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Our photographer had different tiems lisetd in different packages. I believe they started at 8, or 10. Our package includes unlimited. Most of the photographers we spoke with had tiemsl isted in the package.
Have you asked him/her what is common? Does it cost extra to have him/her longer?
We will also be having our photographer for 6 hours...about an hour for the ceremony, hour for pictures in between, and about a 4 hour reception. I would have prefered to have them for another hour or two for getting ready photos and maybe a few bridal party photos beforehand, but we're already way beyond our initial budget.
Our package includes up to 12 hours, and right now we plan to have them there the whole time. Our wedding is at 4:30 and we are having an evening reception, but we might to pictures before hand, and I think getting a lot of before pictures will be fun. We had one photographer who only did 6 hours say to us "do you really need that many pictures of people dancing at the reception?". We found him to be a little rude, personally I want the whole day captured and if we only use half the pictures well find by me. If we didn't get such a great deal on price tho, I probably would have gone with 8 hours. Our time line is roughly, brunch/start getting ready around 10 am, we'll do pictures before the ceremony which starts at 4:30, and our reception starts at 5:30. So I guess we are looking at 10-10. It might seem like a lot, but I think not feeling rushed to get pictures before hand will be fantastic, and they won't have to be snapping our photo every second during the reception so we'll be a little more relaxed. And the chances of everyone getting into a few pictures is pretty darn good. I think if you make that timeline you'll be able to decide what's best for you for sure. Good luck!
We have sheduled our photographer for 2 hours before the ceremony began through 5 hours for our ceremony and reception. My sister only booked her photographer for the 2 hours prewedding and only 4 hours of the ceremony/reception. She regrets not having any pictures from the last hour and the get away. She didnt think she would care, but now looking back she wishes she would have paid for the extra hour.
I am having my photographer for 9-10 hours. I want them there for when my FI and I are getting ready seprately and just for the whole day and through the reception. They aren't going to be there for the whole reception but for most of it. The day only happens once and I don't want to miss anything or a photo opportunity for that matter!!!! I can add on extra time to my package if I want or take it off. It's a really nice deal to have! With my package I also get two photo albums for myself, and a choice of 3 sizes of portraits and then 2 parents albums for my FI and my parents.
I think it depends on how long the wedding & ceremony are. One friend had a photographer there in the morning - at 7am to take photos while people were getting ready and then wanted them there through the wedding, the time break in between the wedding and the reception, and the reception. But the reception started about 5 hours after the wedding ceremony. So she ended up hiring the photographer for about 15 hours. Another friend had a wedding + reception right after each other (and a quick ceremony), so they ended up only needing about 6 hours to cover the whole thing. Hope that helps!
So I'm actually a photographer, and I did over 30 weddings last year.
This year, I actually dropped my four hour package because it really wasn't enough time. So now I offer a six, eight, and ten hour package.
While you can technically get decent coverage with six hours, eight or ten is ideal to get a good representation of your day. If you get someone to come towards the end of your getting ready and leave just a bit before the end of the reception, that is a LOT of pictures, and you really should be covered. :)
I usually tell my brides that it's best I come in the middle of their hair being done, and before their makeup goes on. Then they are at least mid-stages of looking fabulous. :) And honestly, unless it's super important your photographer get the very last dance of the night, an hour or two of dancing usually is a pretty good amount. (Dancing shots tend to look kind of similar after a couple hours.) :)
Hope this helps!
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Thanks mpacif for asking this question! And thanks Reby for your insight! The photographer we booked is for 8 hours, which for a 2:30 ceremony and reception ending at 10:30 seemed just right, but with all the gorgeous getting ready photos out there I now plan to ask the photographer to come a half hour earlier than the ceremony and leave a half hour before the end of the reception. We're not planning a get away so it's not really important for us to have him take photos of us saying good-bye to our guests.
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We went with a photog who didn't limit their hours....whenever we needed him that day, he'd be there. It's also a husband-and-wife team, so the wife will photograph the girls getting ready...and vice versa for the men.
That's the latest trend with popular photographers (as they're usually the ones who are more into getting the best shot, as opposed to making the most money). I would search for someone with no time constraints, if it's in your budget!
Ours also have no limit. They only have one package and they (husband and wife team) come when we are almost done getting ready (so they get all the dress shots) and stay until the party is over. I am so happy for this because I want to remember everything!
We had our photographer for 10 hours, which I thought was a good amount of time. She and her assistant started while we were "getting ready" and ended about 1 hour after the open dancing started.
Wow. We only have ours for 6 hours. 1/2 hour before Ceremony till the end of our Reception. 4:30-10:30pm.
Thanks Reby - for the insight about how dancing pictures start to look the same after awhile. We booked our photogs for eight hours, and I was planning having them come right as I finish getting ready (putting the dress on) to the end, but thinking about that I think I'd rather have a few more getting ready shots and less dancing ones. We're not planning any major elaborate getaway, so it's not like we'd need professional pictures of that.
We paid for 8 but our photogapher really spent closer to 11 with no extra charge! It depends on what pictures you want, but I would say start at your ceremony time, add 3 hours and then on the backend subtract one hour from the expected end time of your reception and that should give you the approximate time.
For example. Ceremony at 2. Reception Ends at 9. Photographer from 10 - 8, or 10 hours.
Ask how much they would charge for an extra hour or two, if you need to add more time as the timeline becomes more clear.
Good Luck!
Our photographer is unlimited the day of the wedding. We met with several that were 8 hours which seems sufficient but we are having an evening wedding and doing pictures beforehand so this means the photographer can go to the salon with the girls for hair and makeup so it should be a fun day.
I purchased 10-12 hours of coverage with two photographers and staggered their start times. I thought that it would probably take longer for the girls to get ready than for the guys, so the photographer shooting the guys will stay with us for the get away. But, for me, every aspect of the day - brunch with the girls, salon appointements, etc. - was something I wanted documented. Many of my friends said that their day went by in a blur, so I want to be able to hold onto those memories in a tangible way.
I think we have 6 hours, but I'm asking a photographer friend to come early to do some of the getting ready shots. We only have access to our venue at 5pm and the ceremony is at 6:30 - I'm not sure if thats enough time to have a hair stylist and make-up artist to do all they need to do, plus i want photos of my friends getting ready....
We had unlimited hours, but he ended up staying for about 10 (starting with getting ready and he was there until the very end of the reception). The ceremony and reception were in the same place.
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I need to let my photorapher know how many hours I will need him so we can draft up a contract. Only problem is that I haven't done the day of timeline yet. how many hours did you book your photographer for?
I was originally thinking 8, but now I'm worried that might not be enough. We are having a pretty traditional afternoon ceremony and dinner reception. help!