Today on Monday Wedness Madness will discuss some of the pros of having all day coverage instead of hourly coverage with your photographer.
First of all, so sorry for not getting a Monday Wedding Madness post out last Monday! Devin and I were on a much needed vacation last week celebrating our two year wedding anniversary.
When I sit down with my brides and grooms to talk about wedding photography, one question that always gets asked is "how much coverage do I really need". This answer will differ depending on how you have your wedding set up. Some weddings are more condensed and only last for a couple hours and other weddings are more spread out and are a all day affair. Ideally, as a photographer, I want to be there with you from start to finish so I can capture your whole day as it unfolds. I want to capture some images of the bride getting her hair/makeup done and sipping champagne with her girls as she gets ready. I want to capture the dress and all the bridal details. I want to capture the groom relaxing with his guys and getting ready for the big day. I also want to be able to capture all the reception details such as first dance, cake cutting, etc as well as some dancing towards the end of the night once the guests let loose and the bride and groom finally get to relax.
When you book a all day wedding package with your photographer, they will be able to capture all of these details. It also helps you not feel rushed throughout the day. Oftentimes, when an hourly wedding photography package is booked some things do not get captured or things get rushed so they can be captured. For example, you may not be able to have any "getting ready" photos which means that the bridal details (dress, shoes, jewelry, etc) would not be able to be documented by your photographer or you may have to put your cake cutting, first dance, bouquet/garter toss back to back so you will be sure your photographer will be present to document those important reception events.
I understand that weddings are expensive and that you may be looking at an hourly package instead of an all day package to cut the expenses down a bit. You need to think about what is important for you to have captured. Do you want the "getting ready" images? Do you want to have your reception events spread out evenly throughout your reception? Do you have an awesome exit that you want to have photographed? These are things to keep in mind when you are trying to figure out how much coverage you need. Decide what you really want to have captured and where they come into play in your timeline. After you know what you want to have documented and where they fall in the timeline then you will be able to more accurately judge how long you will need your photographer to be present.
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Monday Wedding Madness is a blog series that occurs every Monday and answers the questions you have about wedding photography. Have a question you would like to have answered or something that you wish you would have known before your wedding or are you a wedding professional who would like to contribute? Send your questions to jasminenorrisphotography@hotmail.com.
