So You Want Your Alternative Wedding or Elopement Published? Read This First.

If you’re here, chances are you had (or are planning) a wedding or elopement that didn’t fit the template. Maybe you wore black, eloped in a tattoo shop, used taxidermy as decor or had a mosh pit instead of a slow dance. You created a day that felt like you, and now you’d love to see it featured on Rock n Roll Bride, Dancing With Her, Quirky Weddings UK, Weird Wild Wed or another alternative publication.

First off, I get it. As an alternative wedding photographer and elopement planner, I live in this space. And trust me, wanting to submit your wedding for publication doesn’t make you shallow, braggy or attention-seeking. You poured your heart, energy and identity into something meaningful and wildly personal. Wanting to share that is human.

But there are some things that couples rarely hear about the publication world, and knowing them upfront will make the process smoother, less emotional and much less confusing.

1. Submissions Are Best Done by a Wedding Industry Professional

This is a big one.

Most publications strongly prefer — and in some cases only accept — submissions from:

• The photographer (ideally)

• The wedding planner

• A venue or vendor with editorial experience

  
  

Why?

Because the submission process isn’t just “send photos.” It includes:

• Image sequencing

• Storytelling structure

• Vendor credits

• Detail descriptions

• Consistency in file sizing, resolution, and delivery format

  
  

Professionals already know how to do this and how to present the wedding in a way that meets editorial standards.

So while couples can submit, your chances go up significantly when it comes from someone who understands the process, copyright usage, and editorial expectations.

2. Your Wedding May Feel One-of-a-Kind… But Publications See Hundreds Just Like It

This one can sting, but it’s important.

Most couples — especially those in the alternative community — only see a small sample of weddings like theirs through their friends, social feeds or Pinterest searches. Your wedding may feel radically different, and in the context of your life… it was.

But publications receive hundreds of submissions every month from couples who also:

• Wore black

• Had a courthouse ceremony

• Got married in the woods

• Eloped with only two guests

• Had tattoos, leather jackets, capes, disco balls, broomsticks or roller skates

Your uniqueness matters. It just may not be unique to that publication’s inbox.

3. Photography Quality Matters More Than Anything Else

This is the part nobody wants to hear, but it’s the facts, Jack.

A publication may absolutely love your story, styling, fashion and vibe — but if the photography isn’t up to editorial standards, it won’t be accepted.

This isn’t about whether you love your photos (and you should). It’s about things like:

• Color accuracy

• Exposure consistency

• Sharpness and clarity

• Composition and lighting

• Storytelling sequencing

• Whether the work fits the editorial aesthetic

  
  

If being featured is a high priority, choose a photographer known for:

• Editorial or publication experience

• Strong technical skill

• Consistency in all lighting scenarios

• Experience submitting to your target publications

  
  

Magazines want weddings that visually align with their brand and maintain the quality of their platform.

4. A Rejection Doesn’t Mean Your Wedding Wasn’t Worthy

This part matters most.

If your submission gets declined, it does not mean:

• Your day wasn’t special

• Your style wasn’t "alternative enough"

• You didn’t do something bold or meaningful

• Your wedding wasn’t beautiful

  
  

It just means it wasn’t the fit for that publication right now.

Editorial calendars change. Aesthetic trends rotate. Diversity standards evolve. Sometimes a story gets declined not because of the wedding, but because the publication already featured something too similar that month.

Your wedding was still unforgettable, emotional, personal and deeply sacred to the people who mattered — including you.

That will always carry more weight than publication.

5. If Publication Matters to You, Communicate Early

If being featured is a top priority, tell your photographer and planner before the wedding day.

That allows us to:

• Shoot intentionally with editorial flow in mind

• Capture details, flatlays and vendor work thoroughly

• Ensure timelines support those shots

• Prepare vendors for proper crediting

• Create an album that aligns with submission structure

  
  

Publication isn’t an afterthought — it’s a strategy.

Final Thought

Your wedding does not need a magazine seal of approval to be extraordinary.

A publication feature is simply a format for storytelling — not a measurement of value.

If you’re featured, that’s exciting. Celebrate it. If you aren’t, it doesn’t lessen a single moment, memory or meaning.

Because the real magic wasn’t the feature — it was the day you lived.