How many hours of wedding photography coverage do I need ?

 

My Calgary wedding packages are broken down into hours of coverage. How many hours do you need? Here is a helpful guide of how long things generally take:

 

Getting ready bride: 1 hr ( min) allows for shots of dress hanging, shoes, details, hair, makeup, dress going on, first reactions to bride ( parents/bridesmaids reaction)

 

--travel time--

 

Getting ready groom: 1/2 hr (min). 

When I arrive at the groom's location, the groom& groomsmen are usually already pretty close to getting ready to go. 30 mins allows time for a few getting ready shots - cuff links, rings, details, groom tying tie, etc.

 

--travel time --

 

Ceremony: non religious takes approx 30-45 min 
Religious/ church ceremony: 1 hour.

Receiving line or champagne toasts: can take 30 ish mins. Many couples opt to receive their guests later on.

 

--travel time --

 

Family & formal photos.: 1 - 3 hours. 1 hour of photos will give enough time for quick family photos (20 min) quick bridal party photos (20 min) and bride groom session( 20 min). The more creative & variety that you'd like to see in your photos, the more time you need to allow. The more bridesmaids & groomsmen you have, the longer the group shots will take.

Please also allow travel time if you'd like more than one location for your formal shots. ( Also take into account that wedding season= construction season! Allow time for traffic !)

 

-- travel time back to reception --

 

Speeches, dinner, cake cutting dances: 3-ish hours. This can vary depending on a number of variables. 
- how many speeches ? - are you giving a length guideline for speeches?
- is dinner plated, or a buffet? - how many dances ?

 

Optional - sneak away for golden hour/magic hour. 20-30 mins.

 

Garter bouquet toss: usually happens at least an hour after first dance / bride father dance / groom mother dance

 

Night photography / sparklers: 30 mins.

 

 

Common package combinations that I see are as follows ( this is a guide only - you're welcome to build your own combinations of course !)

 

Bride getting ready + groom getting ready + ceremony + formals + dinner/ speeches/ dances + night photography: 10-12 hour day.

 

Bride getting ready on site, ( no groom shots) ceremony, formals, dinner, speeches, cake, first dances ( no garter/ bouquet, no

night/sparkler shots ) : 8 hour day.

 

Bride getting ready+ ceremony+ formals ( no reception shots): 6 hour day.

 

Ceremony + family/formals = 3 hrs or half day packages

 

Small ceremony + 1hr formals = elopement packages