“How many hours of photography do we actually need?”
One of the first questions I hear from couples when they start planning their wedding day is this question.
And honestly, there isn't one perfect answer.
A traditional wedding, an intimate courthouse ceremony, and an adventurous elopement, each look completely different. And your photography coverage will reflect the day you're actually planning.
Rather than choosing a number of hours simply because that's what a package says, I encourage couples to think about what parts of their story they want documented.
Do you want photographs of getting ready? Your first look or private vows? The drive to the courthouse? The quiet moments before your ceremony? Family and friends celebrating with you? A sunset adventure after you say your vows?
Once you know what you want your day to feel like, it's much easier to figure out how much coverage you need.
Traditional Wedding Photography Coverage
Lets start with the basics.
For a traditional wedding day, photography coverage is usually centered around telling the story from getting ready through the beginning or sometimes the end of the reception.
6 Hours of Coverage
Six hours can be a great fit for couples who want the major moments of their wedding day documented. Six hours is for a fairly intentional timeline. We want to make sure the most important moments fall within those six hours.
- Wedding details
- Some getting-ready photographs
- First look or vow
- Wedding party portraits
- Family portraits
- Ceremony
- Couple portraits
- Cocktail hour
- Reception details
- Grand entrance
- Dinner or the beginning of dancing
8 Hours of Coverage
For many traditional weddings, eight hours is a really comfortable starting point. It gives us more breathing room throughout the day and allows me to document more of the little moments that happen in between the big ones. An eight-hour day might look something like:
- Wedding details
- Some getting-ready photographs
- First look or vow
- Wedding party portraits
- Family portraits
- Ceremony
- More getting-ready coverage
- Extended portrait coverage
- Full cocktail hour coverage
- More reception moments
- First dances, speeches, and dinner
- exit coverage
10+ Hours of Coverage
Longer coverage is ideal for larger or more involved wedding days. This includes everything in eight hours, plus additional time for:
- Multiple locations
- Extended getting-ready coverage
- More reception coverage
- Grand exits
- Travel between locations
- Additional events or traditions throughout the day
- More of those in-between moments that make your day uniquely yours
More hours aren't automatically better. The goal isn't to photograph every single minute of your wedding day. The goal is to photograph the parts of your day that matter to you.
What About a Courthouse Wedding?
A courthouse wedding doesn't have to mean showing up, signing the paperwork, taking a few photos outside, and heading home. The ceremony may be the official part of the day, but it doesn't have to be the whole story.
Imagine starting your morning getting ready together, taking a few quiet moments before you leave, and having your first look somewhere beautiful and meaningful. From there, we head to the courthouse for your ceremony and document all of those little moments in between the nerves, the excitement, the people you brought along, and the moment you officially become husband and wife.
And then the day doesn't have to end.
Maybe we spend the afternoon wandering through charming historic streets, stopping for portraits along the way. Maybe we find beautiful architecture, grab a champagne toast, pop into a little shop, or simply walk around together enjoying the fact that you're newly married. We can slow down, take our time, and let the day unfold naturally instead of rushing from one photo location to the next.
Eventually, maybe we end the evening with dinner, sunset portraits, or a quiet moment together before heading back to wherever you're staying. That's the kind of courthouse wedding I love documenting.
Because your courthouse ceremony might only take a few minutes, but your wedding day can be so much more than those few minutes.
If you only want the ceremony and a handful of portraits, a shorter amount of coverage may be perfect for you. But if you want your courthouse wedding documented as an entire experience, more coverage gives us the freedom to tell the story from beginning to end.
The getting ready.
The anticipation.
The ceremony.
The celebration.
The wandering.
The laughter.
The quiet moments.
The two of you realizing, somewhere along the way, we're actually married. A courthouse wedding can be intimate without being small. The courthouse is simply where you say your vows. The rest of the day is yours to create.
What About an Elopement?
An elopement doesn't have to mean sneaking away somewhere, saying your vows, taking a few portraits, and calling it a day. Your elopement can be an entire experience built around the two of you.
Maybe your day starts slowly at a cozy cabin, getting ready together with coffee and your favorite playlist playing in the background. Maybe you pack up the car, grab your hiking boots, and head out to explore somewhere you've always wanted to see. We can document the drive, the stops along the way, the little moments that happen when you're simply enjoying being together, and all of the anticipation leading up to your ceremony.
Maybe you hike through the trees with your dress tucked under your arm. Maybe you stop at a beautiful overlook to exchange private vows. Maybe you sit around a campfire afterward, make dinner together, crack open a bottle of champagne, or spend the evening watching the sunset.
And just like a traditional wedding, the moments between the big moments are part of your story too.
The muddy boots.
The nervous laughs.
The wind blowing your dress around.
The wrong turn on the trail.
The view you couldn't stop staring at.
The quiet moment after you've said your vows and realize there's nowhere else you need to be.
An elopement gives you the freedom to build a day around what you actually love doing together, rather than trying to fit your wedding into a traditional timeline.
If you want a short ceremony and portraits, a few hours may be all you need. But if you're dreaming of a full day of camping, hiking, exploring, eating, adventuring, and simply being together, additional coverage gives us the time to document the entire experience without rushing through it.
Your elopement doesn't have to be a smaller version of a wedding. It can be its own kind of wedding day... one that feels completely, unapologetically like you.
Think About the Story, Not the Clock
When you're choosing your photography coverage, it's easy to get caught up in the number. Six hours. Eight hours. Ten hours.
But instead of starting with the clock, start with the story.What do you want to remember?
Do you want photographs of getting ready before the ceremony? The moment you see each other for the first time? Your friends and family celebrating with you? The quiet few minutes you get together after saying your vows? Maybe you want to remember walking through the city after your courthouse ceremony, stopping for portraits whenever we find something beautiful. Maybe you want to remember hiking through the woods in your wedding clothes, sitting around a campfire, or watching the sunset together after exchanging your vows.
Those moments don't always fit neatly into a timeline and they don't have to. Your photography coverage should give you enough time to actually experience your day, while allowing me the time and space to document it as it naturally unfolds. You don't need to fill every minute with photographs. Some of the best images happen in the spaces between the planned moments.
So when you're deciding how much coverage you need, don't just ask yourself, “How many hours can we fit into our budget?”
Ask yourself:
“What parts of this day do we never want to forget?”
Start there. The hours will follow.
Whatever your day looks like, I'll help you build your photography coverage around the experience you actually want to have. Because years from now, I don't want you to just remember what your wedding day looked like. I want your photographs to bring you right back to how it felt.
Planning a wedding, courthouse wedding, or elopement in Dallas-Fort Worth or anywhere in Texas? I'd love to hear what you're dreaming up.
