how long did you book your photographer for?

[O'Driscoll Photography]

Mark makes some great points.

 

This reminds me of a discussion I had yesterday as I met with a client. Initially, she thought they would only need five hours coverage, as it is a smaller, more intimate type wedding with just family attending. However, after going over the timeline of the day, she realized that she will actually need about 6 hours, as they want to capture the getting ready time, as well as some of the reception. She was glad that we went over the events of the day in detail, as she now knows she will need another hour or so more than she initially thought.

 

So, my suggestion is to add at least one or maybe even two hours to the amount of time you think you'll need, so you can allow for things taking longer than you initially planned.

 

Hope this helps, and happy planning!

 

Best wishes,

Tod

[Gr8ful]

I had originally booked my photographer for 5 hours, and I recently got a note from them suggesting that I book more time -- 8 hours is ideal, she said. Believe it or not, we are doing fairly well on our budget right now (due to MANY compromises), but this splurge is one that is worthwhile, so depending on how much extra coverage costs, and how much budget we have left, I may be able to extend this for another hour or two!

 

I think more time is better, b/c there may be some great moments when people are more relaxed and letting loose. And the day will go by quickly as others have mentioned here.

[*Nadine*]

We are having our photographer from when I start getting ready until after the dance.. so I think that will be about 8 hours!

[O'Driscoll Photography]

I think you are both making wise choices, and I don't think you'll regret your decision to add on more time.

 

Best wishes,

Tod

[leahstafford]

Most of my brides want 8+ hours. I rarely have had anything lower than even 5 and when so, they have added hours. The wedding I did this past weekend was around 10 hours of coverage! I would definitely work out a timeline and see what you need from there.

[juliez79]

Thanks for all the info! I was just trying to make this decision!

[crazyldy]

thank you for the tips now I just need to make sure I get the hard cover back photo albulm where the pictures are on the page

[MissM]

I booked 7 hrs and I think that should be plenty!

[MDR Photography]

I agree with many of the posts here. . . 8 hours seems to be an ideal amount of time.

 

In saying this, some photographers don't advertise hourly rates or time packages. If you are concerned about your time limitations, I would suggest asking around for photogs that simply offer "coverage of your day".

[Kits55]

We paid our photog and his assistant to come to Mexico with us. Part of the agreement was that they would shoot the welcome dinner Friday night (about 3 hours), Saturday (8 hours), and Sunday's TTD session (I think it was 2-3 hours).