I can't always control the entire background during the shoot, but I can usually clean it up later.
Removing distracting elements from the background can change the overall look of the photo.
This is an example of combining two separate images into one.
As you can see from the progression at the bottom, the young girl entered the frame as the couple were blowing bubbles.
I combined the first image with the third image, and also removed the loose strands of the bride's hair that were a bit distracting.
In some cases, if I just cleaned up the background before I took the photo it would be a lot easier...
The bride and groom should always be the focus of the image, not the background.
Removal of distracting background elements can return the focus to where it should be.
In this case, removing the protective mother from the shot gave the image a more innocent look.
Sometimes just subtle changes are necessary to make the bride happy.
The old wardrobe malfunction... along with a minor powdering of the face to reduce a little shine.
Another tiny wardrobe malfunction, an exit sign that wasn't needed, and an alien that was coming between them.
Many of the photos that you see online are retouched in one way or another, and there's nothing wrong with that.
and we'll just keep it between us, no one will ever know.