Why 8 hours is the perfect Wisconsin Wedding Photography Timeline for most couples
Planning a wedding can be challenging, it’s not like you have tons of practice here! So when you sit down to decide how long to hire your wedding photographer for, it can be a daunting task! Let’s talk about weddings, and what makes an ideal Wisconsin wedding photography timeline.
Alisha Marie Wedding Experience
My wedding experience package comes with 8 hours. My wedding couples are able to add on time if they choose, but most find that 8 hours is a perfect amount length for their timeline to capture everything they’ve hoped for and more. So how do you know if 8 hours is the right fit?
What does an 8 hour Wisconsin Wedding Photography Timeline look like?
I know that wedding traditions vary by location, but the weddings I’ve shot in Wisconsin tend to have similar timelines. Here are the things you can expect me to capture during 8 hours of wedding coverage:
Getting Ready Image
The morning preparations are always such a mix of emotions, from nervous excitement to pure joy. When I arrive at the getting ready site, I typically will settle in for the day by taking 30-60 minutes of detail photos. This is where all the little things you’ve put so much work into come in to play- the shoes, your invites and flowers, perfume, handwritten vows and notes… so many personal touches!
After I finish details, it is time to get the bride into her dress. This can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on the type of dress! I usually budget 30 (this puts us at 1 hour and 30 min of coverage out of 8 so far.)
Pre Ceremony Portraits
If you are having a first look, before the ceremony is when we will capture many of your portraits. I budget anywhere from 30-45 minutes to capture couple portraits. Afterwards we move straight in to wedding party photos (20-30 minutes) and we can even do all the formal family portraits prior to the ceremony (20-30 min). If you include buffer time, this will put us at about 3 hours and 30 minutes to 4 hours into your photography time.
Ceremony Coverage:
Before the ceremony, while you are taking some down time, I will capture some photos of your reception set up before it is full of people! This allows for those big empty reception hall photos without people and purses.
Ceremonies are typically about 30 minutes. (give or take..) I usually budget one hour for both pre ceremony (my reception photos), the ceremony itself, and then exiting. It typically doesn’t take that long, but better safe than sorry! (If you are following along, this puts us at 5 hours into your wedding day coverage).
Cocktail Hour To First Dances
The next couple hours are devoted to enjoying time with your guests. If we’ve captured family photos before the ceremony, you will be free to go relax and have some time away from my lens! Cocktail hour is usually 30-60 minutes, followed by 60-90 minutes for dinner and speeches. First dances are after that- I budget 15 minutes just in case someone is running late. That makes about 2.5 hours for this portion of the evening.
Ending the Night
I will typically stay for 2-3 songs after your first dances to capture some of that party vibe before I head out. Depending on the time of year, somewhere after the ceremony, I will probably borrow you for 10-15 minutes for some more chill evening/sunset photos. I set a timer and speed-shoot these so we can get you back to your guests!
I hope this gives you a pictures of what n 8 hour wedding timeline could look like! Pieces of these can always be moved around, but this should allow for a great starting point!
Looking for tips on putting together your timeline: Start here!
