If you’re looking for the best photographer for your big day, you’ve probably noticed that there are thousands of photographers with a wide range of wedding photography styles to choose from. When browsing blogs and magazines, you may come across the "light and airy" style of photography, featuring lots of portraits and photos of pretty details. On contest sites, you might see documentary photography, which avoids posed shots and focuses on capturing real moments. Meanwhile, on Instagram and other social media platforms you're bound to find some stunning images, lower-quality work, and trends that may or may not stand the test of time.

At World's Best Wedding Photos we’ve curated the most highly vetted list of experienced wedding photographers available online, along with a stunning Photo Gallery that allows you to search for photos and artists that match your style.

To help you feel confident in your search, we’ve compiled a list of the most popular wedding photography styles of 2025, featuring exceptional examples from our member photographers, each with their own distinctive approach. Read on and get excited about wedding photography that truly celebrates you!

Popular Wedding Photography Styles

Documentary

Every photographer needs to know how to capture important moments, and artists who describe themselves as documentary focus on that skill. Telling your story through emotion and composition, their aim is to take you on a journey from your arrival to your fabulous farewell. Their portfolios are full of big smiles, heartfelt tears, and crazy moments from the dance floor. Keep in mind that photographers who identify as documentary will often create portraits and set up shots at your request.

Editorial

Perfect for the pages of magazines and blogs, editorial wedding photography shows off your wedding look and the planning that went into it. That includes all the detail shots, from your invitations, cake, and bouquets, to shots of your full reception. The emphasis here is on pretty pictures and beautiful portraits that people want to look at while they are planning their weddings. If you put a ton of work into the asthetics of your wedding day, this may be the style that suits you to a T.

Fashion Focused/ Editorial

Ideal for couples who want to look en vogue, the fashion-focused approach among wedding photography styles is the one that that will make you look like a celebrity. Expect striking shots of you in your attire and group portraits that show off your look. Artists from this genre will still capture the moments and details of your wedding day, but you can expect some serious attention to lighting and posing to get their high-fashion look.

Adventure

This type of photography is all the rage right now as people embrace their love of the outdoors and opt for smaller, more intimate weddings. Plus the photos are a hit on social media which makes them particularly desirable for people who love TikTok, Instagram, and other visual based apps. When it comes to wedding photography styles that embrace travelers, hikers, and lovers of breathtaking backgrounds, this is the way to go on your journey. 

Classic

Elegant and sophisticated, classic wedding photography style is for all the generations in your family. Forgoing the trends, this style of wedding photography included formal group shots, stunning portraits of the two of you,  and touching moments beautifully processed to create a timeless look.

Dark and Moody

Characterized by its use of deep shadows, low lighting, and desaturated color palettes, the dark and moody wedding photography style has a touch of mystery and drama. To achieve the dramatic look, photographers focus on making the subject the lightest part of the photograph and letting the background recede. By adjusting their exposure to damp down the light to their lens and using  post-processing techniques, their work looks similar to the painting styles of Caravaggio and Raphael. 

Light and Airy

Using natural light, photographers in the light and airy style adjust their exposure to take in more light and create an ethereal feel. A favorite of printed magazines, the photos look great against white pages and are frequently taken with film. 

Paparazzi

Back in the limelight, photographers in 2025 are using on-camera flash and slightly tilted angles to make couples look like celebrities who just got caught in the moment. The lighting is a bit harsh, and the contrast is often intense. The final result frequently has a retro feel that reminds us of photography from the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Film or Looks Like Film

Film photography never went away and in recent years it has made quite a comeback. Photography enthusiasts like us think it has a magical quality and lately we're seeing photos taken in motion or with a tilt-shift lens to create a dream-like look. These photos may be light and airy, dark and moody or neutral, depending on how the photographer exposes them, and they can have a grainy quality that looks nostalgic.  If you love the style, find a photographer who uses film and have them incorporate it into your wedding photography collection.

Drone Photography

With the advent of drone photography in the late 2010’s, getting a bird’s eye view of a wedding scene or portrait became possible and photographers eagerly jumped on board. The new perspective gives them more than just a top down outlook, and allows them to trick the viewer into seeing things in a whole new way. If you are looking for drone photographs for your wedding, be sure your photographer is experienced, licensed and insured. 

Fine Art

While film photographers often use this term to describe their work, we think it applies to any photograph that stands out as truly extraordinary. These photos have composition and lighting that is striking and stops the viewer to take a second look. Not every photo from any artist can truly be called fine art, but some photographers excel at creating stand alone photographs that cry out to be framed and admired.

Blended

The truth is that most wedding photographers will use a blend of the styles above to express their own distinctive voice, so you don’t have to choose based on one style alone. The main thing is that you find the style you love and that you choose someone who has extensive experience and skill. Do not be fooled by a few great shots on Instagram or a website that only show styled shoots . Dive deep to be sure that your photographer knows what to do under any lighting or circumstance and that their customer service is professional through and through.

Happy searching and best wishes for your wedding!