To My Brides | 8 Hour Minimum

Ever since I started my business nearly 9 years ago, I have always offered full day coverage on a wedding. This includes 8 hours of wedding day coverage. The only times I have done less is when I am shooting an elopement. I typically book one or two of those a year; but after shooting as long as I have, I have found  that I don’t want to shoot anything less than 8 hours.

I want to tell your wedding day as a story through pictures. My goal is to capture moments and not just take pictures. I cannot truly tell your story if I am not there for the whole day, or at least most of the day. I don’t need to be there for every second of you getting ready or even every second of the reception; but 8 hours of coverage allows me to be there for the most important parts and most of them. I consistently have getting ready, during-the-day coverage pictures, and reception pictures. Our showing up time and leaving time for each might vary based on each wedding, but all of my brides receive the same experience and picture quality.

When I have brides email for less than 8 hour coverage, I explain to them my reason behind my 8 hour minimum. Often, they hear me and understand and will book me. If not, I refer them to photographers that I know do less coverage.

Ben and I typically show up on a wedding day about halfway through the bride getting ready- whether this be at a salon, hotel, or the wedding venue. We obviously capture pictures throughout the day and stay most often until the end of the reception. And the reason why I call this post an “8 hour minimum,” is often, my brides will add extra coverage to have us there longer due to an extended reception, travel time, or possibly a First Look.

If you’re a bride and unsure as to why you should have at least 8 hours of coverage, here are some of the key reasons:

1. I want you to have the same experience as my past brides. If you look at my blog posts and like what you see in their pictures, you need an 8 hour minimum.
2. As your photographer, I want the best pictures for you and your groom. I want to make sure that you get the best quality I can provide. If I’m not there at least 8 hours, I cannot provide that for you.
3. I want to maintain my consistent style and serve my clients well, and I know that I cannot accomplish that within confines of 4 hours or even 6 hours of coverage.
4. Your wedding day is stressful at certain points. It’s a part of the wedding day. My job is to keep it flowing and make it as stressless (is that a word??) as possible. Creating a photography timeline that is 4-6 hours of coverage will without a doubt create stress. People run behind. Things don’t go quite as planned. With an 8 hour timeline, we have a little wiggle room to make sure we can still get everything done if things run behind. If you cram everything into 4-6 hours because you want to save money, you’re ASKING for a stressful day.
5. 8 hours of coverage allows for us to also have a First Look if so desired. If you have 4-6 hours of coverage, we don’t have time to do this. You get SO many more pictures if you hire me for longer and if you do a First Look. Why wouldn’t you want to have me longer? 🙂
6. If you want creative and pretty pictures, I need time to make this happen! 🙂