Maine & NH Wedding Photographer | Golden Hour Isn’t Optional (Yes, I’m Serious)

You spent a lot of money on your wedding. Like… a lot.
The venue, the view, the flowers, the whole damn vibe.

So why…WHY…would you take your portraits in shitty, harsh light that makes everyone squint and look mildly angry?

Golden hour is that short window right before the sun dips where the light stops being rude. It’s soft. It’s flattering. It wraps around you instead of punching you in the face. Skin looks better. Colors look richer. Everything feels calmer. Even the most camera-shy humans relax.

This is the light that makes your venue actually look the way you fell in love with it.

And the best part?
It usually takes 25 minutes.

That’s it…. and we totally plan for this in your photo timeline. You don’t miss cocktail hour. You don’t abandon your guests. You sneak out, breathe for a second, maybe laugh about how fast the day is going, and then boom, those are the photos that end up framed on your walls.

Golden hour portraits aren’t about being trendy. They’re about:

• Not squinting into the sun

• Not sweating through formalwear

• Not wondering later why your photos feel “off”

Formals are when couples stop posing and start actually interacting again. The pressure is gone. The ceremony is over. You’re married. The light is doing the heavy lifting, and you get to just exist together for a minute.

Honestly?
If you’re going to splurge on a beautiful location, let it show off. Let the mountains glow. Let the fields soften. Let the sky do its thing.

I will always build golden hour into a timeline because the payoff is huge and the effort is minimal.

So yeah—golden hour isn’t extra.
It’s common sense.