The pressure to get the perfect wedding photo is something every couple can relate to. And in recent years, one pose in particular has become popular.
After saying ‘I do’, the bride and groom walk back down the aisle, before executing the ‘kiss and dip’.
Traditional, elegant, and classic, it certainly gets a round of applause.
But some couples aren’t convinced, calling the pose ‘unnatural’. One bride even said she was ‘very scared’ that her husband would drop her.
Not a cute start to wedded bliss.
But now, perhaps in part as a response to this terror, a new pose is emerging: the hand kiss. Here’s everything you need to know…
The Carolyn Bessette ‘hand kiss’ pose
Millions of women consider Calvin Klein’s Carolyn Bessette a style icon. From her capsule wardrobe to her effortlessly glossy hair, her style remains as influential as ever.
Unsurprisingly, her fashion legacy has extended beyond her wardrobe, with her wedding to John F Kennedy Jr becoming a blueprint for prospective brides.
One of the most iconic images of Carolyn and John was taken as they walked down the aisle after their ceremony, when John paused to kiss her hand as she smiled.
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Aptly dubbed the ‘hand kiss’ pose by brides online, this simple yet chic gesture is now cropping up at more and more weddings.
Given the sheer popularity of the recent anthology TV series Love Story, which captured the couples’ romance and untimely deaths, it’s unsurprising Carolyn and John’s wedding is at the forefront of so many people’s minds.
Wedding planner Georgie Mitchell tells Metro: ‘It’s certainly getting more popular.
‘I think as social media is at the forefront of brides minds now that they want to curate that moment and that photo.
‘It’s a very timeless pose. I also think it showcases both partners nicely – nobody is bent down dipping, it’s just two people standing together’.
Brides online also like the simplicity of this alternative.
@H&N shared on TikTok that she personally found this pose ‘so much less pressure than the dip’ while @caty added ‘I didn’t previously know this was an option – I love it!’.
Lindsay Sawyer, 30, who is set to be wed this year, tells Metro she’ll be recreating the ‘hand kiss’ pose.
‘I’m deep in #weddingtok (with just two months until my own), and it came up as an idea,’ she shares.
‘I think the dip and kiss is a nice idea but the thought of trying to orchestrate that, with everyone looking at you, makes me come up in hives.
‘And trying to get my fiancé to ‘practice’ is just never going to happen.
‘So, the hand kiss seemed like an easier option for us to still get a nice moment, without all the palaver of setting something up’.
Like so many couples ahead of their wedding day, Lindsay is understandably nervous about getting the ‘perfect shot’.
‘You get told by everyone “you’ll be looking at these photographs for 40 years”, so the pressure for the photos to last over several decades, where trends and themes are likely to change drastically, is a lot,’ she explains.
In her eyes, the ‘perfect shot’ will probably be the one her and her fiancé are least expecting: ‘I hope we’re able to capture a quiet, sweet moment when it’s just us two amidst all the chaos of the day’.
That being said, she emphasises that ‘it doesn’t hurt to have a few ideas of what you like’.
Georgie’s advice? Have an engagement photoshoot.
‘It might seem like that won’t be helpful, but have some photos to look back at – see which poses you like, which facial expressions you look good with!
‘Sometimes you can also overthink the photos and you spend the day worrying about that, rather than just enjoying yourself!’
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