Wedding photographers have the distinct honour of chronicling one of the most important events in a couple’s life together.
In 2017, the International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards began recognising this challenging and rewarding work.
Now in its third year, the 2019 winning entries were just recently announced, and they continue to showcase the best in artistic wedding photography from around the world.
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Cat and Jeff, destination wedding photographers from Vancouver, Canada, won the overall prize and the Couple Portrait award for this image of Pia and Julian on their wedding day in Whistler. The crazy weather patterns (sunshine, rain and blustery winds) didn't stop these two lovebirds from having the best time. Photograph: Jeff Chang/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
"This bride didn't hesitate when I encouraged them to shake up this oversized bottle of bubbly," said photographer Angela Ruscheinski of her image, taken in Canada. "I should have packed a poncho and I smelt like champagne the rest of the day! Any regrets though? None!" Photograph: Angela Ruscheinski/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
An atmospheric shot of newlyweds Martyna and Wojtek, surrounded by their guests wielding sparklers won the acclaim in the black and white category. Photograph: Rafał Donica/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
The Dance Floor category prize went to Gaelle Le Berre, from Australia, who photographed Salma and Jean-Baptiste's wedding at the Manoir de Kerhuel in Plonéour Lanvern, France, in 2017. For this shot, Gaelle had his camera off flashmode and at the exact moment he took this shot, the light of the DJ illuminated the couple - who are best friends of the bride. Photograph: Gaelle Le Berre/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
"We asked the couple to stand perfectly still for 10 seconds and shot the whole scene with only ambient light from the venue," said photographer Ruan Redelinghuys of this image taken in the Namib Desert. Photograph: Ruan Redelinghuys/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
The light was perfect for silhouettes, so the photographer asked the guests to make a circle before lifting up a drone to picture the ring -- a symbol of endless love. Photograph: Marcis Baltskars/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
"During dinner, I noticed the windows and saw that it was casting a nice highlight of light on the floor," said British photographer Ben Appleby, who took this image at a wedding in Derbyshire. "I knew that if I stood Lauren in the light, in her dress, she'd look amazing! I LOVE the dusty light highlighting her." Photograph: Ben Appleby/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
"I had noticed how well the doors and light fixtures framed the room earlier, and I wanted to try and do something with that at some point," said US photographer Victoria Sprung. "The hora was the perfect opportunity!" Photograph: Victoria Sprung/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
"My idea was to capture the state of mind of both bride and groom before the most important event in their life," said photographer Xenia Shabanova of this image taken by drone the night before the wedding in Estonia. Photograph: Xenia Shabanova/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
Australian photographer Oli Sansom captured this artistic shot. The woman pictured is guest and fellow photographer Lucy Spartalis, laying on a dash of lippy in front of another photographer, Madeline Druce, at the wedding of another photographer, Lilli Waters, captured on a random camera he was handed when he arrived by the bride and groom. Photograph: Oli Sansom/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
This sweet image of a bride embracing an emotional elderly relative was taken by photographer Roberto Colacioppo and was in the top 10 for the Black and White category. Photograph: Roberto Colacioppo/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
These guys are just having the best time. Photograph: Volodymyr Ivash/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
A groom and his groomsmen have a moment of downtime puffing on cigars and knocking back beers. Photograph: Ben Appleby/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
A touching moment between a bride and her loved ones, beautifully frozen in time. Photograph: Sergey Lapkovsky/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
A guest impressively performing the splits on the dance floor at a wedding party. Photograph: Ben Appleby/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
This man was pulling out all the big moves on the dance floor, and the bride's reaction is brilliant. Photograph: Darien Chui/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
Another finalist in the Dance Floor category, taken by Andres Mondragon, showing guests pouring booze and celebrating. Photograph: Andres Mondragon/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
A bride and groom survey the clouds from a rocky clifftop. Photograph: Christin Eide/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
For couples who want to tie the knot outside, this stunning mountain setting is goals. Photograph: Mike Vallely/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
This bride and groom look tiny surrounded by a sea of green, but they still stand out. Photograph: Misscha Bättig/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
This incredible shot is enough to give a person vertigo. Photograph: Oli Sansom/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
This groom could not be more excited about his big day. Photograph: Ashley Davenport/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
A clever image by Lisa Byrne, shows the bride from multiple angles. Photograph: Lisa Byrne/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
This amusing shot shows an elderly wedding guest having a power nap mid-reception. Photograph: Ben Selway/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
This dog clearly did not care about the bride's dress, but fortunately she doesn't seem stressed out about it either. Photograph: Oli Sansom/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
The backdrop of a black night sky means every drop of champagne is visible in the light of this photo. Photograph: Ashley Davenport/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
Positioning the camera lens right at the surface of the water created this striking photo. Photograph: Matias Ezcurra/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
This couple seals it with a kiss – underwater! Photograph: Maxwell Buchanan/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
An artist image taken by Krzysztof Krawczyk, which was awarded a score to win it a place in the Couple Portrait final 10. Photograph: Krzysztof Krawczyk/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
A newly married couple with a backdrop of fire is too striking. Photograph: Raïs De Weirdt/International Wedding Photographer of the Year
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