Most couples land between six and ten or more hours: six can work for a compact celebration in one place, eight leaves room for getting ready, the ceremony, portraits and part of the reception, and ten or more suits an early start, separate venues or a late exit.
Start with the first and last moments you want covered
The most useful starting point is your actual day. Write down the earliest moment you want photographed and the last event you would be disappointed to miss. That might mean the final touches before the ceremony through the first dance, or it might mean morning preparations through a late-night exit. The gap between those moments is your starting coverage window. Then account for travel, setup and pauses. Those minutes still belong to the working day.
Compare a shorter celebration with a full wedding day
Six hours can work for a compact celebration in one place with limited preparation coverage. Eight hours gives more room for getting ready, the ceremony, portraits and part of the reception. Ten or more may be useful when the day starts early, uses separate venues or includes an exit late at night. These are planning examples, not promises about what every package includes. The Knot describes approximately eight hours as common in wedding photography packages, while noting that offerings vary.
Protect the time between the big events
A timeline can look manageable until everyone needs to get into a car, walk across a property or find a missing family member. Share the addresses and your family portrait list with the photographer before settling on coverage. Add breathing room around transitions instead of assuming every block starts on time. If your reception lasts several hours, decide which part matters most to you: room details before guests enter, speeches, formal dances, open dancing or the final send-off.
Ask about photo and video together
Your photographer and filmmaker may need different starting points. Filmmakers also prepare audio and need to know when private vows or speeches will happen. Tell both teams about those moments before cutting an hour from the schedule. If you want photographs and video of both partners getting ready in different places, discuss staffing as well as hours. More coverage and more people solve different problems.
Bring these details to your inquiry
Send your date, venue or city, ceremony time if known, number of locations and the moments that are non-negotiable for you. You do not need a finished schedule to begin. LIB can discuss photography, video or a combined collection around your celebration. Wedding photo and video collections begin at $6,000, with full photo and video collections beginning at $10,000. The final proposal defines coverage and deliverables. Before reserving, confirm start and finish times, overtime, travel and exactly what you receive.
Further reading: The Knot: choosing wedding photography coverage ↗
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