Sunset Portraits: What they are and why they should be on your wedding day timeline

If you’re currently planning a wedding, you may have heard or seen some buzz about sunset portraits. Let me tell you what they are, why they’re being talked about, and why you should 100% fit these into your timeline!

What are sunset portraits?

Sunset portraits are bride and groom portraits taken during golden hour on your wedding day. We sneak out of your reception for 15-30 minutes to snag some photos of you and your groom after you’ve had a chance to eat, do the important dances, and mingle.

Why are people talking about them?

They’re a great way to prioritize your wedding photos, while also ensuring no one is waiting on you. Including sunset portraits in your timeline pairs well with doing a first look with your hubby (you can see my blog post about why you should do a first look here) to ensure you are spending the most time possible partying with your favorite people.

Why should I do sunset portraits?

Including sunset portraits in your wedding day is a great way to ensure you get some photos with that dreamy golden hour glow. Generally couple’s portraits are either taken before the ceremony—if you’re doing a first look—or immediately after the ceremony—if you’re not doing a first look. While these aren’t inherently bad times to take photos (we can make photos at any time beautiful), the ideal time to take portraits is 1 to 2 hours before sunset. This ensures you get that warm, glowy light that we photographers do the happy dance for.

It also allows you to sneak away for some one on one time with your hubby (and trust me, one on one time is in short supply on a wedding day). You are married, you’ve done your first dance, you’ve eaten dinner, mingled with your guests, and had a few drinks. You can finally relax and enjoy time with your hubby away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of your guests. If we’ve done portraits earlier in the day, I love letting hubby take his jacket off and roll his sleeves up to let us get some more relaxed, flirty, and fun photos.

Lastly, sunset portraits become my favorites from the whole day and I know they’ll be your favs too! I don’t know if it’s the golden hour light, the fact that you are more relaxed, or a combo of the two, but sunset portraits are always fun and a lot more relaxed than any of the photos from the rest of the day. You get to just revel in the fact that you finally, after months or years of planning, got to marry your best friend.

It’s totally worth it to sneak away from your reception for a few minutes to spend some time with your new husband and capture some memories.