Wedding Photography Packages

Every wedding has thousands of small moments and hundreds of thousands of sincere emotions that make this day special. A drop of mother's tears, dad's pensive eyes, genuine happiness of friends, and bride’s loving eyes. All this must be photographed.

But a photographer doesn't just walk around a wedding. With this specialist you plan in advance the time of each stage of the wedding and each photo and video time. To make everything perfect and right in time, read 2022-2023 Wedding planning timeline

How many hours should you book a wedding photographer?

Photo by Tiffany Gentry

The period you spend shooting directly depends on several factors:

• saturation of your wedding: ceremonies, events, toasts, the number of dances, and other interactives
• the beginning and end, i.e. the duration of your wedding
• whether you will do a pre-wedding or post-wedding photoshoot for two
• whether you need to shoot an afterparty in colored light and a few others.

First of all, at every wedding bride and groom decide to give priority to photography or video. Of course, both are very important. However, if you can't afford or don’t want to pay for two expensive long shots, don't worry. One of the packages may be shorter.

To take a closer look at the different photography packages and make a decision, read this article to the end. We will focus on and write about the advantages and disadvantages of both short and long packages.

Which wedding parts must be photographed?

Photo by Sun & Sparrow Photographer

When compiling the wedding timing, be sure to write down the following questions for each stage of the wedding:

• Do I want a photo from this moment?
• Will this moment be especially emotional?
• Will I want to see photos from this part of the celebration in a few months?
• What is more important for this stage - photos or videos?
• How many photos do we need from this moment?

Traditionally, a photographer takes up to 300 photos per hour. In fact, there may be 800 of them, but they will give you only every 20th or 50th photo in the process. The photographer's job is not only to capture the emotion but also to beat the light and create your editorial style.

Simple math: take a photographer for so many hours that he/she is always very busy. If the photographer is idle and nothing happens that your pro could capture, know that this package is too big for you. But remember that you don’t know what precise moments can bring lots of emotions both from you and your guests.

Basic wedding photography packages

Photo by Brittany Sturrett

The basic packages of wedding photography include two-hour, four-hour, and six-hour photography.

Two hours is enough just to capture the key points. Usually, this way the photographer is taken to the official ceremony. This time is enough to capture one main part of the holiday, but in this case, everything else will go unnoticed. Let's consider a package of 2 hours of shooting as a minimum program that you just need to implement.

Are 4 hours enough for a wedding photographer?

All weddings usually begin with the morning preparations of the bride and groom. At the same time the first shots take place.

Rule №1. If you want a photo of the bride's morning, a photo in a dressing gown with bridesmaids and a photo from the afterparty, this package is probably not for you.

If two hours is enough to fully capture one moment of the wedding, then 4 hours is a very short excursion to the wedding.

4-hour shooting may include photos of the following stages:

Morning shooting of preparations Photoshoot for two Shooting in the church

Shooting ceremony Photoshoot for two Photos with guests

Feast only: toasts, greetings and fun time

Shooting of the ceremony Shooting the buffet part before the banquet Short photoshoot at sunset

DO NOT limit your creativity. Choose the right moments, calculate the time, and if that's enough for you, feel free to order a professional photographer for 4 hours. And while this is not usually the case for a full-day wedding, it is already enough for beautiful and memorable shots.

6-Hour Wedding Photography Package

The six-hour photography package is already complete for the wedding. This is still the basic version of filming but it is already acceptable even for full-day weddings.

The main decision in this package is whether you choose to shoot in the morning or in the evening. On the scales are the morning preparations of the brides and portrait shots in the morning light and the evening shooting of the active phase of the banquet. The rule is the same - depending on the saturation of events and interactions of your banquet, choose what is closest to your heart.

In this package there is a possibility of photography for a couple. Read 10 MUST HAVE poses for the couple on the day of wedding (suggested by TOP US photographers) to learn about some of the perfect poses for photos together.

6-hour shooting may include photos of the following stages:

Morning preparations photos Photoshoot for two Shooting in the church/ Shooting ceremony Photos with guests Reception

Shooting ceremony Photoshoot for two Photos with guests Reception Full banquet

An important nuance! Carefully and in detail decide the timing: if you tell the photographer that he/she will be filming the ceremony and part of the banquet, it will be inaccurate. Discuss which shooting moment will be the last: it may be the first dance of a couple or cutting a cake.

All-inclusive wedding packages

Photo by Mo Garratt Photographer

All larger packages contain detailed time-lapse photography of the wedding. It is important to understand that depending on the number of photographers in the team, the full photoshoot cannot be shorter, because the celebration is clearly on schedule. If you have several photographers, you can only split the shooting of the bride and groom's morning preparations and take many more different shots in total.

8 Hours of Wedding Day Coverage and 10-Hour Wedding Photography Timeline

What is the difference between these packages? Only your need. If you start the wedding day at 11, you need a 10-hour package. If the beginning is at 1 p.m. you rather opt for 8-hour package. If you have an afterparty before 1 a.m., consider a larger package.

But if the price varies greatly between these packages, do not worry and feel free to take the cheaper one.

Both these packages include all stages of shooting:

1. Morning preparations of the bride.
2. Morning preparations of the groom.
3. Couple`s portraits.
4. Shooting in the church (if necessary).
5. Shooting ceremony.
6. Family photos.
7. Full Reception.
8. Sunset photoshoot.
9. Afterparty photos.

Wezoree advises you to listen to your photographer when choosing a desirable wedding package. To better understand the tips and reasons for such advice from your wedding photographer, read Unique facts about a wedding photographer.