Six hours? Eight hours? Ten hours?

When couples start comparing wedding photography collections, one of the first things they look at is the number of hours included.

But after photographing hundreds of weddings, here’s what we wish more couples understood:

The number of hours you need isn’t really about the hours. It’s about what needs to happen during them.

A six-hour wedding at one venue with 50 guests and a first look is VERY different from a wedding with 200 guests, a church ceremony, three locations and a huge wedding party.

So… how much photography coverage do you actually need?

6 Hours of Wedding Photography

Six hours can absolutely work, especially for a smaller or simpler wedding.

It’s usually best when you have:

• One main location
• A smaller wedding party
• Limited travel
• A first look
• Fewer formal portraits
• An intimate or shorter wedding day

With six hours, we’re probably not documenting everything from early getting ready through late-night dancing—and that’s completely okay if those aren’t your priorities.

8 Hours of Wedding Photography

Eight hours gives us significantly more room to tell the story.

For many traditional weddings, this can include:

Details → Getting Ready → First Look → Wedding Party → Family → Ceremony → Newlywed Portraits → Reception → Dancing

There’s also more breathing room if hair and makeup runs late, transportation takes longer than expected, or family portraits need a few extra minutes.

And trust us… wedding days almost always need a little breathing room. 😂

10 Hours of Wedding Photography

Ten hours makes sense when you want more complete coverage or your wedding has more moving pieces.

We especially recommend considering additional coverage when you have:

• Multiple locations
• A church ceremony
• Significant travel
• A larger wedding party or family
• Cultural or religious traditions
• Lots of reception events
• A late-night exit or special event

Ten hours isn’t necessarily about taking MORE posed pictures.

It’s about having enough time to document the day without everything feeling rushed.

What If We Don’t Want a First Look?

You don’t have to do one!

But it does affect how much time you’ll need after the ceremony.

Without a first look, family portraits, the full wedding party and your newlywed portraits usually happen during cocktail hour.

We can absolutely build a timeline around a traditional aisle reveal—we just need to account for it.

Don’t Forget About Travel—and Sunset!

These are two things couples often underestimate.

A 20-minute drive between locations doesn’t just mean 20 minutes. We have to gather equipment, get to the car, drive, park, unload and find everyone again.

And sunset doesn’t care what time dinner is. 😂

If the light is AMAZING at 7:15, we may steal you for ten minutes—and those ten minutes can create some of our favorite photographs of the entire wedding.

So How Many Hours Do You Actually Need?

Here’s our quick rule of thumb:

6 HOURS: Smaller, simpler or more intimate wedding days.

8 HOURS: Great for many traditional weddings and gives us room to document getting ready through part of the reception.

10 HOURS: Great for larger weddings, multiple locations, church ceremonies or couples wanting more complete storytelling.

But here’s the biggest piece of advice:

Don’t choose the photography hours first and then try to cram your wedding into them.

Build the wedding day you want first.

Then determine how much photography coverage supports it.

Our goal isn’t to keep you taking pictures all day. Actually, it’s the opposite.

We want intentional time to create beautiful portraits, photograph your family and document the details—and then we want you to GO ENJOY YOUR WEDDING.

Drink the champagne.

Eat the appetizers.

Dance with your friends.

Hug your grandmother.

Your wedding photography should preserve your wedding experience.

It shouldn’t become your wedding experience. ❤️

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Not Sure How Much Coverage You Need?

That’s part of what we help our Living Radiant couples figure out!

We’ll look at your ceremony time, locations, first look, family portraits, wedding party, sunset and reception plans and help build a photography timeline that actually makes sense for your day.

EXPLORE THE LIVING RADIANT WEDDING EXPERIENCE

— Maggie + Patrick
Living Radiant Photography