editorials category
27 october 2024
There’s a shift happening in weddings right now, and honestly, it’s one I’ve been waiting for.
Couples are done with the perfectly curated, over-produced wedding aesthetic that dominated the last decade. The stiff poses, the forced smiles, the images that look beautiful but feel like they belong to someone else. In 2026, the most stylish, forward-thinking couples are choosing something different. They’re choosing real.
As a Bath wedding and elopement photographer with over a decade of experience documenting love stories across Somerset, Bristol, the Cotswolds, London and Europe, I’ve watched trends come and go. But what’s happening right now feels less like a trend and more like a correction. A return to something that actually matters.
The Death of the Posed Wedding Photo
Let me be direct. The era of couples standing awkwardly in a field, staring into the middle distance while a photographer shouts directions at them, is over. Today’s couples want something that reflects who they actually are. Relaxed. Spontaneous. Alive.
Documentary and photojournalistic wedding photography has never been more in demand, and for good reason. When you stop directing and start observing, something remarkable happens. People exhale. They laugh at the right moments. They hold each other in ways they actually hold each other. And that’s when the real photographs happen.
This is the foundation of everything I do. I work quietly, instinctively, folding into the day so that couples forget the camera is there at all. The result is a wedding gallery that feels less like a photoshoot and more like a film.
Fine Art Meets Real Life
Authenticity doesn’t mean sacrificing beauty. This is the misconception I hear most often, and it couldn’t be further from the truth.
The most exciting development in contemporary wedding photography right now is the merging of fine art aesthetics with genuine, unscripted storytelling. Couples want images that are cinematic and layered and compositionally rich, but that also feel honest. Images that could hang on a gallery wall and still make you cry because you remember exactly how that moment felt.
This is where a fine art editorial approach and a photojournalist’s instinct meet. It’s not one or the other. The best wedding photography in 2026 lives in that space between the two.
Film Photography is Back, and It Never Really Left
If you’ve been paying attention to the wedding world lately, you’ll have noticed the return of film. And not just as a nostalgic novelty. Couples are actively seeking out photographers who offer digital and film hybrid coverage because of the quality, the texture and the feeling that film brings to an image.
There’s a warmth and a grain to a film photograph that digital simply can’t replicate. It slows everything down. It makes an image feel considered and permanent in a way that resonates deeply with couples who want their wedding photographs to feel timeless rather than of-the-moment.
I shoot digital and film hybrid as standard because I believe the two formats complement each other beautifully. Digital gives you coverage and flexibility. Film gives you soul.
Elopements are Elevated
One of the most significant shifts I’ve seen in 2026 is the continued rise of the elopement, and the way couples are approaching them. Gone is the idea that an elopement is a compromise. Today’s elopements are deeply intentional, carefully considered and often far more personal and stylish than a traditional wedding.
Couples are choosing wild coastlines, European city streets, golden hour hilltops and candlelit restaurants over traditional venues. They’re prioritising experience over performance. And the photography that comes from those days is some of the most extraordinary work I’ve ever produced.
If you’re considering an elopement in Somerset, the Cotswolds, Europe or anywhere in the world, know that it is not settling for less. It is often choosing more.
What Stylish Couples are Wearing in 2026
Style in 2026 is personal, considered and anything but generic. The couples I’m working with this year are moving away from trend-led choices and towards pieces that feel like an extension of who they are.
For brides, that means relaxed silhouettes, natural fabrics, and a growing interest in vintage and archive pieces. The idea of wearing something that has its own history, its own story, feels very aligned with the broader authenticity movement.
Grooms and non-binary partners are embracing texture, colour and individuality in a way that feels genuinely exciting. Linen suits, earthy tones, tailoring that feels worn-in rather than brand new. The goal is to look like yourself, just elevated.
The through line in all of it is intention. Every choice considered. Nothing accidental.
Why Your Photographer Matters More Than You Think
Here’s something I tell every couple I speak to. Your wedding photographs are the only thing from your day that will still be with you in thirty years. The flowers will be gone. The cake will be eaten. The dress will be boxed. But the photographs will be on your wall, in your hands, shown to your children.
Choosing a wedding photographer who understands authenticity, who has a fine art eye and a documentary instinct, who can work across Somerset, Bristol, the Cotswolds, London, Europe and beyond, is one of the most important decisions you’ll make.
Not because of the images themselves. But because of how they’ll make you feel every single time you look at them.
Ready to Tell Your Story?
If you’re planning a wedding or elopement in 2026 or 2027 and you want photography that is honest, cinematic and genuinely yours, I’d love to hear from you.
[Get in touch here] or [explore the portfolio] to see what’s possible when authenticity leads the way.
Andrew Brannan is a Bath wedding and elopement photographer specialising in fine art documentary and editorial wedding photography across Somerset, Bristol, the Cotswolds, London, Europe and worldwide destinations. Digital and film hybrid coverage available.
