What photography techniques are employed here, and how can I get them?

I’m interested in photography, and these two examples have caught my eye as being somewhat difficult to achieve, as I don’t know how to reference them. The first is this sort of soft, blurred technique that I really like: http://www.diana-damrau.com/2007/img/gallery/gal1_misc/foto8.jpg. I was wondering what it is called and how to either obtain it using a camera or a photo editing service [I have Photoshop Elements]…

Thanks a lot!

Not a photo program deal

Just shoot your bride against a white background (with a stop to stop and a half hotter background) and use two portrait lights .. Key on the front of the bride and fill on the other side.

This kind of shot is pretty standard. I could take up to five minutes setting it up before you use your camera. It could take days trying to manipulate an existing shot using a powerful program like Photoshop if you don’t have the necessary skills