Wedding days can go by so quickly. One of my favorite parts of the day is taking the formal portraits of my couples!
I always encourage that this be time for my couples to be together with just me. You will be more relaxed and comfortable when you're not being watched by your bridal party or family! This gives you a chance to relax and really breathe into the moments you finally have alone, whether that be during a first look or in the first moments after your ceremony. I want to be there to capture and help you remember your first married moments!
So how much time do we need? I can work with almost any time I'm given, but generally at least 30-45 minutes is a good starting point (this does not include the time to take any formal family portraits, I am only speaking to the photos of the bride and groom!). This allows us to not feel completely rushed and get a good variety of moments and expressions. That being said, there is such a thing as too much time! Shooting only the two of you for much longer than an hour can be too much unless we are driving to several locations. If you are planning your wedding and are stuck working on the time frame of your day, please feel free to contact me as I love to help my couples work out the timeline for their day!
My favorite time to photograph couples is during "golden hour", the hour before the sun sets. The light is nice and soft and lovely and creates a warm glow around my couples. Even if we've already done portraits during the day when there is time, I will often pull you out of your reception (though not at a time when anything could be missed!) to capture this lovely light. It's also a great time because you will likely have eaten, had a cocktail (or two!), and the stress of the day has melted away. It's time to just enjoy! Which also leads to joyful images!
