A wedding day is full of wonderful memories from start to finish that are all worth being captured to remember forever. From getting ready, putting on the dress, a possible first look, portraits, very necessary down time, the ceremony, family portraits, and each special event at the reception there are a lot of moments that you will always want to be sure to have your professional photographer capture.
So how long does all of this take and how long should I hire my professional photographer?
At first it might seem as if that small 5 hour package is more than enough time; one hour for the ceremony, one hour for portraits, and the rest of the evening at the reception, right? Well, not exactly. Most of the time those smaller packages are designed for smaller events like just the ceremony or just the reception. When you are planning for your wedding there are a lot of things to keep in mind like traveling from one location to another and having at least 30 minutes before your ceremony to sit down, breathe, and relax before you walk down the aisle.
You: "OK, so I need more than 5 hours but what is really going to happen in 8 hours that I should hire a professional wedding photographer to capture?"
Let me show you:
I had the honor to second shoot this wedding with Loren Sharpe of Sharpe Images Photography.
Photographer shows up: (12:00-12:30)
-captures your venue details
-borrows your jewelry, bouquet, shoes, dress, and any other special details
-bride and groom getting ready
Getting Dressed (12:30-12:45)
and
Portraits (12:45-1:15)
As soon as that is done the bride is ready to get dressed and have portraits with her bridesmaids while the groom is doing the same with his groomsmen. He might even take the time to read a sweet note you wrote him right before the first look.
At this time you can either have a First Look or add your bridal party portrait time to after the ceremony. (Don't forget a few minutes to walk to your first look location.)
First Look and Bride and Groom Portraits (1:20-1:45)
Bridal Party Portraits and Family Formals (1:45-2:45)
Breathe and Relax (2:45-3:30)
Music Begins and Guests begin to arrive at 3:00
Walk down the aisle at 3:30 and get married! (3:30-4:30)
Some couples choose to dismiss their guests, some leave right away, and others choose to have a receiving line but don't forget to count the time for any of these options.
Driving to the reception is time too. (10-20 minutes)
Bride and Groom Portraits or cocktail hour with guests (4:45-5:30)
(in-case you didn't notice we have already passed that 5 hour mark and the reception hasn't even begun.)
Arrive at Reception and Toasts (5:30-6:00)
Dinner (6:00-6:45)
Cake Cutting (6:45-7:00)
Traditional Dances (7:00-7:30)
Dance the night away, Garter, Bouquet Toss, maybe a few quick sunset portraits if time allows (7:30-8:00)
That is a rough guide line of what 8 hours of wedding coverage might look like if you include a first look. If you would like more fun shots of your special guests dancing the night away and making fun memories with you on the dance floor you might want to add a few hours on to your package. 8 hours typically covers the majority of the day and is by far our most popular amount of coverage.
I hopes this helps you see how many hours you will need to hire your professional wedding photographer. We would be more than happy to meet with you and help you go through the details unique to your wedding day and would love even more to capture it for you.
Thank you again to Loren Sharpe for allowing me to second shoot with you during this beautiful wedding.
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