10 tips to get the best wedding photos, part 4: Plan Enough Time for Portraits
Your wedding day will fly by in a whirlwind of excitement, laughter, and love. While the candid moments tell a beautiful story, it's the portraits that you'll frame, treasure, and look back on for years to come. One of the most crucial steps in ensuring your wedding photos turn out perfectly is planning enough time for portraits.
As a Montreal-based wedding photographer, I've worked with countless couples who underestimated the importance of setting aside sufficient time for portraits. Here’s why it’s essential and how you can make the most of it.
Why Portrait Time Matters
Your wedding portraits are more than just posed shots—they capture the love, emotions, and essence of your special day. Without adequate time, you might feel rushed, stressed, or miss out on stunning locations and natural lighting. A well-planned portrait session allows you to:
Relax and enjoy the moment. Feeling at ease in front of the camera leads to authentic, natural expressions.
Explore beautiful locations. Montreal is filled with breathtaking backdrops like Old Port, Mount Royal, Park Renee-Levesque by the river, Centre de la Nature, Angrignon Park, the World Trade Center and many other elegant and glamorous locations.
Capture variety. With enough time, we can take a mix of romantic, fun, and editorial-style portraits.
How Much Time Should You Plan?
Example of a pictures timeline we made for one of our couple’s Wedding day
A good rule of thumb is to allocate at least 30 to 45 minutes for couple portraits alone. If you'd like to include wedding party and family photos, consider adding another 30-45 minutes. Above, you can see a complete wedding pictures timeline prepared by us, to one of our clients.
Here’s a breakdown to help you plan:
First Look (Optional): 15-20 minutes
Bride & Groom Portraits: 30 to 45 minutes
Wedding Party Photos: 20 to 30 minutes
Family Formals: 30 minutes
Bride getting ready: Two hours to two and half hours for hair and make up
Groom getting ready: One hour to one and half hour
If you're having a winter wedding in Montreal, keep in mind that daylight fades quickly, so planning for an earlier session is key.
Tips to Maximize Your Portrait Session
Schedule Around the Best Light – The "golden hour," just after sunrise or before sunset, offers soft, flattering lighting that creates dreamy photos. We do understand that sometimes, given the specifics of your wedding day, that it might not be possible to take pictures as the sun is setting, so choosing a location that minimizes the effect of bright sun light is important and one of our specialties.
Jessie and Peter on their Wedding day, in Montreal, hidden from bright sunlight. Click on the image for more of our portfolio
Have a Backup Plan – Montreal weather can be unpredictable. Consider indoor options like a stylish venue or an iconic landmark, hotel receptions or libraries. We always set up a plan B for our clients.
Alex and Kiana had to come inside their hotel reception when we were hit with unexpected rain. Not a problem, as we are always prepared for everything. For more of our portfolio, click on the image.
Communicate with Your Photographer – Share your vision, must-have shots, and preferred locations in advance. Combined with our expertise, we will be able to manage your expectations, as sometimes a location you envision might no be possible due to time constrains. But worry not, our team always has something up their sleeve, with stunning alternate locations in case the location you want is not possible. The picture below for example. We were supposed to go to the Old port of Montreal, but due to an accident in the highway, traffic was completely down to a halt. No problem. We can make any location work.
Unplanned portraits done at Montreal’s famous Orange Julep
Be Prepared – Bring touch-up essentials, comfortable shoes for walking between spots, and a warm layer for colder months. As the day goes buy, you might need to retouch your hair, make up. Make sure you also bring snacks and drinks to keep you hydrated.
Trust the Process – The best photos come when you relax, have fun, and trust your photographer’s guidance. We shoot weddings almost every weekend and have seen everything that can delay your day and add unnecessary stress. Think of our heads and experience as an algorithm, who, based on everything we’ve seen thru years of experience, will be at your service, to better maximize the amount of time for all those important portraits, without adding any stress to your special day.
Conclusion
Planning enough time for portraits is one of the smartest things you can do to ensure breathtaking wedding photos. If you're in the midst of planning your Montreal wedding, let’s chat about how we can create a timeline that captures all the magic without the stress. That’s one of our specialties and photographers from all over the world use our model for their and their client’s benefit.
For more expert tips on getting the best wedding photos, check out the rest of our blog series here and follow us on social media for inspiration by clicking here
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