Let’s talk about posing—specifically wedding poses—and why just the thought of them can make people cringe.
For many couples, especially those in the LGBTQIA+ community, wedding poses can feel like stepping into a role that was never meant for them. I often hear couples express a fear of feeling stiff and unnatural while the photographer cycles them through a checklist of poses.
For our queer community, traditional (and even much of contemporary) wedding photography adds an extra layer of discomfort. That’s because most poses are built on assumptions—assumptions that don’t fit us. Assumptions about gender roles, relationship dynamics, and rigid traditional norms.
When you’re trying to feel fully into yourself on your wedding day, that kind of pressure doesn’t just feel awkward. It feels alienating.
As a Boston wedding photographer and queer woman who’s both worked within and been excluded by these assumptions, I’ve seen firsthand how much that weight can take away from what should be one of the most affirming, connected days of your life.
A Queer-Inclusive Approach to Wedding Poses That Feel Like You
As a wedding photographer who values a couple’s uniqueness over tradition—and who has no interest in making assumptions—I can assure you there’s another way. A more expansive, story-driven approach to wedding poses that reflect your love and what it truly looks like.
And for me, it starts not with a camera, but with building trust.
I begin posing my couples long before the wedding day—by showing up, listening, and getting to know who they are. That foundation of trust and safety makes it possible to create images that feel real because they are real.
This approach to LGBTQ+ wedding photography is less about fitting into a box and more about celebrating everything that makes your love personal and unrepeatable.
More Than a Pose: Let’s Tell Your Story Through Feeling
Why does this matter when it comes to posing?
Because the difference between wedding picture poses and wedding poses for art is feeling. Emotion is the language of my photography.
And what’s more vulnerable than showing real emotion in front of a stranger who hasn’t taken the time to truly see you?
So let me ask you: When you picture your wedding day… what do you want to feel?
That’s the question that guides everything. Because wedding photography shouldn’t be about performance. It should be about presence.
Instead of cycling through stiff directions, I guide my couples with natural, intuitive prompts that lead to genuine moments. I might ask you to walk toward each other after time apart. Or whisper something in your partner’s ear that still makes their heart flutter.
It’s not about how you look. It’s about how you feel—authentically, just as you are when no one’s watching.
What unfolds is natural: movement, memory, intimacy. A reflection of what’s real—not what’s rehearsed.And there’s no one right way to show up. Be it bold or quiet, tender or playful, poetic or irreverent—whatever energy is most you is the perfect way to be photographed.
Creating Space for Queer Love to Breathe
Too often, queer couples are asked to make their love more “relatable.” Sometimes it’s subtle—a suggestion to mimic a heteronormative pose, or the assumption that someone has to be the “bride” or the “groom.”
But your relationship doesn’t need translation. It deserves celebration.
Instead of defaulting to tradition or cookie-cutter wedding couple poses, we begin with you—how you move, how you connect, how you hold each other close. We start with the small things that make your story yours.
This is the heart of inclusive wedding photography: allowing every couple the freedom to be fully themselves, without compromise.
Then, posing becomes less about shaping you into something else—and more about reflecting who you already are.
The pose adapts to you, not the other way around.
Photography That Lets You Feel It All Over Again
What makes a photograph powerful isn’t just how it looks. It’s how it feels.
When you see your images years from now, you shouldn’t just remember what you wore or how you stood. You should feel the warmth in your chest. The squeeze of your partner’s hand. The joy that caught you by surprise.
That’s what photography rooted in presence can do.
It becomes more than documentation—it becomes the emotional language of your relationship, preserved forever.
That’s the goal—whether I’m capturing a wedding in the city or along the coast of New England, I want my couples to feel like they’re living their day all over again. That’s what drives my work as a Boston-based LGBTQ+ wedding photographer.
So Where Do We Begin?
You don’t need to know how to pose. You don’t need to perform. You just need to be you.
From there, it’s about creating an environment where you feel seen, safe, and supported.
We’ll talk through what matters most—your story, your connection, and the little details you want to remember for years to come.
What unfolds is different for everyone. Some couples are spontaneous and playful. Others are grounded and quiet. Some burst into laughter; others communicate everything through a single glance.
And all of it is right. All of it is enough.
When You’re Ready
If this approach to LGBTQ+ and inclusive wedding photography resonates with you—if it sounds like the kind of experience you’ve been hoping for—I’d be honored to help you create something deeply personal.
But more than anything, I hope this reminds you:Your love doesn’t need to fit a mold.
It can be documented with care. And whenever you are ready to begin this journey you can reach out to me anytime here: https://kathrynblairphotography.com/contact
