How Much Wedding Photography Coverage Do I Need? Plus Things To Consider When Building a Wedding Day Timeline

Having trouble choosing your wedding photography package? Have no idea how much coverage is right for you and your wedding? Well, let me help you. We’ll walk through my four standard package options for wedding day coverage and I’ll describe the couple each package is right for. Then, I’ll explain some important things you should keep in mind. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers here, just find what’s right for you!

Here’s an overview of the packages we’ll go through:

Package A - 12 hours

Package B - 10 hours

Package C - 8 hours

Package D - 6 hours

FIRST, here’s what I consider to be the most important consideration:

Your timeline will dictate the pace and enjoyment of your wedding day.

By that I mean, picture rushing through getting ready and having to slice off requested photos on your list because there isn’t time, pushing family and friends into the limo saying “we gotta go!,” cutting the reception line short post-ceremony because you have to get to family photos (“talk to ya later Aunt Carol!”), yelling for family members during fam photos “WHERE is Uncle Jim?!,” hardly being able to smile during couple photos because of the stress and hectic pace of the past four hours, then having to make up time by cutting your couple photos short, thus not allowing time for your photographer’s creative shots, which drew you to booking her in the first place….

I’ve seen it a million times before (especially the cutting-couple-photos-short part), and let me tell you, all that rushing and stress could have been avoided by simply choosing the package up from what they chose for their wedding photography and creating some breathing room in their timeline. Seriously, just two more hours can make that kind of difference to your day.

Don’t underestimate the value in giving yourself time; think about how rushing through your day will affect your ability to actually experience and enjoy it. People will show up late for family photos, hair/makeup will take longer than projected, you’re going to want time to EAT for God’s sake. Plan for it all now so you don’t regret it later.

Package A - 12 hours ~ Document my day from beginning to end! Tell the whole story through photos!

One of the best parts about wedding photography is that it has the ability to tell the story of your day, allowing you to watch it unfold from an outside perspective. When you have your final gallery, you’ll click on the first photo and ‘right-click’ through to the last. You’ll feel all the emotions you felt on that day as you experience it from start-to-finish for a second time, as you’ll be able to do countless more times for the rest of your life. Every anniversary. Every time you need a reminder.

The story of your wedding day doesn’t start at the ceremony. It starts on that morning when you say to yourself “I’m getting married today!”… when you’re in your robe and laughing with your girls or when your guys pour you your first wedding day shot. When you slowly get your hair done, make-up on, accessories accessorizing… your mom helps you in your dress, your maid of honour helps you get your shoes on, your dad sees you in the dress for the first time.

The story of your wedding day also doesn’t end at the speeches. Your celebration is a huge part of the story. The groups of friends you’ll do shots with, the unexpected family members you’ll get onto the dance floor, the excitement you and your new spouse have when hearing that old high school song! The extra activities you might have like photo booth fun and late night snacks, maybe even a sparkler exit at the end of the night. Also, the dancing that happens when the dance floor opens versus two hours in… it can be like comparing tweens spread out at a junior high dance to the best club you’ve ever been to.

Getting 12 hours of coverage or more means you want your full story captured, from start to finish. After all the months and maybe years of build up, it all happens on ONE day, and it’ll FLY by. Documentation of the million little moments that’ll happen on your day allows them to live on in the future.

Package B - 10 hours ~ Coverage of most the day with time to breath in-between!

Like Package A but fewer photos in getting ready and at the dance. 10 hours of coverage is a great option. Without the middle parts of your day changing, 10 hours is great for those that don’t care to have the early parts of getting ready captured, like hair/makeup, flat lay of wedding details, and the dress hanging up outside, but do want other aspects of getting ready, like popping champagne, getting in the dress, first looks with dad & bridal party, and so on. As well, maybe you just want the first bit of dancing captured and a few other party moments (just keep in mind what I said about dancing in the Package A section above). Try to subtract from either the beginning or end of the day, thinking about what’s most important to you both (getting ready shots or dancing shots).

Package C - 8 hours ~ Just the main events are good with me!

