How long should a photographer stay at a wedding? | Boston Wedding Photography
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At Ryan Richardson Photography, I am always happy to help a couple customize their wedding package because every wedding day is as unique as the couples celebrating. But how do you know what’s the right amount of coverage for your wedding day? Should you book 12 hours to be safe, or is it okay to start with six?
There are two major factors that will go into that answer: What are the moments that matter the most to you and what does your wedding timeline look like?
The timeline factor is thankfully just math - figuring out when the first thing you want photographed will happen and when the last moment you want captured will occur and calculating hours from there. Two big pitfalls for this are if your event has a significant gap between the ceremony and reception (very common with Catholic weddings) and the time for dinner service.
Knowing the moments that matter to you is a more difficult question. If you have decided on a photographer but not a package, it can be worth going over a sample shot list with them to get a rough idea. One thing that I’ve found helpful is to break the day up into four pieces for my Boston wedding photography clients, each representing approximately two hours of coverage: getting ready, the ceremony, the reception, and then evening.
Getting Ready is usually about more personal and intimate moments. It can also be a time to get some portraits done for the wedding party, immediate family, or a first look. This is also the period where your photographer will tend to shoot a lot of details like the wedding dress, shoes, accessories, or flat lays if those have been requested.
The Ceremony is largely self-explanatory, where your photographer will cover the wedding party’s arrival and the main event itself. I usually include the formal portraits in this segment.
The Reception is when the couple enters into the hall and through dinner. Frequently this is when you will have speeches and maybe a first dance. You will get some coverage of the guests if you want to get photographs at the tables as the couple greet everyone.
The Evening is generally after open dancing has started. This is where you’ll get a lot more of your guests letting loose and having a good time, it’s a great opportunity to get shots of various couples during the slower moments. This is also the time for the cake cutting if you’re doing it later or a bouquet toss.
With that in mind, what do different coverage periods tend to cover?
Four Hours - Most this is for elopements or minimonies. With four hours we’ll generally get the very tail-end of getting ready, the ceremony, and then the start of the reception and wrap coverage prior to dinner.
Six Hours - Generally you’re going to choose coverage of either the later reception or getting ready. There’s a little less flexibility if things are running behind or falling off schedule. This is a good compromise between duration and what’s going to get coverage.
Eight Hours - You can comfortably cover before the wedding and well into the reception. Depending on timing you might miss out on the end of the night or any moments that start especially early (like if you have any surprises for your wedding party’s arrival).
Ten Hours - With most weddings this is going to be more than enough time to really stick around and document the whole day. This is a great option when you don’t want to make any compromises at all.
What are the important moments you’re planning for your wedding? Would you rather have more coverage of the early part of the day or deep into the reception? Why not book with Ryan Richardson Photography today for some expert advice.
Ryan Richardson is a wedding and engagement photographer serving Boston and beyond; including Cape Cod Weddings, New England Weddings, Massachusetts Weddings and Rhode Island Weddings.