Another common question among newly engaged couples is, how long does wedding photography take? Typically, wedding couples have no way of knowing that. So working out how long you need your photographer is always a puzzle. We have shot many weddings! So we have put together this handy tool to help you understand and figure out how long you will need your wedding photographer/videographer.
A bit of clarification though: the question only makes sense for the parts of your day that your photographer can control, like getting ready, couples photos, family photos, or bridal party photos. there are other parts of the day, for which most people want photography, that are determined not by the length needed to do the pictures, but more by the length of the event, like the ceremony, reception, and travel between locations.
The answer!
Transition Times
We will assume there is up to 15m of travel between any location that you will need to visit on your wedding day, unless you know everything is in one spot (then we assume 5m). There are typically 3 transitions:
- Getting ready to Ceremony
- Ceremony to photo location
- Photo location back to reception
| 15m | 45m |
|---|---|
| You're all in one spot | As assumed |
Getting Ready
These are the last few hours you will experience as an unmarried couple, and that often comes with a lot of big emotions, special moments, and sundry items. You’ll be preparing to get into the outfits that you have carefully selected, surrounded by the most important people in your lives. Portions we typically capture:
- Fun interactions between bride(s) or groom(s) and best friends & family
- Father of the bride(s) first look
- Rehearsing vows
- Images of the outfits and accessories before they are in use – including primarily the dress
| 60m | 90m | 120m | No - 0m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus on the final moments of getting ready - limited time for outfits and accessories | Final moments of getting ready + good shots of your outfits & accessories | Lots of great shots of everything - moments, stuff, personalities | I'm not so into this. |
First Look
Some couples choose to have a moving and orchestrated first look, before their ceremony, to help make the rest of the day more relaxed, and a better experience for their guests.
This lets you have a private moment to settle your nerves as a couple, before saying really important things in front of really important people. It also means you can do your (potentially longer, more relaxed, and more varied) photo session before your ceremony. That way you and your guests can go straight to your cocktail reception without interruption.
We will assume that the bride(s) and groom(s) photos, and bridal party photos, will be done after the first look, and before the ceremony, as is common. This can be altered.
| Yes - 15m | No - 0m |
|---|---|
| I love this idea | I'm traditional, I want the first look at the aisle |
The Main Event: The Ceremony
The ceremony is the reason all of your friends and family have gathered in one place, possibly travelling from far and wide.
| 30m | 45m | 60m |
|---|---|---|
| Common, non-denominational | Religious, but not full mass or other cultural rituals | Religious with all the bells & whistles |
Family Photos
Family photos can be seen as boring or stuffy. But these are the images that your closest relatives will cherish on their mantles or side-tables, or the ones your grandchildren will look at to recognize their great-grandparents – and marvel at you from a 50 year distance! These are heirlooms.
Photographers’ attention to family photography may vary. The way we do it, it is efficient, and as quick as we can, while still paying attention to details like outfits, lens selection, background, lighting etc. Your photographer should be able to help you with a list of ‘standard’ groupings. If not, we have posted a list of the many family groupings we have done at this link here.
| 15m | 30m | 45m | 60m | 90m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super small wedding, not a lot of family groups | Standard groupings | Blended Families groupings | Large Families Both Sides, and add a lot of custom groupings | Large Families both sides, relatives, and add a lot of custom groupings |
| Number of groupings possible: 4-5 | Number of groupings possible: 8-10 | Number of groupings possible: 10-14 | Number of groupings possible: 14-16 | Number of groupings possible: 22-26 |
Couple Photos
It is quite unusual for a couple to have professional portraits taken. Their wedding is often the only time in their lives that this happens! The photo session can be a time for the newlyweds – or soon to be – to touch base and contemplate and celebrate what they have just done or are about to do – not to mention to create images to use around their house or in an album or book.
Some clients just want one or two posed portraits, however the majority of our customers would like to capture themselves in a variety of moods and poses, looking comfortable for the camera, to use on their walls or in albums.
A bride and groom portrait session isn’t just click click click and done. There has to be time included to walk from place to place, work on each shot, work on the comfort, etc.
| 30m | 60m | 90m | 120m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Posed, non-candid, usually looking at the camera | The posed shots, just a bit of natural looking | The most common, time for the posed shots, but also the natural and candid images | Time for the posed shots, but also the natural and candid images PLUS another location |
Bridal Party Photos
There is a reason that your bridal party stands up with you at your ceremony – they are your very best friends or family, and are there to support you. So they deserve to have some extra time with you, captured on camera.
You can see a list of the common bridal party shots at our blog post, Standard Wedding Photography Group Poses.
| 15m | 30m | 45m | 60m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Done just with the family photos:4-5 groupings | Can add in individual portraits of the bridal party with or without the couple | Adding some more creative posing, and time to capture some candid celebratory moments with the couple | Great for very large bridal parties, or with a medium size party, you can create a larger variety of group shots and more fun times. |
Cocktails & Reception
The reception is where much of the detailed planning of a wedding goes. From the table arrangements, centrepieces, food, to the venue itself, people spend countless hours making countless decisions – all so that they and their guests can have a beautiful wonderful time.
We most often end with the last important planned event, such as the bride and groom speech, the cake cutting, first dances, or bouquet toss – and a bit of the party.
| 60m | 120m | 150m | 180m |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30m of cocktails: group shots, candids, food, decor | 30m of cocktails: group shots, candids, food, decor | 30m of cocktails: group shots, candids, food, decor | 30m of cocktails: group shots, candids, food, decor |
| 30m reception grand entrance, some opening remarks, some candids. | 90m reception dinner and the speeches, maybe first dances and cake cutting, no party | 120m reception dinner and the speeches, usually first dances and cake cutting, maybe a bit of party | 150m reception right up to some party time. |