In the age of Instagram, the pressure is on to look your absolute best in your wedding photos – but how can you be sure of doing that? Check out the following 4 ideas for ensuring your wedding photos will turn out stunning:

1. Choose an ultra-talented photographer

It’s normal for couples to expend a great deal of energy fussing over how they look on their wedding day; it’s such a big deal, in large part, because they want to look their best in their photos. However, your physical appearance is not the only important consideration for how your wedding photos will turn out.

Everyone wants to look fabulous on your big day, your dream day! So, you need to find a photographer who has varying levels of talent. Some have a knack for making even the ugliest subjects look radiant. Others somehow couldn’t even manage to make a supermodel look vaguely pretty.

There are a zillion ways a bad photographer could make you look awful in your wedding pictures. Even if you look your most appealing on your wedding day, your photos will only turn out as good as the talent level of the photographer taking them.

So how do you know who’s really good?

Get as many recommendations from friends as you possibly can. Then book appointments to interview each of the recommended photographers and review their portfolios.

When you find a photographer you like, make an appointment for an engagement photo shoot with him or her. Then take a careful look at the photos you get back. If you look fantastic in the photos from the trial shoot, it’s a reasonably safe bet that you’ll also look great in your wedding photos.

2. Choose your beauty treatments and providers carefully

It’s worth trusting your hair, makeup, manicure and other beauty treatments to a professional on your wedding day. You certainly don’t need the additional stress of having to do it all yourself. But again, choose your providers carefully; just as photographers have varying levels of talent and expertise, so do beauticians and hair stylists. You’ll want to have talented and experienced professionals do the job. It’s beneficial to book a trial run with several beauticians beforehand and choose your favourite to do the job on your wedding day.

Right now, it’s trendy for both brides and grooms to schedule cosmetic surgery procedures before a wedding. This can be conducive to great wedding photos if all goes well, but it can also backfire. For things to go smoothly, you must take care with the timing of your procedure, and you must also choose your practitioner carefully.

When it comes to plastic surgeons, you’ll want to book a treatment with someone who has a specific and somewhat hard-to-find skill set. First of all, it’s ideal to work with a practitioner who has an artistic eye and an expert understanding of what people generally perceive to be beautiful. The science supporting the plastic surgery is even more important; you’ll want to work with a licensed physician who is knowledgeable about how to minimise pain during the procedure and prevent infections — and who can also deliver effective follow-up care afterwards. “Bedside manner” is also critical; you’ll want a practitioner who is empathetic rather than condescending.

It isn’t easy to find a practitioner who has all these qualities. And, in this case, you may feel shy about asking for recommendations from friends.

A site called Realself.com is helpful in this situation, because it allows you to read authentic, verified doctor reviews plus see before and after pictures from real cosmetic surgery patients who have already had the same procedure you might be considering. For a good example of a doctor you could feel comfortable working with, take a look at these Dr Ajaka reviews at the Realself website.

Also keep in mind the healing time that each cosmetic procedure could be expected to require. For example, you’ll want to schedule a treatment like dermal fillers at least three months in advance of your wedding day to ensure you’ll be fully healed and looking your best after the procedure.

3.  Try all the right poses and angles

When you pose for photos on the big day, make a conscious effort to stand up straight. Keep your shoulders down and slightly back. Breathe deeply, relax and smile naturally.

Avoid allowing the photographer to crouch while shooting photos of you standing. This sort of pose will draw attention to a double chin – or make you look as if you have one, even if you don’t. It’s usually better to have the camera angled down at you rather than angled upward.

Other than that, try a variety of poses, facial expressions and focal points. A few ideas to try:

• Look directly at the camera for some of the photos.
• Look off into a point that’s just slightly over the photographer’s shoulder with a dreamy expression on your face.
• You and your beloved should be photographed gazing at each other in adoration at least once during the shoot.
• Plus be sure to pose at least once with each member of your wedding party and each of your family members.

4. Go outside

Unless you’re having a nighttime wedding or a noon wedding, consider taking at least some of your photos outdoors in natural light. Light is one of the most crucial elements in your wedding photos. When the sun is angled low in the sky, the lighting outdoors will almost always be preferable to the light you’ll find inside.

Do, however, avoid having photos taken outside when the sun is directly overhead. The hours between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. are typically not ideal for outdoor photo shoots unless you can find a suitably shaded area to minimise the possibility of harsh shadows in the pictures.

If you take care to implement these 4 suggestions, it’s likely that you’ll be pleased with your wedding photos – or at least the majority of them. If a few turn out to be not-so-pleasing, no worries – simply avoid adding those few bad ones to the final wedding album.