This article will provide you an idea on how to plan your wedding timeline and book the perfect hours for your wedding photography service.
Your Ideal Wedding Photography Hours?
Most of the wedding photography packages in the market are based on the number of hours of photoshoot needed. Of course, you want to have all the important moments of your day to be captured. If you hire for fewer hours than what you anticipate, you will end up paying for overtime or risk the photographer’s unavailability. You also don’t want to waste your wedding budget for extra hours that you don’t really need.
Every wedding is unique and every couple has different cultures and traditions to follow. Some traditional weddings even involve activities that last for a couple of days. In this article, I will focus on the most common weddings that only complete in a day. You can refer to ceremony start time, and from there you can then plan it backward and forward to get a draft of your wedding timeline.
6 Hours of Intimate Wedding Photography
Six hours of photography allow 3 options to choose from. Based on your needs, you can either go for getting ready photos, or decide to have first look photos or capture a lot of fun dancing photos with sparkling exit. The timeline will work provided your ceremony and reception are at the close proximity.
| Time | Getting Ready | First Look | Sparkler Exit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00 | Bride & bridesmaids getting ready | Set up for the first look | |
| 2:15 | “ | First Look | |
| 2:30 | “ | Couple portrait | |
| 3:00 | Groom & groomsmen getting ready | Wedding party pictures | |
| 3:30 | Guests arriving | Guests arriving | Guests arriving |
| 3:45 | Ceremony details/ decor | Ceremony details/ decor | Ceremony details/ decor |
| 4:00 | Wedding ceremony | Wedding ceremony | Wedding ceremony |
| 4:30 | Family & couple portrait | Family & couple portrait | Family & couple portrait |
| 4:50 | Wedding party picture | Sunset newlywed picture | Wedding party picture |
| 5:00 | Sunset newlywed picture | “ | Sunset newlywed picture |
| 5:15 | Reception details | Reception details | Reception details |
| 5:30 | Grand entrance | Grand entrance | Grand entrance |
| 5:35 | Toast | Toast | Toast |
| 6:00 | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner |
| 7:00 | First dance & Parent dance | First dance & Parent dance | First dance & Parent dance |
| 7:10 | Open dancing | Open dancing | Open dancing |
| 7:45 | Cake cutting | Cake cutting | Cake cutting |
| 7:55 | Bouquet & garter toss | Bouquet & garter toss | Bouquet & garter toss |
| 8:00 | Photographer departs | Photographer departs | Open dancing |
| 9:15 | Sparkler Exit | ||
| 9:30 | Photographer departs |
8 Hours of Big Day Wedding Photography
Eight hours of wedding photography is the most popular duration and it will cover for almost all the activities from begin to end. If your reception is located at a different place from the ceremony and you want to capture getting ready, first look, and a lot of dancing photos then 8 hours will work best for you.
| Time | Traditional | First Look |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | Bride & bridesmaid getting ready | |
| 2:00 | Bride & bridesmaids getting ready | Groom & groomsmen getting ready |
| 2:30 | “ | Set up for the first look |
| 2:45 | “ | First Look |
| 3:00 | Groom & groomsmen getting ready | Couple portrait |
| 3:30 | Guests arriving | Guests arriving |
| 3:45 | Ceremony details/ decor | Ceremony details/ decor |
| 4:00 | Wedding ceremony | Wedding ceremony |
| 4:30 | Family & couple portrait | Family & couple portrait |
| 4:50 | Wedding party picture | Wedding party picture |
| 5:00 | Sunset newlywed picture | Sunset newlywed picture |
| 5:15 | Reception details | Reception details |
| 5:30 | Grand entrance | Grand entrance |
| 5:35 | Toast | Toast |
| 6:00 | Dinner | Dinner |
| 7:00 | First dance & Parent dance | First dance & Parent dance |
| 7:10 | Open dancing | Open dancing |
| 8:00 | Cake cutting | Cake cutting |
| 8:10 | Bouquet & garter toss | Bouquet & garter toss |
| 8:20 | Open dancing | Open dancing |
| 8:50 | “ | Sparkler Exit |
| 9:00 | “ | Photographer departs |
| 9:50 | Sparkler Exit | |
| 10:00 | Photographer departs |
10 Hours of Forevermore Wedding Photography
If you are having two ceremonies (such as a morning tea ceremony and a traditional afternoon or evening ceremony), you should then consider to book for 10 hours of wedding photography service. In some weddings, there will be a gap of time between the end of ceremony and the start of reception (such as church weddings), this 10 hours photography will be ideal for you too.
| Time | Traditional Church | Two Ceremony |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 | Morning tea ceremony | |
| 10:30 | Bride & bridesmaids getting ready | “ |
| 11:30 | Groom & groomsmen getting ready | “ |
| 12:00 | Wedding ceremony | – Break – |
| 1:00 | Family & couple portrait | – |
| 2:00 | Optional break/ Couple portrait | – |
| 3:00 | Cocktail hour | Getting ready photos for second ceremony |
| 4:00 | Reception details | Wedding ceremony |
| 4:15 | Grand entrance | “ |
| 4:30 | Toast | Family & couple portrait |
| 5:00 | Dinner | Sunset newlywed picture |
| 5:15 | “ | Reception details |
| 5:30 | “ | Grand entrance |
| 5:35 | “ | Toast |
| 6:00 | First dance & Parent dance | Dinner |
| 6:10 | Open dancing | “ |
| 7:00 | “ | First dance & Parent dance |
| 7:10 | “ | Open dancing |
| 7:45 | Cake cutting | Cake cutting |
| 7:55 | Bouquet & garter toss | Bouquet & garter toss |
| 8:00 | Open dancing | Photographer departs |
| 8:30 | Photographer departs |
Your love is special and worth investing in, celebrating, and documenting. And while I can’t freeze a cherished moment in time, I can help you relive it again and again through beautiful, evocative imagery that makes you smile.
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