Hi Friends! We receive different questions from inquiries from potential brides and grooms, so I thought I’d provide some helpful information on wedding day coverage. We believe between eight-ten hours of coverage is ideal for a perfect day. Unless it is an elopement or a shorter ceremony, we won’t shoot a wedding for less than eight hours. We truly need eight hours to tell the story of the day. Not only do we want to have more time to tell the story, we also want to give our couples a stress free wedding day.
When we receive an email from a bride and groom and they share that they only want 4 hours of coverage, I have one of two options. 1.) I can educate them about our Wedding Experience and why we need a minimum of 8 hours. OR 2.) I can refer them to a colleague that can provide that request. Normally, we can tell whether or not the couple just needs to be educated, or if photography isn’t a priority.
Here are a few reasons why we need a minimum of eight hours:
-We’ve realized that eight hours gives us enough time to photograph the bridal details all the way up to the reception. However, if you have a shorter wedding timeline, we will have ample amount of time to cover more portraits.
-Your timeline needs to be written realistically. If you cram everything into 4-6 hours because you want to save money, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. You’re ASKING for a stressful day. Build your timeline realistically and allow us to have adequate time for each part of the day. We have been in MANY situations where we were left with no portrait time because the timeline was not drawn up correctly.
-If you’re sharing a FIRST LOOK (which we HIGHLY recommend), we’ll be starting approximately 3 hours before the ceremony. While this extends the amount of coverage you’ll need, you will have more time with guests, more time with just each other and 40% more portraits! It’s a win-win!
As a photographer, I want the best for you. I also want to maintain my consistent style and serve my clients well and I know that I cannot accomplish that within six hours of coverage. If you want creative images, that requires time. I hope this helps.
Hugs,
Mar