How much time would I need?

How Much Time Do I Need For My Wedding Pictures?

I am often asked this by my clients.   If you enjoy the photos you’ve been viewing here at SGI Photography, we want you to be aware that many of the beautiful and artistic  portraits were taken a couple of hours prior to the ceremony as the wedding party was getting ready, sometimes an hour in-between the ceremony and reception, and occasionally an extra 15 minutes or so at the couples’ send-off for artistic poses in limousines or other unique vehicles. Of course, this is your special day, and the scheduling is in your hands.  Keep in mind, the time allotted to your photographer will influence the outcome of your wedding day photos.

• Will you be seeing each other in your wedding attire for the first time during the ceremony? If traditions are being kept, then you may want to allow for extra time following the ceremony to have portraits done of you as the new Mr. and Mrs.
 
• If you prefer meeting before the ceremony, you could benefit from scheduling some extra time for your artistic shots before the ceremony begins. Some family group shots could be incorporated into this time if the members are ready.

• Perhaps you will be driving to another location for the reception. Not only will you need to plan for driving time, but consider time for a stop at a private photo shoot either off-site or at your reception venue as you take a breather before the exciting social time ahead.

• Photojournalism is popular these days, yet the images that clients of SGI Photography favor are ‘artistically directed’ involving some time outside of the ceremony and reception. If these images matter most to you, consider devoting extra time to photography. If you would rather rush through a couple of quick shots, and then race off to your reception party without a second thought of the final product’s results, that is your prerogative.

• Traditional group portraits with multiple families will need around five minutes per group shot, as well as 15 minutes with the couple alone. The time-consuming factor in this scenario is going to be disorganization. When key family members in group shots have to be tracked down, or unscheduled family groups appear unexpectedly for a group shot, this will lengthen the time your guests will wait for your arrival at the reception. An experienced wedding coordinator or organized family friend will help make the best use of this photography time.

• An example of ample photography time on your wedding day would look like this:
   ~ 2 hours prior to ceremony – behind the scenes, getting ready shots, pre-ceremony couple portraits
   ~ Ceremony time (average 30 minutes)
   ~ 1 hour following ceremony – family group portraits
   ~ Reception time (at same venue, average 4 hours)
   ~ Send-off photos
Total time needed for photography : 7 – 8 hours