The central events of our day is really what we want captured. 8 hours is perfect for those that are really focusing on getting photos of the main events: the ceremony, family photos, bridal party photos, couple photos, reception entrance, first dances, speeches. Things like photos at the getting ready locations and the party/celebration are considered bonuses. Tip: Be careful - I suggest compromising the start and end parts of your day rather than shaving time off in the middle (like time between the ceremony finishing and starting family photos, or how much time you allow for photos in general). Read the ‘things to keep in mind’ section below for more and keep in mind what I said in the introduction above.

Package D - 6 hours ~ Most photos are a want rather than a need!

I want wedding photos but definitely less than is typical. 6 hours may be good for: those that look at photos outside of the ceremony and family photos as a want rather than a need, those with no bridal party (therefore no bridal party photos) and have a very small family (little time needed for family photos), those who have everything taking place at the same location (no travel time needed), those that don’t want getting ready photos or dancing photos, those that want more traditional shots rather than creative shots or candids, and those who are tied by financial restraints (let’s be real - this needs to be considered!). As long as you have realistic expectations of what can be captured in 6 hours, (a.k.a. don’t expect to squeeze in getting ready photos or lots of candids of your guests) then 6 hours may be perfect for what you’re looking for!

Things to keep in mind! 

• Travel time between locations needs to be included in your timeline (e.g., the getting ready locations if one photographer is doing both, getting ready to ceremony, ceremony to photo location, photo location to reception…). Don’t forget to consider the time of day you’ll be travelling as well (don’t ‘Google maps’ it at 10pm when you’ll actually be driving during rush hour).

• Creative shots take time. If you give your photographer 20-30 minutes for couple photos, chances are you’re going to get mainly the more standard shots. If you love the stand-out, creative shots that captivate your eye and would be the show-stopping piece to hang on your wall, your photographer has to have time to be inspired by you two and the environment, to break out their camera tricks and allow their creativity to flow. There are also lots of photographers that are more traditional and don’t do these kinds of shots. They will likely boast that “20 minutes is all they need” for couples photos. If that’s what you want for your photos, that’s perfect! Just know if you’re picturing the more creative stuff (like I do), I recommend you consider that when building your timeline. (Ideally, have about three 20-minute sessions scheduled throughout your day for couples photos).

• What do you want captured in your getting ready? Does your list look like this? Shots of hair and makeup for bride and each person in bridal party, the dress hung up outside, flat lay shots of bridal details, popping champagne with the girls, all the girls in their robes laughing together, card reading/gift opening from soon-to-be spouse, getting in dress, mother helping with buttons, maid of honour helping with accessories, first look with dad, first look with bridesmaids, photos with girls once ready, solo photos in front of house, and the same for the groom. If you want the wholeeee nine when it comes to getting ready photos, don’t give your photographer (and yourself) an hour, give two hours at a minimum at the bride’s location alone, and if you want time in between those things to sit, breath, eat and drink, the more time the better.

• Nothing runs on time, give yourself extra time in each and every section of your timeline because there WILL be unexpected delays. If everything magically does happen on time, you can use it as breathing time with your new spouse.

• Do you have a second photographer? That can affect your timeline as well, primarily with getting ready. If you have a second photographer to cover Spouse 1’s getting ready while your lead photographer covers Spouse 2’s getting ready, you can save yourself time in your photography coverage without compromising the number of shots captured. (I will do another blog post soon on second photographers).

• When there’s both photo and video, schedule extra time in your getting ready and couple photo sections of your timeline (including golden hour additional shots). Your photographer and videographer will get specific shots that require direction, and all of which take time. As much as your photographer and videographer will try to double up and shoot at the same time (as long as they’re both team players), you’ll still often have to do things twice (e.g., slip on your shoes twice, get that last button done up on your dress twice, etc.). Videography and photography both include some prompting and direction for the shots you’re envisioning, so consider these things in your timeline as well. A common mistake is not increasing the time in those sections of the day when adding a videographer.

Hopefully this has helped you to have a clearer idea of how much wedding day coverage will fit your needs! Still have questions? Comment below and I’ll answer them! Look out for the next blog about second photographers, but for now, check out my wedding portfolio here!