I get this same question every week in my inbox… What time should I put on my wedding invitation for the start time of my sunset beach wedding. My personal and professional opinion from my photography style standpoint is about1.5 hours before sunset. This will vary between photographers depending on how they actually handle family and bridal party portraits. I know there are a ton of photographers that want you to allow 1 to 2 hours for family and bridal party portraits after the ceremony. I personally feel that this is crunch time to get these portraits done and out of the way. I don’t like to take over 30 to 45 minutes for all portraits, there is no need to keep your guests waiting over 1 hour for you to arrive at the reception. My personal itinerary for a Pensacola Beach Sunset Wedding would be to finish up at least 15 minutes before sunset:

If the sun is scheduled to set at 6:30 my schedule would look like this:

5:00 - 5:30 ceremony

5:30 - 6:00 family portraits and bridal party portraits

6:00 - 6:15 bride groom portraits

6:15 - 6:30 travel to reception

So from the end of the ceremony to you arriving at the reception is generally around 1 hour.

Yes… I really can get ALL your family portraits and bridal portraits done within 45 minutes. After the ceremony the wedding party and the Bride and Groom are ready to take a breather and get the reception started, so I don’t keep you waiting.  The most favorite part of my job is capturing you in a natural state, sharing intimate moments together after the ceremony, guests congratulating you high fives from the wedding party…. The family portraits that follow the ceremony DO NOT FALL into a “Favorites” category…lol But it is something that must be done, I must take endless family portraits, and you must smile for endless family portraits… so why make you stand there any longer than necessary? I have a very tedious guideline that I have followed for many years and have a great approach to getting portraits done efficiently and quickly.

Reference: a great site for sunset times for your wedding planning: TimeandDate.com

Can’t wait to be a part of your big day | Love you guys ….. Jen

www.BarefootSnapshots.com