Add extra hour with photo and/or video? (updated)

AprilH81

We are in the home stretch before the wedding (18 days!!!) and the next few weeks are full of final vendor meetings, head counts and final payments! Our budget is currently in good shape, and I anticipate we will be right at budget once we get our final RSVP counts in the next few days.  


I am toying with the idea of getting an extra hour of video coverage ($125 for two videographers) and an extra hour of photo ($250 for two photogs).  I know we don't NEED either, but pictures especially are important to me and I want to make sure we capture as much of the day as possible. We have the money to do both if we want to, I am looking for opinions on what you think we should do.  FI doesn't care.   

Hair/make-up starts at 6:30 am, first look at 9:00 am, ceremony at 11:00 am followed by a cocktail hour and 12:30-4:00 reception.

Our current photo package is 7 hours of coverage with two photographers.  I have them scheduled to shoot from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.  If I don't add the extra hour I miss a lot of the getting ready/hanging out pictures and if I have them start earlier I miss reception pictures (and they are already leaving an hour before the reception ends.  Adding the extra coverage would give me a little more peace of mind that the day would be fully documented and memories captured.  It would give the photographers more time to get creative with some of the detail shots (hair, dress, rings, etc.) and I would not feel pressured to try to document the morning stuff myself (I like tons of pictures).

Our current video package is also 7 hours of coverage with two videographers.  They will be filming from 7:30-2:30.  We will end up with a short film (highlights of the whole day), full length ceremony, and full length of the reception events (bridal party entrance, first dance, cake cutting, etc.).  Adding extra coverage would give us more footage but would not necessarily add to the final product depending on what better footage they get in a different time of the day.

So, what would you do?  Both vendors are available and willing to work the extra hours and we have the money if we really want to do it.

After typing everything up I can pretty much eliminate the extra hour for video coverage (but I can be convinced to add it if there is a point I'm missing).  So I really need help deciding on the extra hour of photo coverage.

Update:  FI and I talked about it some more tonight and I made him give me an answer other than "whatever you want".  We decided to pass on the extra hour of the photographer.  His mom is a shutterbug and I can bring my camera with me.  Worst case scenario is we ask one of the stylists to take a picture of all of us together.  

vk2204

If I could go back and do it again I would add more photo hours. They spent most of the reception eating their dinner and just getting the main dances. I barely got any other photos.

I just stood up in a wedding last weekend and the bride and groom took a picture with each table as they went around to greet everyone. I thought it was an awesome idea.

blabla89

Are you getting hair and makeup done at the venue? If not, would your photographer charge you an additional travel fee to go to wherever you're getting ready?

AprilH81

lalalaurita said:

Are you getting hair and makeup done at the venue? If not, would your photographer charge you an additional travel fee to go to wherever you're getting ready?

Hair and make-up will be in the salon attached to the venue, so no additional travel fees (and no additional travel time for the wedding party!

misssunshine17

I honestly think you have everything very well covered with what you already have. I know photos are important, but are you really going to frame/print 100 pictures of you in sweats getting makeup done? I think for the price, it's not worth it. I think you should save the money for an awesome vacation or something. If you're really wanting it, I would add an hour on the other end- 4:00-5:00pm for some romantic sunset pictures/another location. 

AprilH81

misssunshine17 said:

I honestly think you have everything very well covered with what you already have. I know photos are important, but are you really going to frame/print 100 pictures of you in sweats getting makeup done? I think for the price, it's not worth it. I think you should save the money for an awesome vacation or something. If you're really wanting it, I would add an hour on the other end- 4:00-5:00pm for some romantic sunset pictures/another location. 

Unfortunately the January wedding is in Ohio, it will likely be too cold and it is usually so cloudy we don't see the sun for months.  lol  Good idea though!

dramamonkey

We didn't end up doing any getting ready photos (apart from me putting my dress on AT the venue), and I don't miss them. I would have missed, however, the extra time at my reception (our photographer went until the end). 

To be honest, I think you can actually adjust your day a little differently. Are you doing your First Look at the ceremony site, followed by all your bridal party/family photos? Is there a place where you can take photos away from guests coming in for the wedding? 

Does your photographer do 1/2 hour increments? 

