How Many Hours of Wedding Photography Coverage Do I Need?
You’ve found the photographer of your dreams. You know you want them by your side on your wedding day, but in order to lock them in and make it official, you need to decide how many hours of coverage you want to include in your contract.—But how are you supposed to know how many hours you want when you have only just started planning?
Currently, my basic essentials collection includes six hours of wedding photography coverage. Anything beyond that—such as a second photographer, an engagement session, extra hours, albums, or invitation and jewelry flat-lay photos—is considered an add-on, giving our clients the flexibility to customize their wedding photography package to their needs and desires. For many weddings, six hours is enough; however, not every wedding day is created equal. Some weddings have three locations, while others take place at a single location. Some clients really want getting-ready photos, and others care most about the party dancing. Some couples prefer a first-look timeline to prevent everything from feeling rushed right after the ceremony.—On and on. And of course, all these variables will influence the number of hours you’ll need to include in your contract. To help you determine this more accurately, I created a quiz. While many factors can further complicate timelines, I believe I’ve covered the main and most common variables to provide us with a good starting point. Give it a try!
Wedding Photography Coverage Quiz
Everyone starts with 6 (for my essentials collection)
Getting ready photos are important to me.
Yes (0), No (-1)
We are getting ready at two separate locations with different addresses.
Yes (+1), No (0)
I would like a second photographer to help getting ready go faster, provide support throughout the day, and take additional photos.
Yes (-1), No (0)
I want a traditional timeline where we don’t see each other before the ceremony, vs a first-look timeline where we do see each other and get many of the photos completed before the ceremony (Yay! We get to go to cocktail hour too!).
Traditional (0), First Look (+1)
We need to drive to the ceremony from our getting-ready location.
Yes (+1), No (0)
We want our photographer to start at the ceremony start time and skip getting ready and/or first look altogether.
Yes (-1), No (0)
Our ceremony is more than 25 minutes long.
Yes (+30 mins), No (0)
We want to have a receiving line after our ceremony to thank all of our guests for coming.
Yes (+45 mins), No (0)
We need to drive from the ceremony to the reception location.
Yes (+1), No (0)
We want to ensure we cover the cake cutting and a little bit of party dancing after dinner.
Yes (+1), No (0)
We want lots of party dancing pictures and sunset portraits if there is a sunset during our reception timeframe.
Yes (+1), No (0)
We want our photographer to stay until the end of the night to cover the entire party and/or our send-off.
Yes (+1), No (0)
How did you do? Is your final number close to what you expected? If not, there are sometimes ways to wiggle and scooch things around to slim it down. But be careful. Too much timeline trimming can make for a hectic, stressful day.
Are you considering booking with my team and me? Would you like to discuss your photography timeline? Send me an email, and we can work it out together before you make a decision. Also, you can book the basics and add on as your wedding day gets closer. I never pressure my clients to include too much upfront. Flexibility is the name of the game at Megan Hoffer Photography. We want your wedding day to reflect you and your special day, not a cookie-cutter reproduction week after week. We will tell the story of your day through imagery full of candid emotion, from the posed portraits to all the little moments in between, with you and all your favorite people.
What do you think of my quiz? Let me know what you came up with in the comments!
Hugs,
Megan Hoffer
