SMALL WEDDINGS + ELOPEMENTS | choose love, not fear

Intimate Weddings & Elopement Photography

Since 2002, the WPJA has been connecting couples with the best, most artistic wedding photographers from around the world.

Baltimore engagement wedding and elopement photography by Breanna Shaw
California Couple Portrait Sessions and Wedding Photography by Stephanie Secrest
Wedding and Engagement Portrait Photographer Steven Herrschaft
Istanbul wedding photography by Emre Kasap of the Turkey WPJA
Couple engagement portraits by wedding photographer Joshua Grasso
San Jose wedding and elopement photography by Jipeng Han of Northern California
Texas wedding and elopement photography by Kristin Bednarz
Germany wedding pictures, elopement couple shoots and elopement photography by Michael Geyer
France engagement, elopement, and wedding photography by Mehdi Djafer
France wedding photography by Angelique Blaise
Wedding and elopement photography by Jonathan Ryder
Candice Fouliard, a wedding reportage photographer from Val-d'Oise, France
Casey Fatchett Wedding Photography
Mayenne elopement and documentary wedding photography by Anne Russocki of Isere Pays de la Loire France
United Kingdom wedding reportage photography by Andrew Heeley

Authentic Photography

The WPJA organizes various wedding photography rounds annually, recognizing and honoring exceptionally captivating images.

Take a look at the previous victors by clicking on the links below:

Intimate, Micro Wedding Planning & Elopement Articles

Kobe Vanderzande, of Limburg, is a wedding photographer for

There’s nothing quite like an intimate wedding reception in a tent, with its uniquely informal atmosphere, customized decor and proximity to the elements...

Not everyone has a lagoon or glacier next door, but there's no rule saying you can't have a small wedding in the great outdoors. Take advantage of natural...

The Authenticity of
Wedding Photojournalism

Travis Haughton, of Illinois, is a wedding photographer for Grand Rapids
Ricardo Cintra, of São Paulo, is a wedding photographer for São Paulo / Brazil
Orlando Suarez, of Georgia, is a wedding photographer for

WPJA Contest Photos - January 19th, 2024

Any wedding photographer is going to want to please their clients — but they also want their work to be appreciated on a broader scale. This is one of the reasons why the Wedding Photojournalist Association members love our regular photography competitions. These popular contests give our photographers the opportunity to submit their best images in hopes of being selected as a winner and being recognized for their creativity and effort. Our contests are judged by a panel of notable and respected working photojournalists and picture editors in the news industry, which adds an element of prestige to our awards.

A newlywed couple shares their first dance moves at the historic Boettcher Mansion in Golden, Colorado, creating memories to last a lifetime
Award-winning documentary wedding photographer captures a joyful moment as the bride and groom smile while walking out of their ceremony under trees in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Couple's first kiss during the ceremony outdoors on the grass under questionable storm clouds in New Haven, Vermont
Reception venue in Paris, Île-de-France - the father of the bride giving a speech, captured in a minimalist shot with palm trees silhouetted in the background
At Mastros Restaurant in Boston, guests and children gather around round tables, eagerly awaiting the bride and groom on their wedding day.
Bride and groom at Arbor Hall, Omaha, NE, walking down the aisle amidst a shower of red rose petals under a picturesque blue sky
At Boston, MA, a bride's sisters and mother lend a hand as she gets into her wedding dress at the hotel, moments before the ceremony
In a picture taken at Malopolskie Reception Venue, a wedding guest swings his leg high, level with the eyes of the men watching

Artistic Guild - Creative Portraits and Details - January 31st, 2024

The Artistic Guild competitions are distinctly different from our other WPJA contests because this category is specifically for photographers who use their talent to create digitally-enhanced images, staged portraits and dramatic detail images. This competition attracts documentary wedding photographers who also view themselves as artists who are constantly looking to create their next masterpiece.

