Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu. - I photograph the wedding rings in the living room.

Saya memotret cincin pengantin.
= I took a photo of the wedding ring. (focus on the object you shoot)
Saya mengambil foto cincin pengantin.
= I took a photo of the wedding ring. (very similar meaning)
Saya berfoto dengan cincin pengantin.
= I took a photo with the wedding ring / I posed with the wedding ring.
Here berfoto is more like “to have one’s photo taken / to pose for a photo”.

So:

Use memotret or mengambil foto when you are the photographer and want to mention what you photograph.
Use berfoto (dengan/bersama …) when talking about posing in a photo, often with other people or objects.

Is cincin pengantin singular or plural? Could it mean “the wedding rings”?

By itself, cincin pengantin is number-neutral. It can mean “the wedding ring” or “the wedding rings”, depending on context.

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark plural with an ending like English “-s”. To be explicit:

satu cincin pengantin = one wedding ring
beberapa cincin pengantin = several wedding rings
cincin-cincin pengantin = wedding rings (plural marked by repeating cincin)

In your sentence, most people would understand one specific ring, unless the context clearly involves multiple rings.

Does pengantin mean “bride”, “groom”, or both?

Pengantin is a bit flexible:

It can mean “the bride and groom (as a pair)”, especially in phrases like pengantin baru (newlyweds).
It can also refer to one of them, depending on context.

To be more specific:

pengantin perempuan = the bride
pengantin laki-laki = the groom

So cincin pengantin could be understood as:

“the wedding ring” in general, or
“the ring belonging to the bride/groom”, depending on the situation.

Does cincin pengantin specifically mean “wedding ring”, or just “ring of the bride/groom”?

In many contexts, cincin pengantin is understood as “wedding ring”.

Literally, it’s “the ring of the bride/groom”, so it could mean:

a wedding ring, or
any ring associated with the bride/groom (for example, an engagement ring), depending on context.

Other common ways to say “wedding ring” are:

cincin kawin
cincin pernikahan

All three (especially cincin kawin and cincin pengantin) can be used in everyday speech to mean a wedding ring.

Why is it cincin pengantin and not something like pengantin cincin, like English “wedding ring”?

In Indonesian, the main noun (head) comes first, and its modifier comes after it. So the order is:

[Head] + [Modifier]

Examples:

cincin pengantin = ring (of) the bride/groom → “wedding ring”
rumah sakit = house (for) sickness → “hospital”
baju kerja = clothes (for) work → “work clothes”

So cincin pengantin literally is “ring (of) the bride/groom”.
You cannot say pengantin cincin; that would be ungrammatical.

Can this sentence also mean “I am photographing the wedding ring…” instead of “I photographed…”?

Yes. Indonesian verbs usually do not change form for tense.

Saya memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu. can mean:

I photograph / I am photographing the wedding ring in the living room.
I photographed the wedding ring in the living room.

To make time clearer, Indonesians often add time words:

Tadi saya memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu. = I photographed it earlier.
Sekarang saya memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu. = I am photographing it now.
Besok saya akan memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu. = I will photograph it tomorrow.

What does di ruang tamu mean exactly, and how is di different from ke?

Di ruang tamu means “in the living room” or “in the sitting room”.

di = at / in / on (location, no movement)
ke = to / towards (movement or direction)

So:

di ruang tamu = in/at the living room
ke ruang tamu = to the living room

In your sentence, di ruang tamu shows where the action of photographing happens.

Can I move di ruang tamu to the front, like: Di ruang tamu, saya memotret cincin pengantin?

Yes, that is perfectly natural.

Saya memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu.
Di ruang tamu, saya memotret cincin pengantin.

Both are correct. Putting di ruang tamu at the front can slightly emphasize the location (“In the living room, I photographed the wedding ring”), but the basic meaning is the same.

In spoken Indonesian, both word orders are common and natural.

What’s the difference between ruang tamu, ruangan tamu, and kamar tamu?

They are related but not the same:

ruang tamu: the standard phrase for living room / sitting room (where you receive guests).
ruangan tamu: grammatically possible, but not commonly used; sounds more like “guest area/space” in some building contexts.
kamar tamu: guest bedroom (a room where guests sleep).

So in this sentence, ruang tamu is the natural choice for “living room”.

Why is Saya used here instead of Aku? Are they different?

Both mean “I / me”, but they differ in politeness and context:

Saya: more formal, polite, neutral; used in most writing, with strangers, in professional situations.
Aku: more informal, intimate; used with friends, family, or in songs/poems.

Your sentence with Aku:

Aku memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu.

This sounds more casual and personal.
With Saya, the sentence is more neutral and suitable for general use.

Can I drop Saya and just say Memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu?

You can, but it changes the feel and is not always natural as a normal statement.

Saya memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu.
→ A clear, complete sentence with an explicit subject.
Memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu.
→ Looks more like a note, title, caption, or instruction, for example:
- in a to-do list: “Memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu” (Photograph the wedding ring in the living room)
- as a photo caption: “Memotret cincin pengantin di ruang tamu” (Photographing the wedding ring in the living room)

In normal narrative sentences, Indonesian usually keeps the subject pronoun (saya, aku, etc.), unless context makes it very obvious and the style is deliberately short or telegraphic.