We were able to save time by having photog #1 get me getting in my dress while photog #2 started on portraits with the groom's family and the groomsmen. Groom and family were then moved elsewhere so we could do me and my family/bridesmaids. THEN first look, a few b&g and full wedding party/family photos before the ceremony. We took 90% of our photos before the ceremony, and then just DH and I during cocktail hour (ours was only about 45 min). 

So, if you have a space to take photos as guests are arriving, I might suggest not adding the time but making your schedule something like what we did. 

9:00 photographers arrive to snap Bride getting dressed photos in bridal suite, groom family/WP photos.

9:30 Groom elsewhere, bride family/WP photos

10:00 First look (it only takes about 10 minutes)

10:15 Full bridal party photos before ceremony (if space available/time before guests arrive)

11:00 Ceremony

11:30-12:30 Cocktail hour - Bridal party (if needed), and B&G photos

12:30 - 4:00 Reception

dramamonkey

Oh, and our photographers were able to shoot all our detail shots (we got lots!) in  the 7 hour window. It really doesn't take that long to get all the "required" photos in. Heck, we were done our post-ceremony photos in about 20 minutes, and that allowed DH and I a few private moments while both photographers were elsewhere - one getting cocktail hour photos, the other getting some detail shots of things like the reception room/tables before guests came in, the cake, card box, etc. etc. etc. 

ETA: in 7 hours of shooting, we ended up with 790 fully edited photos (which doesn't take into account the photographers "rejects" that we never got to see) - so more than 100 photos were taken per hour. 

emmyg65

Our photographers left our reception an hour before it ended, and I didn't miss them. They'd already taken a ton of pictures of people dancing and chatting. Your existing plans for photo/video coverage are sufficient.

AprilH81

@dramamonkey I will take a look at the schedule, but I don't think compressing the schedule will do anything but add some time at the reception (and they are only missing the last hour which I expect is when people will start leaving anyway).

EVERYTHING will be at the venue and there isn't a place for us to take pictures where arriving guests won't see us (and frankly, I want a little bit of down time between pictures and the ceremony).

We are doing the first look at 9:00, immediate family and bridal party pictures at 9:30 until 10:15 (we go hide from 10:15 until the ceremony at 11:00).  Processional starts at 11:00 and should end around 11:25, a quick receiving line for 75 guests...  After the receiving line we will do extended family pictures and have cocktail hour and the reception officially starts at 12:30 with the bridal party entrance. 

We have two photographers so we already plan on having one with each of us as soon as they arrive and then they can do the individual family shots at the same time after the first look and during the extended family photos one photographer can either help get the groups ready or go document the cocktail hour.

Ven&Radio

AprilH81 said:

@dramamonkey I will take a look at the schedule, but I don't think compressing the schedule will do anything but add some time at the reception (and they are only missing the last hour which I expect is when people will start leaving anyway).

EVERYTHING will be at the venue and there isn't a place for us to take pictures where arriving guests won't see us (and frankly, I want a little bit of down time between pictures and the ceremony).

We are doing the first look at 9:00, immediate family and bridal party pictures at 9:30 until 10:15 (we go hide from 10:15 until the ceremony at 11:00).  Processional starts at 11:00 and should end around 11:25, a quick receiving line for 75 guests...  After the receiving line we will do extended family pictures and have cocktail hour and the reception officially starts at 12:30 with the bridal party entrance. 

We have two photographers so we already plan on having one with each of us as soon as they arrive and then they can do the individual family shots at the same time after the first look and during the extended family photos one photographer can either help get the groups ready or go document the cocktail hour.

Are your photographers on board with this?  I had 2 photogs, but for the family portraits, only one did the shooting.  The other one acted as a coordinator, going through the list of groupings and making sure the people we needed were on hand and ready for their shots.

AprilH81

I have a meeting with them on Saturday where we are ironing out the final details.  Our individual family shots are literally him with his parents (only child) and me with my parents and sister (who is my MOH).  I don't think they will need help coordinating on those pictures.  

dramamonkey

@AprilH81 - Your photographers will be good at telling you how much time you need for everything - Mostly I let my photographer tell me how much time she needed, and backed up from there. With all you've said, your existing plan should be fine. 

I think the rule of thumb is that a lot of people wait until after the cake is cut to leave, but that's for evening-type reception. Not sure about a mid-day par-tay. 

Good luck! I'm sure everything will go swimmingly! 

ETA: spelling