Bride and groom share a heartfelt embrace atop Tent Ridge in Kananaskis, Canada. Against a stunning orange sunset, their love creates a romantic portrait to treasure forever.
The award-winning photographer captures a beautiful scene at Embassy Suites in Pittsburgh, PA. In black and white, the bride's maid of honor and mother carefully hold and steam the wedding dress, ensuring perfection for the big day.
A couple celebrates their marriage in a peaceful field at the Avenue in Sarver, PA. The groom joyfully lifts his bride, enveloped in the warm glow of sunlight, creating a romantic wedding day portrait.
In the heart of Viterbo's historic old town, this captivating wedding shot captures the pure joy and love shared between the newlyweds, framed against the picturesque backdrop of an ivy-covered well.
In this award-winning wedding image at Union Station in Chicago, IL, a couple basks in their love, framed by vibrant tall columns.
Award-winning wedding photographer captures a stunning close-up of the broken heel on the bride's friend's shoe, adding an artistic touch to the City Hall wedding day.
An artistic wedding photographer captured the opening dance of the wedding couple from a high angle at Lüntenbecker Höhe in Wuppertal. The image, in black and white, features a tilt-shift effect.
Dormont Rec Center in PA sets the stage for a unique wedding ceremony. The bride, groom, and their daughter exchange vows, with the Elvis impersonator's famous jacket stealing the spotlight in this award-winning artistic photograph.

Diamond Awards - Pre-Wedding Engagement Portraits - April 8th, 2024

Couples who are searching for a wedding photographer often want a pre-wedding engagement portrait session as well as wedding day photography services. Engagement photographers need to rely on their skill and expertise in order to help their couples select a meaningful location for their portrait session. These awards allow engagement photographers to submit their most moving engagement images in hopes of being recognized for their creativity and skill.

In Chopwell Woods, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, this engaged couple is captured in a close-up, showing playful expressions in a beautiful frame.
The engaged couple poses underwater in a vintage-inspired black and white portrait session at Plage Guadeloupe, showcasing their love in a unique and timeless style.
In Olmsted Park, Brookline, MA, a happy couple shares a minute of joy on a park bench near their home, captured in a sweet engagement portrait.
A romantic pre-wedding photo session in Cappadocia, Turkey, showcasing the couple in formal attire framed in a cave light shaft. A relaxed and beautiful portrait capturing the love between them.
In a stunning sunflower field in Bourg-lès-Valence, France, this couple shares a tender kiss, capturing pure romance bathed in warm sunlight.
In Perros-Guirec, Brittany, France, this engagement portrait captures the couple by the sea tidal pool with a view of the ocean, holding each other closely in a romantic and relaxed setting.
A newly engaged couple embraces with a kiss on San Giorgio Island in Venice, near the water, capturing a second of love and joy.
Beautiful engagement portrait captured in Veneto, Italy, featuring the couple's faces in a close-up shot with the wind gently moving her hair, creating a monochromatic vintage look.

TLC - True Love Captured - March 3rd, 2023

This WPJA photography competition is focused on the emotions that are on display throughout any wedding event. The images showcase the powerful emotions that the couple are experiencing, and any of the feelings that any wedding guests may go through. The TLC contests follow a long-standing WPJA category tradition of capturing raw emotions.

The wedding photographer captured a timeless moment of love and joy as the bride's grandparents danced in an embrace at the Mountain Top Inn in Vermont
The bride's beautiful reaction to seeing her special best man seated in the front row was captured by the photographer at Chácara Caiambá - Pedro Leopoldo - Minas Gerais
The photographer captured a beautiful moment of a hug between the bride and groom at Palacio de los Cordova, Granada, Spain, after receiving and giving comfort through the Chinese tea ceremony gifts from the parents, full of emotion and true love
The wedding photojournalist captured the beautiful and emotional moment of the Bride as she reads her heartfelt vows in the sunshine beneath the trees at Hardy Farm in Fryeburg, Maine
The wedding photo taken at West Haven, Connecticut captured a touching moment of a groom shedding tears as his mother lovingly does his hair for the big day
The happy couple leaving their civil ceremony in Biarritz, France with their little boy beaming with joy at his parents' marriage, is captured wonderfully in this wedding photo, showing the love from his mother
The black and white photo of the friend hugging the bride, and groom has tears of joy whiped at Kasteel Maurick Vught - a beautiful and touching moment at their wedding
The photographer captured a beautiful moment of the bride embracing one of her great friends during the getting ready process at Cote How, The Lake District