Wedding Photography –
A guide to choosing the right amount of coverage time for your wedding day
Your date is decided, your venue is booked and you’ve maybe even chosen us to photograph your wedding. But for how long? How long do you need us to be there on the day itself?
This page is intended to help you understand how our photography coverage works and how best to use it in order to get the range of photos you want from your wedding day.
How our photography coverage works
Our booking options are based upon hours of coverage and range from a simple couple of hours all the way up twelve hours or even beyond.
- Part Day Coverage: Ideal for couples who don’t want photography beyond the core parts of the day. Options begin with 2 hours which covers arrivals, the ceremony, groups and couple photos. The 3 and 4 hour options take this further to include ‘getting ready’ and/or the afternoon reception.
- Half Day options are available with 5 or 6 hours and are the most comprehensive choice for couples who want the bulk of their wedding day captured but without venturing into ‘full day’.
- Full Day options can be 8, 10 or 12 hours (or in-between) or even longer and usually cover from the morning to the evening, depending on the time of the ceremony. The 8 hours option is also popular with couples who want the day covered except for the morning.
- Custom coverage options: If the plans for your wedding day don’t quite fit into the standard options then we’re happy to have a chat, see what suits you best and set up a bespoke option just for you.
Deciding on how many hours you need
When choosing the number of hours to book, you’ll need to consider a number of factors, not least of which is your own personal preference.
- Which parts of the day do we want covered? Decide a start and end point. There are some examples below. Please note that coverage is usually continuous with no breaks (except for when we need to eat on longer days).
- Will there be enough time to cover everything we want without the day feeling rushed? Trying to cram everything into a tight time period is never a great idea. And remember, you need to allow enough breathing room to actually enjoy your own wedding with the people you’ve invited!
- Costs: How much do we want to spend and do we need to budget for a photo album, pre-wedding shoot or other optional extras?
How long is each part of a wedding day?
Timings can be affected by a number of variables including the type of venue you’re using, how relaxed or traditional the wedding is to be and of course, personal preferences. So this is a rough guide only and is just intended to give you a basic idea of how things work. This doesn’t include any travel time or how long it takes to transition from one section into the next.
- Getting ready: As long as you need! But, from a photography perspective the longest we’d ever cover is 3 hours but 90-mins to 2 hours is more typical. For some weddings we just cover the final 20-30mins or none at all.
- Civil wedding ceremony: About 45mins, but this includes the pre-ceremony interviews you’ll need to have with the registrar. The actual ceremony time is 20-30mins.
- Non-legal wedding ceremony: Some couples choose to have their ceremony be undertaken by a friend, relative or celebrant and these usually take about 15-20 minutes depending on individual plans, but can be highly personalised
- Church of England ceremony: Typically 45mins from start to end
- Roman Catholic wedding ceremony: 45mins to 90 mins depending on service
- Drinks reception: This begins either after the ceremony or when everyone arrives at the reception venue and goes up to the meal time. Includes confetti, group photos, couple photos and candid photos of everyone enjoying a drink and mingle. Typically 1hr 30mins but we do recommend longer if possible, especially for spring, autumn and winter weddings.
- Sit-down wedding meal: This can vary a great deal but 2hrs+ is typical
- Speeches and evening reception: As short or as long as you make them.
Points in the day where photography coverage begins
- Starting with getting ready (or part way through it): Your photography can begin with you and you party preparing for the day. This can be detailed coverage beginning 2 hours or so prior to when you leave for the ceremony, or it can be just the final stages. There are no rules, it’s really just about the timings that are most appropriate for you.
- Starting with arrivals (shortly before the ceremony): From the perspective of documentary-style photographers like us, the guests arriving is an important juncture. All the handshakes, hugs and hellos as friends and family come together at the venue before the main event begins. It can be a lovely and often overlooked element of the wedding day.
Where photography coverage ends
Photography coverage usually ends at a point in the day where the wedding transitions from one section to another.
- Ending with the couple photos: tends to happen on part day coverage, mostly commonly with our 2 or 3 hour options.
- Ending at the start of the meal or speeches: The photography can finish when everyone sits down for the meal. If your wedding speeches are before the sit-down meal then photography can end with them.
