6 hour wedding photography sucks, here's why.

When you're a kid, somewhere in the back of your mind you know you're getting married someday. That's a pretty big deal, think of other things that you've know for certain that would happen someday; theres few and far moments that you can say for certain will happen. You know that you want to get married, maybe kids, you want a house or condo, maybe you've thought about a career; everything else is minor details. This is a big something that you've known for a long time coming and you're going to want to remember that day, through photos and maybe video.  Do you think that six hour is really enough to tell the story?

     I'm writing this to tell you that you can just book six hours of wedding photography and you can save a few hundred dollars but is it really worth it? 

     First thing to consider when you book your six hours of wedding photography, when is the photographer or photographers showing up? Do you want them to get photos of you getting ready. Your family hanging out, the guys horsing around, the ladies drinking mimosas getting their hair and makeup done. You could have them show up before the ceremony and capture that and then leave half way through the reception or near the end, best case scenario. 

     Most weddings that I have shot are eight to ten hours of coverage. That sounds like a lot but here's why that makes sense. Full day's coverage is you and your bridesmaids getting ready, hair and makeup. The guys getting ready and the dressing being put on and some photos in the backyard are standard fare with full day coverage. The coverage of course covers the ceremony, formals and reception. But here's the best part, at no point do you have a photographer coming up to you and asking you for more money on your wedding day. There is no conversation stating that "I'll be leaving soon, unless....... I get paid for more time". Most weddings are a few thousand dollars for a photographer, if you're nickel and diming a bridal couple on their wedding day I consider that bad form. I know there's polite ways to ask for more money on a wedding day, but really. 

     A bride and groom have no idea what coverage they will want on their wedding day. The same goes for if I called a plumber or electrician and told them what I wanted, I have no idea what goes into it. A responsible photographer should walk you through all of this and hopefully recommend full day's coverage for your wedding. The day speeds by and there is so much going on that you will miss some of it.   Part of being a wedding photographer is an unspoken act of guidance throughout the day. The photographer is with you throughout the day and is able to tell you if you're on schedule or what's next and how you're doing, essentially a personal cheerleader.

     Think of the time that's actually not covered when you book. You may book for six hours but it's not broken up for when they're shooting. Time booked is typically when the photographer shows up until the time they leave.