This week, we take a look at a variety of wedding images that captured our attention with their unique photo compositions and sense of movement. Read the cool backstories and executions on each image below.

Shown here, couple Rachel and Jimmy envisioned a classic black-and-white editorial shoot for their engagement session,” says Vanessa Hankins of Vanessa and Johnny Photography and Films in South Florida.

“I recommended the old courthouse in Downtown Miami and brought along my medium-format camera,” says the photographer. “For this shot, I was inspired by the stairs and Rachel’s long veil. I thought it would look epic with her coming down the stairs with the veil catching in the wind. The groom was in a black suit so I positioned him in the shadow so that Rachel’s veil and short dress would be the focus as she came down the stairs.”

[Read: The Rule of Thirds: How to Use it and When to Break It]

“What I love most about this image is that it was completely unexpected,” says Oregon and Iceland adventure elopement photographer Oshen Davidson. “The couple was just finishing their first dance, and we were getting ready to sneak away for a bit to do some couples portraits with lanterns.

“When I saw how bright it was in the sky, my plan for their portraits completely changed and we decided to ditch the lanterns and use the night sky instead,” Davidson continues. “It wasn’t until I was home that I saw I had captured these two underneath the dipper. It was truly a beautiful reminder about how sometimes you have to throw expectations out the window, and just embrace the moment!”

This image of a couple exchanging their vows was taken on a point and shoot Olympus Stylus using 400 TX film (as well as on 35mm), says photographer Jenna Rae of Jenna Rae Photos.

“I love that they are holding hands as she is saying her vows and at the same time you can see the guests and tell that it was raining with the umbrellas in the foreground,” says Rae.

[Read: Want to Create Bold B&W Images? Color and Light Matter]

Janina Brocklesby of Reportage Studios says that right before this image took place, she had just finished the couple portraits and the couple was headed back to their guests when Brocklesby saw the light falling on bride Jessica’s dress.

“I instantly stopped  them for one more portrait…and it quickly became our favorite.”

UK wedding photographer Chelsea Cannar says the wedding couple here had just completed their first dance, and their guests had come onto the dance floor to join them.

“I enjoy busy images and anything that captures a wider scene,” says Cannar. “I try to stand back at least a few times at a wedding, usually when people are transitioning from one place to another (such as filling a dining room), and let the movement of walking tell the story. I will find a well-placed location and a shutter speed that works with the crowd’s pace.”

[Read: Intentional Blur and Why My Clients Love It]

This image was the first time Cannar had tried a slower shutter speed on the dance floor. “The couple had just finished their first dance as the daylight was still pouring through the window, and straight after, their guests joined them for a little bit of swing dancing. I headed up the balcony to see the big picture and loved that their dancing mirrored the swirling floor. The slower shutter speed felt like the best way to capture the energy of their movements, in a way that also told the story.”

Dig into our Photo of the Day archives for even more compelling photo compositions.Send your wedding portraits, editorial, documentary and commercial image submissions to: [email protected]