It’s time to talk about MY FAVORITE part of a wedding, how to photograph bride and groom portraits on a wedding day!! This is when you as the photographer get to create those dreamy, romantic images that your couple will treasure forever. Honestly a lot of the portions of a wedding day can get a little crazy, and portraits are just one of my favorite times for my couple to have some private time to together and capture their love! But, if you’re not sure when to do them, how to pose your couple, or what to do if you’re running behind it can turn to chaos quickly! So let’s break down step by step how to photograph bride and groom portraits at your next wedding day!

1. Timing of bride and groom portraits

Are you even surprised I am going to talk about timing again!? LOL!! However, your timeline is everything when it comes to bride and groom portraits! Ideally, you’ll want to carve out a minimum of 30 minutes for these photos, but if you can get 45 minutes to an hour that would be even better!

There are a few different times throughout the day that you can photograph bride and groom portraits. But, there are also a couple of different factors you should consider when deciding on which part of the day to photograph them. Is your couple doing a first look? Do they want sunset portraits? Is there enough time before the ceremony for portraits? These are things you MUST talk with your bride about to know how to plan her photo timeline!

Recommendations for when to photograph bride and groom portraits

• After the first look – If your couple is doing a first look, this is the perfect time to photograph their portraits. Typically the first look is about 10 minutes long and then it leads you directly into portraits. I like this because it is typically just the couple for the first look anyway, and they really get to soak in some private time together for portraits.
• Right after the ceremony – If your couple chooses not to do a first look, you’ll grab their portraits following the ceremony. I tell my couples that I need an hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes following their ceremony to take the full wedding party photos, family portraits, and then the bride and groom portraits. You will also want to make sure that your couple plans their ceremony time so that you do not run out of light for portraits.
• Sunset or golden hour – MY FAVORITE OF ALL TIME! No matter if your couple does a first look or not, I really try to encourage sunset portraits. If they do a first look I tell them I need about 15 minutes to capture some of these dreamy portraits. Most of the time I never get any push back from brides for this because they value these portraits too. I would encourage you to really look at the timeline and see what would cause the least disruption of the events of the evening to pull your couple away for a few sunset portraits. If they do not do a first look, usually sunset time lines up when they are doing bride and groom portraits anyway!

2. Posing for bride and groom portraits

One of the biggest challenges I have found for new wedding photographers is knowing how to pose their couples naturally. This is why I teach my four go-to poses to all of my couples, and once you master these, you’ll be able to create a variety of portraits at their engagement session and wedding day in just 30 minutes!

Here are my four go-to poses:

• The Portrait– your typical portrait pose looking at the camera!
• The Link– the bride linked on the grooms arm!
• The Snuggle– bride and groom belly to belly snuggling in!
• The Prom Pose– exactly what you are picturing haha but WEDDING!

Want to learn more about these poses and see how they work? I’ve put together a FREE guide just for you to learn the 4 go to poses on a wedding day! Grab it here!

3. What to Do If You’re Running Behind

If there is one thing for sure it is that weddings are unpredictable! No matter how hard you try and plan you’ll find yourself running behind, because THINGS happen. However, if that happens DON’T PANIC! It is important to remember you are the professional and you can make it work!

How to deal with timeline delays

• Communicate with the couple on adjustments to time – BE HOENST! Let them know that the day is running a slightly behind, and you’d like to adjust the timeline so they’ll still get gorgeous portraits. I typically won’t move my portraits to a later time, but I will move family portraits to after the ceremony if needed.
• Prioritize the key portraits – If time is short, focus on the core poses first, then add variety if you have extra time.
• Work fast and efficiently – Be confident in your posing, direct your couple clearly, and shoot with intention! If you are not confident in posing or what all to capture on a wedding day be sure to get the FREE 4 Go-To Posing Guide and the FREE Wedding Day Photo Checklist.

If you are constantly having issues staying on time on a wedding day, you need a wedding timeline to help keep things streamlined. I’ve created a fully customizable wedding timeline template for photographers. Purchase my Wedding Timeline Template HERE.

Please remember that as you are shooting weddings, bride and groom portraits will become more natural. You’ve GOT this! With the right timing, posing confidence, and a backup plan for delays, you’ll be able to create stunning bride and groom portraits every single wedding day!

If you have any questions, or thought this blog was helpful would you leave me a comment below!? You can also email me or DM me on Instagram anytime!

Want to learn more from me? Visit my education site here!