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hmm, my photographers offer 8-9 hours. but they said usually reception photos are more boring. they can usually capture a LOT of reception photos within an hour. otherwise, you may have hundreds of images of people eating......
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8 hours is pretty average, and that was more than enough time for getting ready shots, pre-ceremony and family shots, the ceremony itself, pictures afterwards, and then about 2 hours of reception. It's true that pictures of people eating and dancing are only interesting in moderation. My photographer left after the bouquet toss since that was the last "event" of the evening, and I had more than enough pictures of our guests at the reception.
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Why do you need an average? Your contract should have a set number of hours listed, so negotiate however many hours you want/need 
My photographer stayed maybe 10 hours? (we had an "all day" contract, not hourly) But she did say that she would leave relatively soon after people started dancing because then all the pictures start looking the same. So she got all the cake cutting/first dance/etc events and then a bunch of everyone dancing crazy, but she left long before everyone stopped dancing. And it was totally fine. I think that's normal because it really does all start looking the same as long as they stay long enough to get SOME good dancing shots!
My package is 10 hours. We probably don't need her that long, but that was the package w/ a 2nd photoprapher, and we felt that was imp. and still in our price range. I think 8 is OK for most people.
I have an all day package as well. My photogs stay at the reception until the pictures turn into blackmail!
Definitely figure out how long you think you'll need them and make sure your contract covers that amount of time!
thanks for all the advice ladies!
When a photographer says "all day" coverage, what does that usually mean? 10 or 12 hours?
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"All day" usually means from start to finish. Getting ready (if you want those images) to end of reception.
We're getting a 12 hour package and our photographers have assured us that they will not be charging for over time after that either.
We have 2 photographers, so one will be with my FI in the morning when getting ready and one will be with me. We're also having a Chinese wedding so it will be a long day. At the reception, the second photographer will be setting up a "photo booth" for us with a backdrop. We're also having an "after-party" that we want covered. So it will be a long day for us indeed.
Our photographer was a bit on the high end of what we had budgetted. But since they are not charging us for OT it will actually work out to a good deal.
Beware of OT charges... some photographers I interviewed charge between $100 to $250 per hour over their package.
Good luck!
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I would like to add that receptions are boring to photograph. It's entrance, toast, people eating (which normally doesn't get photographed), first dance, father/bride dance, mother/groom dance, garter, bouquet, cake cutting (in reality, if you add all that time up it's about 10-15 minutes of shooting and about 2 hours of waiting) and then just random people dancing.
We have 8 hours with our photog....and I'm not sure what to do with him for all that time! I dont' want a bunch of boring reception pictures either, but seriously.....I can't pose pre-ceremony for four hours either!
You really only need your photographer there for the main events like first dance, cake, garter and bouquet. Some dancing shots, etc. After that they start looking the same :)
a lot of photojournalists do full day coverage... ours are coming in at 6 a.m. and staying until the last person leaves the reception...
I gotta say, we are bucking the apparent trend and booked our photographer for a 5 hour package ... it was what we could afford and we decided that 5 hours of great photography was better than 10 of okay photography.
We'll start photos with us at 10am (FI and I are planning to see each other before the wedding), add wedding party at 10:30, parents at 11 am. Ceremony is at noon, cocktail hour 12:30-1:30, and hot buffet stations opening at 1:30 ish. The photographer will stay till 3. We are not planning to to a garter or bouquet toss and we're planning our first dance at 1:30 prior to the hot food so he should be able to get all the biggest moments in the time we have him.
Also, it doesn't hurt that my sister (MOH) is a professional photographer, as well as one of my cousins. We figure we'll have plenty of good reception and candid shots between the two of them, plus my sis will likely snap some "getting ready" photos too.
Anyone else opt for a smaller (aka shorter) photography package so they could book at better photographer within their budget?
We too are opting for a shorter package (4 hours). We're having a small wedding of roughly 30 people. I wasn't keen on having a guy I didn't know photographing me as I got dressed. I sort of figured it would make me more nervous, actually! I'd rather be with just my Mom and my MOH. That way I feel comfortable and don't have to "perform".
My fiance's best man is going to document his "transformation" and my MOH will document mine. The photographer will start shooting as guests arrive at the ceremony site and will finish at the reception following the toasts. He won't be there for the dancing or cake cutting, but those pictures aren't that important to us...and I know my amateur photographer family members will be snapping away!
It depends on what you want captured and your photog. I feel NO need wahtsoever to have the photog there taking pics of my make up or hair being done. I have a lifetime of before pictures. My photog (The wonderful Rae Leytham!) has amazing reception moments captured. She and her husband are genius about capturing moments and not jsut pictures. Our reception is a celebration; a big ass party of all our friends from all over. I want them in teh photos and the moments we share captured. We booked 8 hrs, and it'll go from getting dressed to heading out.
I have an all day package with my photographer, and that means I tell her when to show up and I tell her when to leave. I think you should find a photog will be able to cover all of the events that are important to you. Yes, it is fun to have a professional shot of that last dance, but would a photo taken by a friend or family member work just as well for you?
The "average" number of hours of wedding coverage can vary widely depending on the area of the country (or world!), the specific nature of the wedding, the number of locations involved, the size of the wedding, and any number of other factors.
I wouldn't worry too much about what the average coverage was for other people. I would suggest taking some time to determine if YOU want professional coverage of all of the "pre-ceremony ceremonies" all the way through the end of the wedding. Determine from your schedule how much photography time you'd require. Then see if you can find a photographer whose style you like, who is within your budget, and who can provide the length of coverage you want.
Consider youself lucky if you can find someone who fits all your criteria perfectly! You may have to make some compromises on style, budget, or length of coverage, but it's worth the search for a good fit. I know plenty of photographers who will shoot 12 hour wedings or longer so it can be done!
Joe Milton
Int'l Society of Professional Wedding Photographers
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does anyone know what is the average number of hours for photographer coverage? I don't want my photographer to miss anything, but she said you usually don't need much coverage after dancing for an hour. I'm worried because i have the typical asian wedding: lots of pre-ceremony ceremonies ;)