In case you hadn’t caught on by now, Luke and I absolutely LOVE when our couples make time for sunset portraits on their wedding day! There is just something special about this beautiful time of the evening on a wedding day, and they always end up being some of our very favorite images of all time… so today, we want to share WHY we believe you need to make time for these fun portraits!
But first, we want to make sure you guys know what sunset portraits even are. 🙂 Essentially, the light is BEST on any given day right after sunrise or right before sunset. So, when a photographer is encouraging a client to make time for sunset portraits on a wedding day, they are essentially just encouraging brides to step out of their reception for a few moments in order to make the most of that beautiful light! These portraits are usually super warm, glowy, and often end up being our couples’ favorites of all! Sunset photos on your wedding day are so beneficial for a variety of reasons, and we wanted to give you the top five reasons below!
01. Sunset portraits give you more images
This point is especially true if you opted NOT to have a first look or you were short on married portrait time due to your reception’s start time! Leaving your wedding reception for just 15-20 minutes of sunset photos (that’s it!) while open dance floor is starting allows you to get extra photos if you did have a first look (winning!) or make up for a potential lack of photos if you DIDN’T have a first look!
02. Sunset portraits give you variety
Photographers love to shoot most during the hour or two AFTER sunrise and the hour or two BEFORE sunset. That means sunset photos are right in the middle of that gorgeous golden hour! The light is straight up dreamy and often is VERY different from the light you had for your other portrait time. We love giving you a variety of portraits, and making time for sunset portraits provides a lot of variety in your final gallery.
03. Sunset portraits give you a break
Wedding days are crazy. You’re the center of attention for the entire day, and by the reception, you might be ready for a little breather! Taking 15 minutes for some sunset photos allows you two to focus on each other, get out of the spotlight for a few minutes, and to enjoy a few moment just the two of you before enjoying the party for the rest of the night! ???? Due to the fact that you can really just RELAX during your sunset portraits and all the events of your day are done, you can be so much calmer and focused on each other in these images, which allows for much more emotion in your photos!
PS: We chose to sneak out for a few sunset photos on our wedding day… and we’re SO glad we did!
So there you have it, friends! Make time for those sunset wedding portraits… you will NOT regret it!
Xoxo!
Caitlin and Luke
