As I continue doing this business, I’ve really picked up on several topics that get brought up quite a bit. One topic I’ve noticed is the topic of hours needed for a wedding on a wedding day. Many people don’t realize how much time truly is needed to fully capture the details, so today I want to go over my own personal schedule that I always send brides that have questions. I have had several brides say they are just having a small little wedding that won’t need much coverage.
“Just two hours maybe?”
Two hours is nothing to a wedding photographer that has been there for up to fifteen hours before. I try to explain how easily that time slips away, and it truly isn’t enough time to cover everything they want. As a photographer, it’s our job to make sure our clients understand everything that we will put into their day.
My typical day with a second shooter follows this typical schedule: I arrive when the bride begins getting ready while Roman arrives when the boys do. I photograph the bride getting her hair and makeup done, the girls getting ready, and usually by the time she begins getting into her dress, the boys are already outside getting their photos done. After they come back in, I’ll take the bride out with the bridesmaids to get photos. All of this right here just took at least one hour if not two. I’ll spend about 30-45 minutes with the girls outside, and then I’ll allow them to go back inside and rest for a moment while I grab the detail shots – such as food, the cake, the flowers, shoes, rings, reception, etc. This easily can take an hour as I make sure to be thorough when photographing these things. Most of my brides opt for a first look or first touch, so we will allow 30-45 minutes for that as well. After that, I have pretty much had everything taken care of up til that point. The ceremony will take place, which lasts at least 30 minutes depending on everything that goes into it, and then there are photos after. Many brides think they can just go straight into photos, but everyone enjoys congratulating the new married couple, so plan for at least 15 minutes of down time between all of that. Group shots typically last 30-45 minutes as well, and then I take the couple away for some alone time and photos to capture them together. This will also last 30-45 minutes. After all that, they get announced and it’s party time! So yes- up til this point, there’s an estimated amount of six hours before the reception even begins. Every reception is different, but four hours for that is typical – which is why I make all of my packages cover 10 hours. Extra hours can be added for those longer weddings as well.
I originally offered a very small package for those types of weddings, but starting on May 1st, I’ll be switching to full day packages that are completely customizable to fit the needs of my brides! Going full time means making changes for the best, and I don’t want a bride to miss out on all the wonderful opportunities and images that go into making your wedding photos special and complete. I will always strongly encourage hiring two photographers, as mentioned here, because you do risk not having everything captured without two. Sure, the basic main images will be covered, but I am just one person and can’t capture two things going on at once. Roman captures those raw moments I miss while I’m off photographing other details or gathering groups together.
So there you have it – a breakdown of your wedding day by the hour. I hope this helps to create an understanding of how much work we do behind the scenes as well as to give a general rundown of the wedding day 🙂 As I always say, this is just from my experience and how I feel everything works best. Other photographers may do things totally different, which is fine! As long as you hire a professional that knows what they are doing, you should have every detail covered for your once-in-a-lifetime moment.
