One of my very favorite parts of a wedding day is the time that I have with the bride and groom, just the two of them. There is something so sacred and special about those moments with my couples. It’s their WEDDING day – one of the biggest days of their entire life – and as their photographer, I have the utmost joy and honor of participating in and documenting those one in a lifetime moments for them! It just blows me away every time!
There is one moment in particular though that I wholeheartedly believe EVERY bride should try to schedule into their wedding day – and that’s sunset photos! Sneaking out from the reception for 10 minutes right as the sun is setting is truly nothing short of magical. I can’t even begin to express how sweet this time is… but I’ll do my best to share my top three reasons why I you should always schedule these into your day!
First off, you are completely relaxed!! At this point in the day, all the “big” things are over! You are officially MARRIED – you’ve made it through the ceremony, had a chance to talk to some friends and family, eat dinner, and now you’re ready to party! But having just a few minutes to spend alone with your new spouse is so sacred! I’ve had multiple couples tell me that a part from the first look – this was their favorite part of the day because it gave them some moments to be alone together and soak up the reality that THIS is their wedding day. It goes by quicker than you realize and those memories will forever stand out the most!
Second, this day is about you two as a couple, and the images you have of you and your new husband or wife as something you will cherish for a lifetime! Sunset photos add so much variety to your final wedding gallery because they are a completely different “look” than your portraits from earlier in the day. I’ll be completely transparent and say that I typically favor my couples sunset photos over any other images on the day because they just have such an amazing “feel” to them. I’m also obsessed with golden, glowy images – so that helps too. ;)
Last but not least, as your photographer, scheduling these few minutes at the end of your day gives me opportunity to focusing solely on creating art. During your wedding day I’m thinking about a million different things at one time – like that picture you want of you & Grandma, and groom having his boutonniere pinned by Mom while you are having a moment with your Dad – all at the same time! ;) It’s a lot to think about – and I adore it! I love the rush and the challenge that a wedding day brings! But I’m also focused on providing you with images that are timeless and lasting, all while documenting the authentic moments happening around me! But with sunset photos? All the big moments are finished and all the classic portraits have been taken! Now it’s the two of you and your sweet, we-just-got-freaking-married love. And that’s where we can make some serious magic.
Sometimes sunset photos just don’t work with your timeline or the sun decides it doesn’t want to peek out – and that’s okay! That’s why we make sure we have plenty of time early on to get all of your beautiful portraits captured! Sunset photos are just like icing on the cake. But let’s be honest – who doesn’t like icing on their cake? ;)
Brides, I hope this inspires you to make sunset photos a priority in your timeline!! If you’re not sure how that will realistically play out in your timeline but want to make sure it happens – email me!! We will create an incredible start to finish timeline for your day and I can almost always find a way to squeeze in portraits during sunset! This just gets me all the more excited for 2017’s wedding season!! Can’t wait to celebrate with so many of you sweet people! Happy Thursday, friends!
Much love,
Jessica Lauren
