how to estimate time for wedding day coverage
Estimating how much time you need to hire a wedding photographer for can be a difficult thing to do unless you have a wedding planning. Check out this article to learn a little more about the different parts of a wedding day and what your options are.
During your consultation call, we will ask you some of the key questions to give you an estimate. Most couples start with 6 or 7 hours of coverage, and then adjust from there depending on what might extend or reduce the time they need a photographer at the event.
Some things that might extend coverage are having locations that are far apart and require drive time, or having a grand exit that happens at the end of the night that they want professional photography of. Some things that might reduce coverage would be if they don’t have many photo ops scheduled for the reception, or if they don’t want any “getting ready” coverage.
getting ready for a wedding at the Sterling hotel
Pre-ceremony (getting ready/detail photos)-
30 minutes to 2 hours
This is during hair/makeup, oftentimes at someone’s home or in a hotel room. We enter the location and assess the areas near windows with good natural light, ask for your details to be set aside for photography (jewelry, shoes, dress, ring boxes, gifts, keepsakes, vows, notes, etc.). We tell you where to stand when you get dressed, but otherwise, we snap away at whatever is happening in the room while you’re hanging out.
California State Capitol Park
First look (when applicable)
45 minutes - 2 hours
We decide on a spot to bring the couple together to have a private moment to see each other before the day begins and guests are around. We often take wedding party photos, immediate family, and some couple portraits afterward. This lessens the pressure on photos after the ceremony so that the couple can enjoy cocktails with their guests, instead of being gone for portraits.
The Sterling hotel, Midtown Sacramento
Ceremony
30 minutes - 1 hour
The arrival of guests, processional, ceremony, vow exchange, and everything else during the ceremony is captured photojournalistic- you will barely notice we are there, and we never step in to manipulate any shots.
Bride and groom portraits at the California State Capitol building
Newlyweds in front of a State Capitol building
Formal portraits
40 minutes - 2 hours
We ask you for your wishlist and a list of family members/wedding party members and special requests, then choose the locations based on lighting and how it will fit into the day. We might split these times up throughout the day depending on what you have planned. If a couple opts to have us there without a wishlist or shot list, that is fine with us, but it might feel unorganized and chaotic if people don’t know where to be and when. Make sure your family and friends know that you are going for a loose photo schedule.
Sterling hotel reception room, first dance
Reception
2 hours - whenever the event ends
The reception is typically fly-on-the-wall and photojournalistic, but we ask you to think of a list of any informal snapshots you may want (college best friends, favorite aunt and uncle, etc.) that may not have been taken during formal portraits. For dancing and mingling, we bring artificial lighting so we can get photos in the dark, take artistic sunset and night photos, and be able to shoot from far away and capture all the fun without being too intrusive.
View a sample of our timeline-maker and see how we collect information to build your final shot list and refine your photo schedule. Here is a sample of what we send to our couples after a consult call:
1:30 pm - bridal details
2:15 pm - getting dressed
3:00 pm - first look / portraits
3:40 pm - wedding party
4:15 pm - guest arrivals / ceremony decor
5:00 pm - ceremony
5:30 pm - cocktails/family portraits
6:30 pm - guests invited to sit for dinner
7:00 pm - golden hour couple portraits
7:30 pm - toasts, dances, cake
8:00 pm - sunset photo
8:10 pm - dancing
8:30 pm - end of coverage
Once you’ve decided on your hours of photography coverage for your wedding, you can learn about the benefits of having one or two photographers, and if you would like to include engagement photos in your package.
Schedule your complementary consult call to get started on building the perfect collection for you.
