How many hours do I need for photography?

Figueirawedding

I need help, because I am torn.  I want to make sure that everything is covered for my wedding with photography but I am not sure how many hours I need.  I am torn between a full day or just 8 hours.  PLEASE help me.  I dont know which one to pick.

t12ubeauty

If there is not a huge price difference between full day and 8 hours, I would go with full day. I did 7 hours, and it seemed kind of rushed (3:30 to 10:30). First look and bridal party pics were at 4:00 pm, ceremony 5:30 pm. We had to fake the getting ready photos because we were mostly ready by the time the photographer came. If you do full day, you can take family photos early and get them out of the way. Because we didn't have the full day, we had to take them after the ceremony which took away from mingling time. We also didn't get photos of our last dance or exit because the reception was still going on by the time he left. That part wasn't a huge deal for me, but still would've been nice. 

mabapunta

What time is your ceremony? Are you having all your photos before or after the ceremony?

Our photo package includes 6 hours. We figure we will pay for another 2 hours to capture all of the photos we want from the reception. Our photographer will let us play by ear on the day of, though. Yours might as well - it's worth asking!

[Deleted User]

I ended up choosing a photog team that offers unlimited hours for their rate. This works out well for me, since we are having a late afternoon ceremony and a long-ish reception. We'll probably be doing some pictures starting at noon, and based on our timeline with our caterer the cake will be cut about 8pm - I definitely don't want to miss out on pictures from the 2nd half of the reception.

kerbohl

I'm having an 11AM ceremony and a 1:30 lunch reception, so I just went for the 8hrs, from 9-5.  I don't forsee any issues with it - I'll get my getting ready pictures, have 1.5-2 hours in-between ceremony and reception for family, bridal party, and general wedding photos, and I'm not having a dance, so my reception will probably have all the important stuff done by 5.  It really depends on your day-of-schedule, and whether photos you absolutely need to have will be at the beginning and end of the day.