These Are the The Best International Wedding Photos of 2021

The International Wedding Photographer of the Year has announced the winners of its 2021 competition. In its fifth year, the competition aims to become the benchmark for wedding photography awards globally.

The International Wedding Photographer of the Year saw 1,500 entries submitted across nine categories by 415 photographers from 58 countries. The competition is attracting exceptional talent, as exemplified by the winner of the competition, Fabio Mirulla from Italy.

Shown above, the competition describes Mirulla’s photo as a cleverly composed, light-hearted photo that was entered into the Black and White category, and the judges found it to deliver the right balance of creativity and storytelling. As the winner of the competition, Mirulla received a group of prizes from sponsor Canon including an EOS R5 and a Pro-photo printer with a total value of $5,800 along with a portion of a $3,000 cash prize

The runner-up went to the Canadian duo Andrew and Bec of Willow & Wolf photography for their photo of a couple in the mountains, submitted to the Epic Location category. The competition describes it as true testament to the importance of framing and timing, as well as to the bravery of this thrill-seeking couple who hiked through the dark of night to reach this heavenly mountain top for the sun-rise, before celebrating their marriage lake-side with their nearest and dearest that same afternoon.

Epic Location Winner, Overall Competition Runner-Up, Photo by Andrew Pavlidis and Bec Kilpatrick, International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2021

Below are the other winning images from the remaining seven categories:

Dance Floor Winner: Photo by Ken Pak, International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2021
Couple Portrait Winner: Photo by Mic Panic, International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2021
Solo Portrait Winner: Photo by Shari and Mike Vallely, International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2021
Single Capture Winner: Photo by Darren Wigley, International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2021
Bridal Party Winner: Photo by Cafa Liu, International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2021
From Above Winner: Photo by Harsha Maduranga Jayasekara, International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2021
Engagement/Non Wedding Winner: Photo by Ruan Redelinghuys, International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2021

All of the category winners as well as the top 15 placing finalist images from each category can be seen on the International Wedding Photographer of the Year’s website.


Image Credits: Header image overall competition winner as well as Black and White category winner, by Fabio Mirulla. All other photos individually credited and provided courtesy of the International Wedding Photographer of the Year 2021.