Why you should schedule a Sunset Portrait Session on your Wedding Day
Hi friends!! Today I am here to share FIVE reasons why you should consider adding a sunset session to your wedding day timeline. Some couples don’t think that they will have time for this sort of thing, or are worried about missing too much time at their reception with their guests. I’m here to tell you all about why I ADORE a sunset session from both a photographer AND a videographers perspective.
As I’ve spoken to couples about their wedding day timeline over the years, one of the biggest things that holds couples back from wanting a sunset session is the fear that there’s no time during their reception, or that they don’t want to be away from their guests for too long. Based on my experience attending, shooting, and helping to plan weddings for my couples, I find that the BEST time to fit in a sunset session usually falls during dinner. It often takes quite some time for guests to get their food, whether they are self serving or are being served individually. As the bride and groom always eat first, this leaves a time between when the Bride and Groom are done eating, and the last group served finishing their plates. From my experience, this window typically falls RIGHT at the perfect moment for sunset pictures. NOW—this isn’t always the case. I have had some couples who have earlier evening ceremonies during the summer that have to wait a little bit longer to get that beautiful light. I’m here to tell you that if you want to make it happen, your photographer or wedding planner will arrange the evenings events to work around what you want to make happen. As for being away from your guests for a period of time—in my experience, sunset portraits take at most 30 minutes, and usually are accomplished in 15-20. I promise you, the images that you get with your sweetie will be worth it. You don’t want to be bothering Aunt Cathy while she’s eating anyways ;)
Okay, now that we’ve addressed some FAQ, let’s get into why you should schedule a sunset portrait session with your new wife or hubby on your wedding day!
ITS EPIC, GORGEOUS, AND BEAUTIFUL
Let’s get some of the obvious out of the way. Sunset sessions are BEAUTIFUL. I mean, who doesn’t want to have epic portraits of themselves and their new spouse during the most stunning time of the day?! God really comes out to play in the late evening, showing off in the midwest with stunning skies and golden light. Take advantage of it!! Due to the typical schedule of a wedding day, standard portraits sometimes end up being shot with some pretty extreme lighting scenarios. Yes, your photographer is trained and able to shoot stunning portraits no matter the lighting, but why not try for some softer light later in the evening too??
2. SOFTER LIGHTING = ROMANTIC VIBES
As the sun is setting, not only do we get that epic golden light that we all know and love, but the light is also significantly more diffused, which results in the most stunning light on the subject!! This often differs in vibe from when you’ll take your standard portraits. This soft light yields such a fun, romantic atmosphere that you and your partner literally get to frolic in!!! You’re officially married, the atmosphere is beautiful, it’s like the most perfect opportunity to romanticize your wedding day ever.
3. SHOW OFF YOUR RECEPTION DRESS!!!
Um this is HUGE. Usually brides will wear their ceremony dress for traditional portraits, but let's not forget your reception dress! If you’re wearing one, let’s give it the spotlight for its own portraits!! This is also an opportunity for the groom to show off an outfit change, and maybe just get a little more casual. Sunset portraits are such a great time to let loose, have a little more fun, and maybe even dress down a little!
4. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE YOUR PORTRAITS MORE “YOU”
Because of the pace of the day, this additional sunset session opens up the opportunity for more fun props/locations. Although we will probably stick close to your reception site, you have the opportunity to incorporate things that maybe weren’t available during your initial portrait session. In the photo above, this groom requested photos of his bride on his truck, which I was happy to help with, hahaha! During their initial portrait session earlier in the day, we moved from family photos to bridal party photos, right into their bridal portraits. We did all of those photos in nearby locations, and wouldn’t have been able to get the truck to where we were shooting quickly enough to stick to our timeline. During the planning process, we decided that the best course of action was to take 20 minutes after they ate, before their guests had finished their plates, to pull the truck around in front of their ceremony location and shoot some portraits together!! Honestly they turned out SO cute, and they didn’t miss a beat during the reception.
5. USE THIS AS A MOMENT TO TAKE A BREATHER, GROUND YOURSELF, AND PREP FOR AN EPIC NIGHT AHEAD OF YOU. RECHARGE TO PARTY!!!
Wedding day often feels go-go-go, for like a 5 hour period. Sunset portraits are such a great opportunity to take a moment after you’ve eaten and just slow down. My personal preference is to structure these sunset portraits as a more prompt-led session. I give my couples an activity or discussion prompt, and just let them be together. I snap some pics as we go, and we all end up happy and rejuvinated, ready and recharged to go back into the reception and party the night away.
So what do you think — have I convinced you? If you’re still not sure, shoot me a message or a comment and let’s talk about it! I feel so convicted about sunset portraits, I could probably chat about it for hours 😘
xx
Meredith