Understanding Wedding Photography Services
While every photographer is different, the best Austin wedding photographers often set up their wedding photography services based on coverage time needed on your big day. But without probably ever planning a wedding before, how are you, as the couple, supposed to know what coverage time you might need, 8, 10, even 12 months out from your wedding day when booking. Often times, couples may book the lower rate and coverage time thinking “there’s no way we’d need more than 8 hours” and then once the wedding comes closer and timelines are finalized, they realize that they need to add on more coverage time, which they may not have been accounting for in their budget initially. Additionally, depending on the photographer could cost more when adding on additional hours later on in the booking process. This article is to hopefully inform you of what a typical wedding day entails and hours of coverage usually recommended based on what your wedding day might look like, to hopefully save you money in the long run and help your budget.
Some of the best Austin wedding photographers tailor their services to fit the unique timeline of each wedding, ensuring every special moment is preserved beautifully. Understanding how the length of coverage affects your photography coverage can help you make informed decisions throughout your planning.
For couples planning a wedding that spans multiple venues, such as a hotel for preparations, a church for the ceremony, and a separate location for the reception, more extensive coverage may be required due to the travel throughout the day. In these scenarios, it can be typical to book around 12 hours of photography services. This extended coverage time allows the photographer—and their team, if necessary—to pack up and travel to each location to capture the full story of the day. From candid shots of getting ready to the emotional vows and the lively reception, a full 12-hour package ensures that no important moment is missed and that the transitions between venues run smoothly.
On the other hand, if your wedding day includes a first look and a special exit all at the same venue, such as sparklers or fireworks, 10-hour coverage is usually sufficient. When doing a first look, your wedding day starts earlier. This allows many of the photos to be completed before the ceremony, ultimately extending your day, meaning you will have more time to celebrate with guests after the ceremony, however will also extend amount of coverage time needed. For my own wedding, my husband and I knew we wanted to get as many photos done before the ceremony as possible so that we could attend some of the cocktail hour and get some good time in to enjoy with our guests. To us, the additional coverage time was worth it to get more time to celebrate on the day of our wedding.
For a more traditional wedding without a first look and one venue, an 8-hour coverage is often adequate. Something to consider with this element is that when there is not a first look, all photos will need to be taken after the ceremony. The couple will likely not be able to attend cocktail hour at all and all portraits including family formals, bridal party, and bride and groom portraits must be taken within that time frame, so less family formals might be possible and time to complete portraits is shorter over all. This also means if only one photographer is present, elements that occur simultaneously, such as the cocktail hour taking place during all portraits, will not have photo coverage. In this case scenario with shorter coverage it’s more important to consider hiring a second shooter due to more events happening at the same time. Look for additional information about why couples opt a second shooter in an upcoming blog post to be published in August 2024.
No matter what photographer you choose, each will have a different pricing structure, but understanding how coverage typically works should help you to make a more informed decision about what Austin Wedding photography services might best suit your wedding day needs and Austin wedding photographer budget.
