NDAs, paparazzi and putting VIP guests at ease: What it's really like to photograph a celebrity wedding

They’re among Hollywood’s most trusted secret-keepers. They’re in the room when the gown goes on and the bride is handed the bouquet. They witness first looks, kisses and dances. They’re the wedding photographers behind the lens for some of the most famous “I dos” — and they’re cordially inviting us into their world.

With privacy a rare commodity for celebrities, the team they assemble to carry out their wedding dreams is essential to a smooth, happy day. Photographers play a key role; not just documenting the occasion for the bride and groom, but capturing the essence of each love story in the handful of images that the star shares publicly.

Yahoo talked to Robert Evans, Sandra von Riekhoff and Lauren Fair about documenting star-studded ceremonies. The visual storytellers say their reputations get them a meeting with clients, but booking the job is about building trust, beyond the standard non-disclosure agreements, in addition to their shutter style.

Not only are they snapping timeless shots — the portraits a star might share on Instagram to mark their anniversaries for years to come — but celebrities are trendsetters and the imagery will be shared all over social media and should stand out from the typical Pinterest fare.

Their work isn’t merely done behind the camera. They’re known to keep paparazzi at bay, blend in with guests at the reception — with a cocktail in hand — to be a friend with a camera and stay up all night helping pick which images make the final cut.

“Shooting what people call a ‘wedding of the century’ is always a fascinating experience,” Evans, who shot Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’s Italian nuptials and Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s Malibu celebration, tells Yahoo. “The spotlight is enormous — and so are the precautions.”

A matter of trust — and NDAs

Celebrity couples don’t select their photographer on style alone. It’s just as much about connection and choosing someone who will keep every detail private.

“Trust is a key element to making sure that everything runs smoothly,” says von Riekhoff, who Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi hired to shoot their wedding in Tuscany in October 2024.

That begins with early conversations, in person or over video, where photographers listen to the couple’s vision and help them feel at ease about how the day will unfold.

“Anyone who gets to the point where they're shooting celebrity weddings … probably has a good number of years and experience under their belt,” says von Riekhoff. “So [it’s] coming to the table and understanding their needs very well.”

Von Riekhoff, who also captured Princess Eugenie’s 2018 royal wedding to Jack Brooksbank, storyboards in advance with clients. It aligns their creative visions, lets her see images they may want to emulate and helps identify key people they want photos with.

Not every shoot has that advantage. When Evans was hired for Aniston and Pitt’s wedding, he was told he’d be photographing a corporate event. He only learned the truth about the assignment two days before the celebration.

Sitting across from two superstars, discussing what they want at their secret wedding, you need to stay cool.

“I see celebrities as people who just want to be treated normally,” Evans says. “I’ve always approached these weddings the same way: Capture authentic, emotional photographs that tell a love story.”

Once a couple selects their photographer, formal steps follow to legally protect their privacy.

“NDAs are always part of the process,” Evans says. “While I’m the kind of person who believes in a handshake and trust, their teams and lawyers make sure everything is airtight.”

Paparazzi, superfans and the media — oh, my

Even the most tightly run clandestine operations can be exposed. The press may catch wind of the event, paparazzi might stake out the venue or an eager fan could try to crash the wedding.

“At Brad and Jen’s wedding, you could see photographers camped out on the hills above the property,” Evans says.

There was a “million-dollar bounty” on the photos, Evans says, so he arranged a security escort to take him from the reception to the lab, where he developed more than 1,000 images through the night. The guard took the negatives, proofs and prints directly to Aniston and Pitt’s team. Of all the images, only one was ever released publicly.

“It was my first high-profile wedding of that scale, and I wasn’t about to risk those priceless negatives,” Evans says.

Six years later, Evans was in a 15th-century castle outside Rome to shoot an even bigger affair: Cruise marrying Holmes. It was a media circus.

“Tom and Katie’s was different — not really dramatic, just lots of pressure,” he says. “It was a full-scale global spectacle — fans lining the streets, paparazzi everywhere, helicopters buzzing overhead.”

Being a pro at handling paparazzi during a heightened event like these takes skill — and sometimes a jab.

“[They] can be quite aggressive, so it's important to remember that you're in charge … and for them to know that's the case too,” von Riekhoff says. “So holding your space and telling them where they need to be with a wink and a smile or an elbow, if required, is sometimes something [we have] to do.”

Getting the right shots — and handling the VIPs

“Often celebrity weddings are incredibly fast-paced, with big teams in place and security to work around, so that's truly where an experienced wedding photographer comes in,” says Fair, who Issa Rae hired for her 2021 nuptials in France. “When you're only given five minutes to shoot portraits, you have to go in confidently, with a smile and an upbeat manner, while still moving very quickly to capture the shots you want.”

Von Riekhoff describes her approach as a “wedding guest with a camera” — blending in with the crowd while capturing authentic moments. While snapping the party pictures during the reception, she likes “to engage and create a strong rapport” — often with a martini in hand.

Photographers also have to delicately handle VIP guests.

“They really are just guests who are there to love their people, so I treat them the way I would any other,” says von Riekhoff, who had Jon Bon Jovi as the father of the groom at Brown’s wedding as well as Stranger Things cast members. If someone is “a little bit hardened by seeing a camera whiz by them, l usually make sure to say hello and introduce myself … so that they feel comfortable.”

That approach led to playful photos at Brown’s wedding — including a memorable one the actress posted to social media in which she’s blowing a bubble with gum while wearing Bongiovi’s bowtie.

Von Riekhoff says she had that setup in mind prior to the wedding, explaining, “I try my best to get inspiration from sources outside of the wedding sphere… Storing things I see in my head [in] notes which I'll go back to before the day to fill my brain up with ideas.”

In the Instagram era, where stars share photo carousels to social media instead of releasing a single image to the press, it’s about creating something visually fresh and novel.

“People get bored quickly, so dreaming up a new idea that feels a little dangerous and outside of the box is easier to get people behind these days,” says von Riekhoff. “I find people are much more playful and willing to try new things now, and I'm willing to bet that a big part of that is social media-driven.” One example is a photo von Riekhoff took of Bongiovi standing on a bed over Brown. She’s since seen it “becoming quite a thing on people's mood boards and … being done over and over again.”

Still, stars are after both the viral shots as well as capturing the “big, classic moments,” says Fair, who photographed beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira’s 2023 wedding in Newport, Rhode Island.

“Her wedding was a modern, black and white, clean lines style,” says Fair. “It was really chic and classic.”

For social media stars like Nogueira, there can also be emphasis on content creation throughout the wedding weekend. That might mean highlighting a sponsor or capturing specific looks for fashion designers the influencer couple collaborated with.

Evans sees social media as a double-edged sword. While it lets couples regulate how they share their photos and gives them endless inspiration, it’s led to brides and grooms chasing trends.

“I’ve seen fads come and go — filters, staged looks — but the photographs that last are authentic, emotional ones,” he says. “[News outlets] and social media often highlight the ‘expected’ shots like the cake cutting and aisle walks, but the most meaningful images are usually unscripted — a father’s reaction, a couple’s private laugh, friends caught in pure joy — and stand the test of time.”

One shot to get it right

Needless to say, capturing a star’s wedding day is a pressure-filled job, especially when the photos will also be circulated and inevitably criticized.

“I’ve never looked at it as, ‘millions of people will see these images,’” says Evans. “My mindset is simple: I shoot 90% of every wedding for myself. If I walk away excited about what I captured — the candid emotion, the timeless moments — then I know my couples will be thrilled.”

Von Riekhoff agrees, “If I thought [too much about it], I might freeze like a deer in the headlights.”