For a wedding with getting ready, ceremony, drinks reception, dinner and party, the usual choice is to book the photographer for between 8 and 10 hours. That is what full-day coverage normally includes. This way the photographer is there from the preparations right through to the party, with no gaps. If your wedding is very intimate, or a short civil ceremony followed by drinks and nibbles, a few hours focused on the ceremony and the drinks reception may be enough. A wedding has its own rhythm. The bride runs late, a grandmother hugs someone without warning, the first dance starts later than planned. With hours to spare, nobody has to watch the clock. Those hours are only the part you see. Between meetings beforehand, travel, choosing the images and editing, wedding coverage adds up to between 30 and 40 hours of work.
What changes the number of hours
The figure depends on your plan for the day. What matters most is the time the story begins. If you want photos of getting ready, of the dress hanging by the window or of the nerves at home, the photographer arrives earlier and the day gets longer. If you are happy to start at the church or the registry office, it gets shorter. The same goes for the end. Staying on for the party, with the dancing and the last drinks, adds hours. Saying goodbye after the dinner reduces them.
Travel and extras
Distance counts too. A ceremony in Gijón and a celebration at a country estate on the outskirts mean travelling from one place to another, and that journey is also part of the day. Ask whether travel outside the province is included, because it isn't always. The same goes for a second photographer, the printed album and the video.
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Hours and number of photos
The hours also decide how many photos you receive. Usually between 50 and 100 edited photos are delivered for each hour of coverage. Few hours, few photos. Most professional photographers work with packages offering different levels of coverage. Even so, they can usually adjust timings, add or remove services, or put together something tailor-made.
How a pre-wedding session helps
Some couples have a session a few weeks before the wedding: the pre-wedding session. It helps you get used to the camera, and helps the photographer see how you move together. Couples who have one tend to look more natural in the wedding photos, and every hour of the big day goes further.
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How to work out your hours
The next step is simple. Take a sheet of paper and write down a rough timeline for the day, from when you start getting ready to the last song. Mark the moments you really want to keep. With that sheet in front of you, the hours almost work themselves out. It pays to move early: booking between 9 and 12 months ahead is advisable, and in high season, from May to October, some diaries fill up 12 or 18 months in advance. If you'd like to talk that timeline through, Evan & Natalia Simon photograph and film weddings in Asturias and take on a small number of weddings each year. A short, free, no-obligation call is all it takes to get started.