- Ending after the first dance (plus a bit longer): This is the most popular choice for wedding coverage that extends into the evening and usually finishes around the time the evening food is served.
- Ending later in the evening: On occasion we get asked to cover up to a point later in the evening if something special is happening like a firework display.
- Ending at a point not mentioned above: We’re quite used to wedding days which don’t follow the prescribed patterns used by many of the traditional wedding venues. If you have ideas of your own, we’d love to hear about them!
Unsure what to do? We’re here to help
With every couple we work with there is a conversation about the amount of time we’re covering. Although people sometimes have quite a clear idea of what they need, there can be factors that haven’t been considered – the kind of thing you’re only going to think about if you’re used to how wedding days work. So talk to us – we’re here to help and have years of experience for you to draw from. We don’t want you booking more or less time than you need.
Coverage Option Examples
There are no set rules about what can and can’t be included within the time you’ve booked, so these are just typical examples. Don’t worry if your schedule doesn’t quite fit – we’ll have a chat before you book and decide what’s right for you.
The 2 hour option
This option is popular for register office or small church weddings. It tends to work best when everything is happening at the same location, or in the immediate vicinity. If any travel between locations is required, one of the longer time options may be more suitable.
The two hour option could include:
- Guest and couple arrivals
- Civil wedding ceremony
- Hugs and confetti afterwards
- A small number of group photos
- Couple photos and possibly a few of the reception
Example 2 hour wedding
This wedding, photographed by Robin, had a 3pm ceremony at the local register office which was only a few moments’ walk from the reception. The couple requested a bare minimum of group and couple photos. This allowed some lots of candid photos after the ceremony and for the reception to be covered within the two hours, from 2:30pm to 4:30pm
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The 3 hour option
Adding a hour opens up several possibilities. The extra time can really make the difference between a tight schedule and one that has a more relaxed pace, especially if you’re using more than one venue.
Typically, the 3 hour option includes everything from the 2 hour, possibly with the addition of either the latter part of ‘getting ready’ or more of the reception, or perhaps a little of both, depending on locations. It’s also great for church weddings where the ceremony itself lasts longer than for a civil wedding.
Typical 3 hours could include:
- The latter part of ‘getting ready’, if required.
- Guest and couple arrivals at the venue
- The wedding ceremony (civil or church)
- Hugs and confetti afterwards
- Group photos
- Couple photos around the venue or at another location.
- The reception, or part of it.
Example 3 hour wedding
For this wedding, photographed by Robin, the couple had a two hour slot booked at a venue but also wanted photos taken at a private reception held at another location. The 3 hour option allowed plenty of breathing room for candid photos of the guests and also the of couple at the two venues.
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The 4 hour option
Choosing the four hour option gives you further scope for what can be included in your wedding photos. It is a great choice for weddings held at different locations (eg a church ceremony and reception elsewhere), but also allows full coverage of the afternoon reception including speeches (depending on timings). This means the number of great candid pictures will naturally increase as well as there being potential for a longer couple photos shoot, or even two shorter ones if required.
4 hours could cover:
- ‘Getting ready’, if required.
- Guest and couple arrivals at the venue
- The wedding ceremony (civil or church)
- Hugs and confetti afterwards
- Group photos
- Couple photos around the venue or at another location.
- The full afternoon reception, including speeches if they’re before the meal.
Example 4 hour wedding
The wedding shown here was photographed by Robin and Sarah together and covered from the latter part of ‘getting ready’ through the church ceremony and all of the reception to the entrance to the sit-down meal, including an extensive couple photo session.
Example wedding coming soon…
The Half Day option (5 or 6 hours)
The Half Day option is really the most comprehensive choice for couples who want the bulk of their wedding day captured but without venturing into ‘full day’.
The Half Day is available with 5 or 6 hours and can begin with ‘getting ready’, or if you prefer, shortly before the ceremony, but after that it’s really just down to your plans. It’s best suited to those having a relaxed and slightly longer reception party, especially ones held at home or other less formal locations. Really though, how the time is used is down to you.
Half Day could include:
- ‘Getting ready’, if required.
