How many hours do we need to book our wedding photographer for? It’s a question every couple asks as they get into the thick of their wedding planning, and there unfortunately is no one size fits all answer. Every wedding day is different, and so are every couple’s priorities when it comes to what they want documented from their day. That’s why most wedding photographers offer a variety of coverage options so that they can best serve the couples that book with them! But what’s best for your wedding day, and what packages does Olson Productions offer to our couples? That’s what we’re going to cover today, so let’s get right into it!

Why We Offer Different Packages

As I mentioned above, every wedding and couple is completely different. There are SO many factors that change the feel of your wedding, from the guest count, to the venue, and so much more. Knowing this, and wanting to provide the best experience possible for our couples is why we have different package options available. It’s all to make their wedding day as enjoyable as possible while also documenting the day in a way that they’ll love to look back on and relive for years and years to come.

Our Different Options

At Olson Productions we offer three different package options for our clients. Let’s take a look at each of them as well as a sample timeline for each option to give you a sense at how they work. As you read through the options keep your wedding vision in mind as it’s what will help you to decide how many hours you should book your photographer for to best document your wedding day.

Our 4 Hour Package

Our smallest package offers 4 hours of wedding day coverage, and is the best option for smaller weddings or for couples that only want their photographer to be present for certain parts of their day. With this package we’re only able to take photos at one location, as any traveling would eat away at your 4 hours of coverage substantially. Generally with this package you can expect coverage for:

• First Look / Portraits (No Getting Ready Photos)
• Your Ceremony
• Family and Wedding Party Photos
• Cocktail Hour
• Sunset Portraits
• The Start of Your Reception (Cake Cutting, Intro Speeches, and First Dance)

As you can see this option still covers many of the most important parts of your day, and is a great option especially for intimate weddings and elopements. If you’d like to see an example wedding of mine that chose our 4 hour package check out Kallyn and Suzan’s wedding at Loulu Palm!

Our 6 Hour Package

Our next package has 6 hours of wedding day coverage for couples looking to have their photographer document more of their wedding day without them being present for the entire wedding day. When compared to our 4 hour package the layout of the day is pretty similar as we’ll typically add around an hour to the start and end of your coverage. We again limit this to just one location to avoid travel time taking up too much of your coverage. Here’s what we’d typically photograph with a 6 hour package:

• End of Getting Ready Photos (Putting on Your Dress, First Look with Your Bridal Party, etc.)
• Detail Photos (Flat Lay Photos, Ceremony Space, Reception Space, etc.)
• First Look + Couples Portraits
• Your Ceremony
• Family and Wedding Party Photos
• Cocktail Hour
• Sunset Portraits
• Additional Reception Coverage (Speeches, Cake Cutting, First Dances, and Early Dance Floor Photos)

Our 8 Hour Package

The third and final package we offer includes 8 hours of coverage of your wedding day, allowing us to document every part of your wedding day. This is the best option for couples that want to be able to look back through their wedding album and relive every one of their favorite moments as it happened. With our 8 hour package we’re able to include photography at two separate locations if you’d like to, or you can spend the entire 8 hours all at one spot! Here’s a sample of what would be documented with 8 hours of photography coverage:

• Full Getting Ready Photos (Each Partner Getting Ready with their Wedding Parties, Mother Zipping up the Bride’s dress, etc.)
• Detail Photos (Flat Lay Photos, Ceremony Space, Reception Space, etc.)
• First Look, Couples Portraits, and Wedding Party Photos
• Your Ceremony
• Family, Wedding Party, and Newlywed Portraits
• Cocktail Hour
• Sunset Portraits
• Your FULL Reception (Speeches, Cake Cutting, First Dances, and a PARTY!)

Sometimes 8 hours just isn’t quite enough coverage for your wedding day, like with Keely and Kamu who had me as their wedding photographer for 8+ hours. This meant I was able to photograph their rehearsal dinner the night prior as well as everything I mentioned above on the day of their wedding!

Sample Timelines

So now that we know what our different packages cover in terms of photography, I thought it would be helpful to look through an example timeline for each of the different packages:

4 Hours of Coverage

• 3:30pm First Look + Couples Portraits
• 4:00pm Details of Ceremony and Reception
• 4:30pm Ceremony
• 5:00pm Family Photos and Wedding Party Photos
• 5:30pm Cocktail Hour
• 6:30pm Sunset Portraits
• 7:00pm Toasts, Cake, Dinner Begins
• 7:30pm Photographer Coverage Complete

6 Hours of Coverage

• 2:00pm Details + Getting Ready for Partner 1
• 2:45pm Details + Getting Ready for Partner 2
• 3:00pm First Look + Couples Portraits
• 3:45pm Wedding Party Photos
• 4:30pm Details of Ceremony and Reception
• 5:00pm Ceremony
• 5:30pm Family Photos
• 5:30pm Cocktail Hour
• 6:30pm Sunset Portraits
• 7:00pm Toasts, Cake, Dinner Begins
• 7:30pm Dinner Complete/First Dances
• 8:00pm Photographer Coverage Complete

8 Hours of Coverage

• 1:00pm Details + Getting Ready for Partner 1, Wedding Party Photos
• 1:45pm Details + Getting Ready for Partner 2, Wedding Party Photos
• 2:30pm Finishing Touches, First Look with Parent(s)
• 3:00pm First Look + Couples Portraits
• 3:45pm Wedding Party Photos
• 4:30pm Details of Ceremony and Reception
• 5:00pm Ceremony
• 5:30pm Family Photos
• 5:30pm Cocktail Hour
• 6:30pm Sunset Portraits
• 7:00pm Toasts, Cake, Dinner Begins
• 7:30pm Dinner Complete/First Dances
• 8:00pm Dance Floor Opens
• 8:30pm Outfit Change/Late Night Portraits
• 9:00pm Photographer Coverage Complete

Choosing What’s Right for You

Ultimately when it comes down to deciding on how many hours to book your wedding photographer for, the decision is completely yours to make. Our packages are meant to give couples the flexibility and freedom they need in order to create the wedding day experience they want, which is what’s most important at the end of the day! Be sure to discuss what you both want for your wedding day, and what you want your wedding album to look and feel like. When discussing what you want your album to look like it’s important to ask yourself these questions:

• What moments are you looking forward to the most on your wedding day?
• What moments do you hope to relive when looking back on your wedding years from now?
• What important people from your life do you hope to have featured in your wedding photos?
• How do you want your wedding day timeline to feel as you’re living through your wedding day?

The answers you come up with will help guide you towards the amount of wedding coverage to make your vision a reality.

Booking a wedding photographer to document your wedding is an exciting but sometimes overwhelming experience, especially if you’re unsure on how many hours to book them for. Lucky for you this guide is here to help, and so are we! If you’re looking to book with Olson Productions we’d love to help you choose the coverage amount that best fits your vision. Head over to our contact page to send us an inquiry so we can start the planning process today!