I get asked this question a lot when I’m talking to potential couples…how many hours of coverage do I need for my wedding?! A lot of people think this is a one size fits all answer, but I believe there are truly so many things to consider when looking at wedding coverage! Not all weddings are created equal!! A couple spending their entire day from start to finish at their venue will have a much different need than a couple getting ready at home, their ceremony at a church, and ending the night at their venue. More is often better, but it can also be a waste! I’d rather a couple have to add an hour or two later than have 3 hours of open dancing to cover. Trust me, you don’t need that much to capture those fun, candid dancing shots! 😂

Because there are so many special memories to capture throughout the day, I always recommend my couples include a minimum of seven hours for their wedding coverage. This guarantees I am able to really love and serve my couples because I’m there for all the big moments of the day. I believe in telling the full story of your wedding day and we need time to make that happen! There is a lot more to taking gorgeous portraits than pointing and shooting a camera. Having the right amount of time gives us the freedom to make magic happen!

Now you might be thinking, I know I need a minimum of seven hours… but what does that truly cover? Seven or eight hours of coverage gives us time to take photos of the bride and groom getting ready, a first look if the couple chooses, all the bridal party photos, beautiful photos of the bride and groom together (both before the ceremony and at sunset!), family formals, the ceremony, and all the special events that happen at the reception.

As I said before though, every wedding is different. So there are a few instances where I recommend adding time over that seven or eight-hour minimum:

TRAVEL

If you have to travel between your getting ready location and your ceremony and/or your ceremony and your venue. This is the number one thing I have found that is missed when it comes to planning timelines for a wedding day. Factoring time in to travel between locations is so important to keep your wedding on schedule!

CEREMONY

If your ceremony is  60 minutes or longer. Most ceremonies outside of a church average about 20 minutes in length, so having a longer church ceremony takes up quite a bit of time! Not that there’s anything wrong with that, you just have to plan for it. 😊

FLOW OF THE DAY

If the timeline of the day feels too rushed. If you’re planning your timeline and there is no buffer in case things run behind (and something ALWAYS will!), throw an extra hour or two in there. You shouldn’t be sprinting through your wedding day trying to get everything done, you should have the time to relax and enjoy yourself!

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