of elevation gain required and it was also raining, making for a fun early morning adventure. As we got closer to the pass, the bride and groom looked around and picked their spot to exchange vows. As it turns out, hiking in the rain was well worth it because it made for a sunrise as pink as the bride's rain jacket!" -- Brenda Bergreen