- Guest and couple arrivals at the venue
- The wedding ceremony (civil or church)
- Hugs and confetti afterwards
- Group photos
- Couple photos around the ceremony venue
- An longer reception which extends through the afternoon
- An additional couple photo shoot at the reception, or nearby
Example Half Day wedding
This half day wedding was photographed by Robin, including the bride’s ‘getting ready’, with a 2pm church ceremony and reception at home. The extended, relaxed nature of the reception was a great opportunity for candid photos and these were mixed with occasional short couple sessions. This was essentially a full day of photography on a smaller scale and without an evening party. Coverage time 12pm – 6pm.
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The 8 hour option
The shortest of our ‘full day’ options provides 8 hours of coverage time. This is still long enough to cover ‘getting ready’ to first dance and beyond, but it’s more suited to weddings with a later ceremony time (e.g. 3pm or thereabouts).
The 8 hour option is also great for couples who want photography into the evening party, but are happy to forgo the morning preparations.
Presuming a later ceremony time, a typical 8 hours could include:
- ‘Getting ready’, if required, or the latter part of it
- Guest and couple arrivals at the venue
- The wedding ceremony (civil or church)
- Hugs and confetti afterwards
- Group photos
- Couple photos around the venue or at another location.
- The afternoon reception
- Meal & speeches
- Evening reception
Example 8 hour wedding
This 8-hour example was photographed by Robin, with all of the day’s events taking place at the same location. No photos of ‘getting ready’ were required, so coverage began with the guests arriving and went through the day until the First Dance and evening reception, finishing and party, finishing as the evening food was served. Coverage time 1pm – 9pm
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The 10 hour option
The 10 hour option has always been our most popular ‘full day’ choice. Perfect for when coverage is required from ‘getting ready’ through to first dance and evening party, especially when the ceremony time is around the standard 12-2pm.
A typical 10 hours could include:
- ‘Getting ready’, if required.
- Guest and couple arrivals at the venue
- The wedding ceremony (civil or church)
- Hugs and confetti afterwards
- Group photos
- Couple photos around the venue or at another location.
- The afternoon reception
- Meal & speeches
- First Dance & evening reception
Example 10 hour wedding
This example is one of our classic 10 hour coverage weddings photographed by Robin & Sarah together . The morning preparations, 1pm wedding ceremony and reception where all held within the same village, so travel time was kept to a minimum. Coverage time was 10:30am to 8:30pm which allowed plenty of photos from ‘getting ready’ until the first dance and a good portion of the evening reception.
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Going beyond 10 hours
Adding an hour or two to the 10 hour option is great for weddings with an earlier ceremony time (11am for example) and/or extended evening coverage which could include special events such as fireworks. It’s also useful for when the overall schedule simply needs a bit more coverage time at the begining, end or both.
We don’t have separate options for beyond 10 hours, instead the additional hours are considered an add-on . Once we’re closer to the wedding date and we have a better understanding of how your day is planned, we can simply add the additional time to your booking.
Custom Package Option
If our standard options are not quite right for you, we’re happy to put together a bespoke quote to perfectly fit in with your day.
Make an enquiry, give us as much information as you can and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Coverage Options FAQ
We’re still not sure of how many hours to book.
The best thing to do is to talk to us. You can contact us through the Whatsapp button at the bottom of every page, or make an enquiry and have a video chat or phone call.
Our plans aren’t quite formed yet but we know we want to book.
That’s fine. Weddings plans often aren’t quite fully formed when people book us. If you’d like us to photograph your wedding then the best thing to is to book with us for the shortest amount of time you know you’ll need. You can then add on additional coverage time closer to the date once your plans are all finalised.
Our wedding is unconventional, so we’re unsure of timings.
Oh we love unconventional weddings! It’s far easier just to have a conversation. Contact us through the Whatsapp button at the bottom of every page, or make an enquire and we can have a video chat or phone call to see what will work best for you.
What’s the shortest and longest weddings you’ve ever photographed?
Although our minimum coverage is normally 2 hours, we are open to taking on a shorter booking if it’s not far ahead and is local to us. The shortest wedding we’ve done was just an hour at a local register office. At the other end of the scale, our longest wedding was 16 hours, starting from 8am and finishing at midnight.
Next steps…
Hopefully this page has given you a better understanding of how our coverage works and how it can best fit in with your wedding day. Take a look at our pricing page and get in touch to take the next step!