Bridal Portraits: Timing Is Everything For Your Perfect Wedding Day

Bridal portraits are taken before the wedding day. It is recommended to schedule bridal portraits 4-8 weeks prior to the wedding date so that dress alterations are finished, photographer has enough time to edit the photos, and you can have a canvas or print made to display at your reception.

Bridal portraits are recommended to be 4-8 weeks before the wedding

If you are planning a wedding, photography should begin around an hour before you are scheduled to get into your dress. However, if time is of the essence, the photo shoot could begin as early as 15 to 20 minutes before you change into your bridal gown.

If you don't have much time on your wedding day, or you really want photos in a different location, do an adventure session or a destination adventure session.

If you want to do solo wedding portraits/bridal portraits, make extra time on your wedding day for portraits. 45 minutes to an hour is great, and 2 hours spread over the afternoon and night is even better.

When making up your wedding day timeline, ask your photographer how much time they need. These portraits will be incredibly important to you for the rest of your married life.

Photography for the wedding should start around an hour before the bride puts on her dress

If time is of the essence, the photo shoot could begin as early as 15 to 20 minutes before you change into your bridal gown. There is plenty of time for you to get ready. The other side of the coin is that we have customers who would rather not have their "getting ready" images shot. If nothing else, that will do!

If you want to do solo wedding portraits/bridal portraits, it is recommended to schedule them for 4-8 weeks prior to your wedding date so that your dress alterations are finished, your photographer has enough time to edit your photos, and you can have a canvas or print made to display at your reception. If you don’t have much time on your wedding day, or you really want photos in a different location, do an adventure session or a destination adventure session. All this is to say: If doing solo wedding portraits/bridal portraits aren’t something you want to do before your actual wedding day, you have some more options that I mentioned earlier.

Take photos of an intimate family group like immediate family members will take about half an hour, while a couple's portrait session would take about 45 minutes to an hour. When making up your wedding day timeline, ask your photographer how much time they need. These portraits will be incredibly important to you for the rest of your married life. If you don’t have much time on your wedding day, or you really want photos in a different location, do an adventure session or a destination adventure session.

Solo portraits can be taken on the wedding day for 45 minutes to an hour

The photography for your wedding should begin around an hour before you are scheduled to get into your dress. If time is of the essence, the photo shoot could begin as early as 15 to 20 minutes before you change into your bridal gown. There is plenty of time for you to get ready. The other side of the coin is that we have customers who would rather not have their "getting ready" images shot. If nothing else, that will do! In some cases, the photographer may wait until the "first look" or even up to 30 min before the ceremony to begin taking pictures.

Take photos of an intimate family group like immediate family members will take about half an hour, while a couple's portrait session would take about 45 minutes to an hour. All this is to say: If doing solo wedding portraits/bridal portraits aren’t something you want to do before your actual wedding day, you have some more options that I mentioned earlier: Make extra time on your wedding day for portraits.

I recommend scheduling bridal portraits for 4-8 weeks prior to your wedding date so that your dress alterations are finished, your photographer has enough time to edit your photos, and you can have a canvas or print made to display at your reception.

Adventure sessions can be taken before, the day after, or months after the wedding

Bridal portraits can be taken before, the day after, or months after the wedding. An adventure session allows you to have fun photos for a half day or several days, anywhere you want.

If you want to take bridal portraits before the wedding, it is recommended to schedule them 4-8 weeks prior to the wedding date so that your dress alterations are finished, your photographer has enough time to edit your photos, and you can have a canvas or print made to display at your reception.

If you want to take bridal portraits on the day after the wedding, you can make extra time on your wedding day for portraits. 45 minutes to an hour is great, and 2 hours spread over afternoon and night is even better! When making up your wedding day timeline, ask your photographer how much time they need.

If you want to take bridal portraits months after the wedding, you can do an adventure session or a destination adventure session.

In general, the photography for your wedding should begin around an hour before you are scheduled to get into your dress. If time is of the essence, the photo shoot could begin as early as 15 to 20 minutes before you change into your bridal gown.

Family portraits will take about half an hour

All this is to say: If doing solo wedding portraits/bridal portraits aren’t something you want to do before your actual wedding day, you have some more options that I mentioned earlier: Make extra time on your wedding day for portraits. We’re not talking 10 minutes. 45 minutes to an hour is great, and 2 hours spread over afternoon and night is even better! When making up your wedding day timeline, ask your photographer how much time they need. These portraits will be incredibly important to you for the rest of your married life. If you don’t have much time on your wedding day, or you really want photos in a different location, do an adventure session or a destination adventure session.

Take photos of an intimate family group like immediate family members will take about half an hour, while a couple's portrait session would take about 45 minutes to an hour. In some cases, the photographer may wait until the "first look" or even up to 30 min before the ceremony to begin taking pictures. It is entirely up to you and whatever is most important to you to have photographed and captured on your wedding day.

I recommend scheduling bridal portraits for 4-8 weeks prior to your wedding date so that your dress alterations are finished, your photographer has enough time to edit your photos, and you can have a canvas or print made to display at your reception.

Frequently asked questions