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Our wedding was at 6:15. We were doing all ofour photos before hand though, so we started getting ready earlier, and the photographer showed up at 130. The decision to do pics before or after the ceremony is the deciding factor here. We wanted pictures getting ready, then we went out and did the seeing each other moment, then wedding party photos, then family photos, then the ceremony started. We had ours for 8 hours, but we asked them to stay an extra hour. In retrospect, I wish I asked them to stay one more hour though - a lot of the dancing was missed. If you are doing pics during cocktail hour, you should be okay with just the 8 hours. We chose to enojy our cocktail hour, and to not have to rush and get all the pics done in that hour, which is why we did them before the ceremony.
How close to 8 hours is your wedding timeline running? My day will be long because I've got hair + makeup in the morning, a ceremony at 2, and a reception from 5:30 to 10:30. If I get my hair and makeup done at say, 10 a.m., that's more than 12 hours.
Because of this I hired a photographer who provides unlimited coverage for the day rather than worry about paying for additional hourly coverage. If your day is going to be long too, you should talk to photographers about unlimited coverage for the day-of.
If that's not an option for you, play it safe and over-budget on time, which may mean purchasing extra hours up front. You don't want to be rushed because you're worrying about the photographer coming or going. Perhaps ask a photographically-minded bridesmaid to take photos while you're getting ready and have the photographer show up closer to the ceremony where those 8 hours will stretch you out longer.
We hired our photgrapher for the entire day. He will be arriving to my house at 6:00 am. So if we had an after party at the hotel suite, he would go with us there and take pictures until the last guest leaves
I hired my photographer for 10 hours. The package we picked only provided 9 hours of coverage, and I negotiated to have one additional hour for free of charge. He will show up at around 8 am for a 10am ceremony and stayed an extra hour to take after photos when the reception ends at 5. Generally, I find that photogs are flexible if you just need an additional hour of coverage and will not charge you for it.
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Remember to give them some wiggle room so they can arrive early to the ceremony site and take pictures of the grounds and familiarize themselves. My photog is arriving at 3:30pm, I'm arriving at the bridal suite at 4pm, and the reception is over at 12. My DOC said that almost definitely I will still be at the wedding site until 1am, just saying goodbye. The contract says he will be hired for 10 hours.
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our photographer's package included 10 hours of photography. our reception ended at 11pm, so I had him come at 1pm. Around 1pm, I was getting into my dress, putting on the veil, putting on my shoes and veil. I didn't think it was necessary for him to take pictures of all the girls getting their hair done and of me getting my hair/make-up done.
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Well... heres my 2 cents.
How long the photog is there depends on your own personal preference. You usually need around 8-10 hours of coverage. That's if you want pictures of you and your girls getting ready. For instance, say the ceremony starts at 3pm. You want your photog there by 1pm at the latest. This will give him/her time to take the necessary detail shots. (ie. the rings, invitation, garter, bouquets, bouts, jewelry, shoes, veil, dress, sixpence, and any other item that you will be wearing or of any importance to you) not to mention photos of you getting into your dress, potential emotional bridesmaids watching you get ready on your big day, pictures with mom, etc. You want to give the photog time to get all that done so they arent running around trying to do that while the ceremony or reception is going on (heaven forbid). If none of that is important to you, than you can skip it. But if you're getting an album all those pictures fit nicely setting the tone of the day, and help you to remember the tiny details that you may not otherwise remember in 5 years.
Then you've got the ceremony which can take anywhere from half an hour to 2 hours, depending on what you've arranged. And lets not forget the reception which could go anywhere from 4 hrs til the cows come home. Somewhere in here you'll also need the bridal party and family shots done. (In that time you'll need pics of the special dances, the toasts, cutting the cake, and candids of your more colorful guests.)
But then again I'm a photog so I may be a bit biased as to what needs to be photographed. ;)
Its best to make a list of pictures that you and your fiance deem "must haves" and then a schedule of the day and go over it with the photog. They'll then be able to give you an idea of how much time they'll need to fulfill your requests.
Here's my 2 cents...
You should have your photographer present the moment you want to start remembering your wedding day and have him/her leave the moment you don't care about remembering your day. In my opinion you should find a photographer that includes all day coverage in their packages. More of us are starting to do this (which I think is a good thing). Wedding photography should be about capturing the whole experience - that goes far beyond the ceremony and reception. But that's just my 2 cents ;)
Bobby Earle
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Hi Ladies,
I am noticing that most photographers offer 8 hours as their base/minimum hours of coverage, and charge an hourly rate for any additional hours. The question is: what time are you planning your photographers to show up in the morning (providing you want them to take pictures of you and your party getting ready) and what time do you plan for them to leave at night? Or is it normal to purchase additional hours?
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