I can’t even begin to tell you how incredible it feels to be photographing weddings regularly! As far as weather goes, this has been a record-breaking year in Alberta and I know most of my couples are loving the heat. You might sweat a little bit but it sure beats hoping it doesn’t rain (although, isn’t rain good luck anyway?). Today on the blog, I’m sharing photos from Mike and Emily’s wedding just outside of Camrose, AB. On top of that, I’m also going to share a few wedding timeline tips so you can make sure you get those dreamy golden hour sunset wedding photos you’ve been dreaming of.
In case we haven’t met yet, I’m Dawn, the woman behind the camera here at Dawn Kathryn Photography. You can learn more about my journey to becoming a wedding photographer here, or head over to my Instagram where I share
behind the scenes and real wedding inspiration across Alberta. As a farmer’s
wife (just outside of Camrose), I travel across Vermilion to Banff
photographing stunning Alberta weddings. If your groom-to-be is dreading
getting in front of the camera, let’s just say I can relate! I promise that
making photos feel easy (and yes – kind of fun!) is one of the things I’m most
proud of! My other half hates photos too so let’s just say, I have a lot of
practice. You can learn more about my wedding
photography packages here, or contact
me to get started.
CREATING YOUR WEDDING TIMELINE
When you start to create your wedding day
timeline, the first big decision you need to make is whether you want to have a
first look before the ceremony. With a traditional wedding timeline, you’ll
have your ceremony earlier in the day and then your traditional wedding couple
portraits between the ceremony and reception. With a first look, you can be
more flexible and have all of your wedding portraits (including those with your
wedding party!) done before the ceremony.
With this timeline, your ceremony will
typically start a little bit later in the day and will roll into your cocktail
hour and reception. If you have been wishing you could enjoy cocktail hour with
your guests – this is the timeline for you! It also means that your ceremony
won’t be when the light is often the harshest in the middle of the day. Just in
case you needed a little extra encouragement.
MAKING TIME FOR GOLDEN HOUR PHOTOS
Whether you chose to do a first look or
not, as a wedding photographer, I must encourage you to take some time for
golden hour photos! Typically, I will even have couples sneak away during their
wedding reception for just a few minutes to make sure we are catching those
sunset photos when the lighting is just right. Trust me – work this into your
timeline because you are going to want these photos (even if you don’t want to
miss a second of your reception).
For your planning purposes: the sun
typically sets between 7:30-9:00 (depending on the time of year you get
married) and we can always figure this out beforehand as well. No matter what
wedding day timeline is right for you, communicate with your wedding
photographer, and let’s make it happen.
SUMMER AND FALL WEDDINGS IN ALBERTA
As an Alberta wedding photographer, I have to admit I do love the summer and fall weddings here. The colours, the weather, everything is pure magic. If you are currently planning your wedding for 2024, I would encourage you to reach out sooner rather than later as the “wedding boom” is real and vendors are booking up quickly! I would love to hear from you and not only be there on your wedding day, but support you through planning your engagement photos, creating your wedding day timeline, and everything else that needs to come together to make your wedding day as wonderful as you imagine. Contact me here to get started!
