Wedding Photography Tips for Mountain Weddings

We love photographing mountain weddings and engagements, there’s something about the grandeur of the mountains that speaks to us of love. Maybe it’s because we met and fell in love in the mountains. Whatever the reason, if you’re getting married in the mountains then you probably understand the why and simply need help with the what. So without further delay, our wedding photography tips for mountain weddings!

Here are some things for the bride and groom to think about:

the essentials:

Let’s get the basics out of the way, the stuff you might say “duh” to because you know how to be in the mountains. It’s important to mention them anyway just because there are no stupid questions. Also, on your wedding day common sense can disappear for you and your guests. So what are the essential mountain concerns? Altitude & weather. Drink water, wear sunscreen, bring warm layers, and have a back-up plan. Think about how your least adventurous guest might handle the day and consider ways to make it easier on them.

Ways we’ve seen brides implement:

Include sunscreen, bug-spray, water, and granola bars in a welcome bag
Bug-spray and water at the ceremony reception, blankets and space heaters at the reception

the supplementals:

Now that you have the essentials, how do we supplement a typical mountain adventure to make it extra special for your wedding day? Just because you plan to hike around, doesn’t mean you can’t look good doing it. Just because you are wearing a dress, doesn’t mean you can’t hike around. It might mean your dress gets dirty, it might mean you think about smaller train or a dress that’s easier to move around in.

Ways we’ve seen brides implement:

Dresses of shorter lengths than don’t drag in the dirt
A portrait session on a different day in a different dress that it’s ok to get dirty

the accessories:

Most importantly, it means you think about your shoes. How mobile do you want to be on your wedding day? How good are you at walking in your wedding shoes? I’m not going to tell you what to wear because I’ve seen brides do some amazing things in all kinds of shoes. Is it cold? How about a scarf, a fur, a jacket, or some cute gloves.

Ways we’ve seen brides implement:

Change into hiking boots, tennis shoes, or even crocs (we can’t see them under that dress anyway!)
Windproof your hair-do (aka lots of hairspray)

the photographers:

Your job as bride and groom is to enjoy the experience of being in the mountains with the one you love. Our goal as photographers is to allow you to have that experience and to capture it for you. Just like you prepare and plan, so do we. As wedding photographers, the things that help us most are:

Wearing comfortable shoes and layering our clothes to handle changing temps.
Efficient gear selection and packing to make sure that our equipment doesn’t slow us down or keep us from getting the shot. There’s probably room in our bag for your lipstick too!
Scouting potential locations ahead of time so that we know what’s worth the hike and what isn’t. You can always let us know how far you’re willing to go for the shot and the memory!
Being able to change the plan on the fly due to weather, time, light, and the general mood of the people and the day. You are our priority, we want your day to be great!

Hope that helps as you plan your mountain wedding! Be sure to check out the mountain wedding planning tips and inspiration on Mountainside Bride, a great resource for mountain brides.

And stay tuned for more of our thoughts on this wedding photography tips 5 week series: