When you start imagining your wedding you think about the perfect location, the perfect dress and the greatest party. But, in reality, planning your wedding has brought some questions that you’ve never even thought about. There are some easy questions like: “Are you having a big or a small cake? Are you having a first dance? or Are you having a grand exit?”.

On the other hand, there are difficult questions like: “How many hours do you need a wedding photographer?”. Seriously, how the heck should you know that!? It’s probably your first time planning your wedding so you have no idea how to create a perfect timeline to answer that question. But, it’s definitely an important question that you need to answer!

Your wedding photos are the only thing you will have years after your wedding. It’s the special memories that are made and documented on this perfect day that will be shared with future generations. (okay, no pressure!)

Knowing exactly how many hours you need a wedding photographer will help put all the small details together on your wedding timeline. Planning your wedding timeline in advance is super important and will help you realize exactly how many hours you’ll need before you speak with a professional wedding photographer. Here are some important tips to figure out how much time you need when hiring your wedding photographer.

How many hours do you need a wedding photographer?

First, we must understand that any photography coverage you choose will be continuous coverage, which means, there’s no stopping in-between.

Start by figuring out the size of your wedding.

Before you start planning your wedding, it’s important to determine the budget for your wedding. Are you having a big wedding on the beach with a romantic dinner and a huge party at the end of the night? Or are you having an intimate wedding with the people that matter the most?

Ask yourself: what is important for the two of you? Jointly determine the size of your wedding and create your list with your absolute essentials. Additionally, you can also create a wish list – a list where the less important stuff that you would like to add to your wedding if that fits within the budget.

Once you know the size of your wedding and the must-haves, we’re ready to create your wedding timeline. Before we do, I want to make clear that every wedding is unique and you make your own rules. This is just an example of how your wedding timeline would look like.

Typical Timeline For Wedding Photography Coverage

• Getting ready groom
• Getting ready bride
• First look (immediate family portraits can be planned here as well!)
• The arrival of the bride, father, groom and groomsmen
• Ceremony and vows
• Post ceremony, leaving the venue.
• Formal portraits, family and bridal party portraits.
• Cocktail hour with speeches
• Dinner
• Reception
• Cake-cutting
• Grand exit

Read more: How to Plan Family Photos on Your Wedding Day

The average time for all of this is generally around 10 hours for most weddings, but it all depends on the wedding size, venues and wedding logistics. Some couples even decide to leave the total number of hours flexible so that they can see how to reception is going and then decide if they would like to add some extra hours.

Personally, I stay until I have everything and everyone in the photos. Usually, that’s not until the end of the party. Especially if you’re not planning a grand exit, and in case you want to get drunk with your friends, the first two hours of the party are more than enough. At the end of the day, the drunk photos aren’t really the pictures you will print for your home or put in your album.

Are you having a Grand Exit?

If you’re having a big send-off, you’d definitely want your photographer to be there and capture every moment of the fun. Some newlyweds leave early and let the party go on without them; some like to stay and enjoy the party until everyone has left. You make your own rules!

If you’re planning a grand exit, you’d need to book your photographer for 12 hours. These are typically the biggest package that a professional wedding photographer offer. 12 hours of photography coverage will make sure you have every single detail of your wedding. Think about getting ready photos the morning of your wedding day, flat-lays of your wedding invitation with flowers and rings, the ceremony, family portraits and bridal party photos, dinner, speeches, and also some private time with your fiance on your wedding day, all the way to your grand exit.

I’ve created a guide with this complete timeline and extra tips and tricks just for you. This guide will help you put your wedding timeline together, it will help you plan for awesome Pinterest worthy wedding details photos and also help you with family photos during the big day. Download your free wedding photography guide here.