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?
When planning your wedding, one of the key considerations is how to allocate your budget effectively, particularly when it comes to photography. Most wedding photography packages in the market are based on the number of hours of photoshoot needed. Naturally, you want to ensure all the important moments of your day are captured. However, hiring a photographer for fewer hours than you anticipate can lead to additional costs for overtime or even risk the photographer’s unavailability. Conversely, you also don’t want to overspend on hours you don’t truly need. Understanding wedding photographer prices and how they correlate with your schedule is essential for maximizing your investment.
Every wedding is unique, and every couple has different cultures and traditions to follow. Some traditional weddings even involve activities that span a couple of days. In this article, I will focus on the most common weddings that are completed in a single day. By considering your ceremony start time, you can plan backward and forward to draft your wedding timeline. This approach helps in understanding how wedding photographer prices are structured based on hourly coverage.
Planning Your Wedding Photography Timeline
- Ceremony Start Time: Begin by determining the start time of your ceremony. This is a pivotal moment around which your entire wedding day will revolve. Knowing this allows you to work backward to include pre-ceremony activities and forward for post-ceremony celebrations.
- Pre-Ceremony Activities: Typically, these include getting ready shots, first looks, and possibly some family portraits. If your ceremony is scheduled for 3 PM, you might want your photographer to start around 11 AM to capture the preparations. This usually accounts for about 4 hours.
- Ceremony Coverage: The ceremony itself can vary in length but typically lasts between 30 minutes to an hour. Ensure your photographer is there early enough to capture guests arriving and stays long enough to capture your exit. This could be another hour or two, depending on your preferences and traditions.
- Post-Ceremony Photos: Immediately after the ceremony is often the best time to take group photos, family portraits, and couple’s portraits. Allocating at least an hour or two for this ensures you get a variety of beautiful images without feeling rushed.
- Reception Coverage: The reception is where the bulk of the fun happens, from the first dance to the cake cutting and speeches. Depending on the start time of your reception and how long it lasts, you might need another 4-6 hours of coverage.
Understanding wedding photographer prices and how they correlate with these key moments is crucial. Most photographers offer packages based on hourly coverage, and knowing how many hours you need can prevent unnecessary expenses or shortages in coverage.
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. The image above was captured at a small wedding at Cluny Bistro in The Distillery District. If you’re interested in a 6-hours wedding, you can find some of my weddings from these blogs:
- A Spring Wedding on Toronto Island
- Brewing Love at Bandit Brewery
- Intimate Wedding Celebration at Twist Gallery
- Botanical Garden Wedding
| 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. You can find some of my 8-hours wedding at here:
| 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. Here are some samples of 10 hours and above weddings:
| 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 |
Balancing Budget and Coverage
When considering wedding photographer prices, it’s essential to balance your budget with the coverage you need. You don’t want to miss key moments because you didn’t book enough hours, but you also don’t want to pay for time you won’t use. Discuss your timeline with potential photographers and get their input on how many hours will be necessary to capture your day fully. This can prevent unexpected overtime costs and ensure that you have beautiful memories of every important moment.
Offering Help with Wedding Timeline Planning
I understand that planning your wedding timeline can be daunting, especially when trying to figure out how many hours of photography you need. That’s why I offer help to plan the wedding timeline for all of my clients. By working together, we can ensure that every important moment is captured without any stress or last-minute changes. This personalized assistance helps you get the most out of your photography package and makes sure your day runs smoothly.
In conclusion, understanding wedding photographer prices and how they align with your wedding day schedule can help you make informed decisions. Every wedding is unique, and tailoring your photography package to suit your specific needs will ensure you get the best value for your investment.
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