How Much Time Do You Need for Wedding Photos?

One of the questions I get asked most often when couples are planning their wedding is: “How much time do we actually need for photographs?”

And honestly, there isn't one perfect answer.

Your wedding day isn't a photoshoot with a wedding happening around it. You should be spending time with your favourite people, enjoying the food, drinking the champagne, laughing until your face hurts and actually being present in the day you've spent so long planning.

As a Yorkshire wedding photographer, my approach is 90% documentary, 10% gentle guidance. I want to capture the moments as they happen, while giving you just enough direction when it's helpful.

So, how much time should you actually allow for wedding photography?

The short answer

For most weddings, I recommend allowing around 2–3 hours throughout the day for the parts of your wedding photography that need a little planning.

That doesn't mean disappearing for three hours and spending the afternoon posing for photographs.

Your photography time is usually spread throughout the day, with lots of the photographs happening naturally as your wedding unfolds.

A typical day might look something like:

• Getting ready: 1–2 hours of coverage
• Couple portraits: around 15–30 minutes
• Family/group photographs: around 15–30 minutes
• Confetti: 5–10 minutes
• Golden hour portraits: around 10–20 minutes, if you want them
• Everything else: captured naturally throughout the day

The exact timings will depend on your plans, your venue, the number of guests and how much photography you actually want.

Getting ready photographs

If you want photographs of your morning preparations, I recommend having your photographer arrive around 1–2 hours before you need to leave for the ceremony.

This gives me time to photograph all the little things that make your morning yours.

Think:

• Hair and makeup
• Your dress and accessories
• Flowers
• Invitations and stationery
• Your shoes
• Bridesmaids and family
• The chaos of everyone getting ready
• Those little moments you might otherwise miss

I'm not going to spend the entire morning asking everyone to stand still and look at the camera.

Most of this part of the day is documentary, so I'll be moving around quietly and looking for the moments happening naturally.

And if everyone is already ready when I arrive? That's absolutely fine too. We can use the time for a few relaxed portraits, photographs with your bridal party or simply capture everyone enjoying the morning.

How long do couple portraits take?

This is probably the bit couples worry about most.

The good news?

Not very long.

For most couples, around 15–30 minutes is plenty for a relaxed couple portrait session.

And no, you don't need to know how to pose.

This is where my 10% gentle guidance comes in.

I'll give you a little direction when you need it, but I'm not going to spend half an hour moving your hands into exactly the right position and telling you to smile at the camera.

Instead, we'll walk, chat, cuddle, laugh and take a moment together.

Some of my favourite couple photographs happen when couples have actually forgotten I'm there.

What about family photographs?

Family photographs don't need to take ages either, but this is one area where having a plan really helps.

If you want the traditional family photographs, I recommend allowing around 15–30 minutes, depending on how many combinations you'd like.

The trick is to keep your list realistic.

You probably don't need 47 different combinations of every possible family member.

A short list of the photographs that really matter to you means we can get them done efficiently and get you back to enjoying your drinks reception.

I'll help organise everyone and work through the list so you're not left trying to find Uncle Bob while everyone else is waiting.

Confetti photographs

Confetti is one of my favourite parts of a wedding day because it is so much more than a posed photograph.

It's movement, laughter, cheering, throwing things at the newlyweds and usually someone getting slightly carried away.

You only need around 5–10 minutes to organise it and get everyone into position.

The actual moment itself takes seconds.

I'll be there to make sure your guests know where to stand and what they're doing beforehand. That way, when you come through, everyone is ready.

Do you need golden hour photographs?

You absolutely don't have to do golden hour photographs.

If you love the idea, though, I'd recommend allowing around 10–20 minutes.

This can be one of the easiest moments of the day to steal away together.

You've already spent most of the day surrounded by people, so having ten quiet minutes together can actually feel like a lovely little breather.

And if the weather isn't giving us a dramatic sunset?

That's okay.

Some of my favourite photographs have happened in cloudy skies, rain and completely unexpected weather.

What about the rest of the day?

This is where documentary photography really comes into its own.

You don't need to schedule time for me to photograph:

• Your guests laughing
• Hugs
• Drinks receptions
• People catching up
• Your dad getting emotional
• Your friends dancing
• Your grandparents chatting
• The chaos on the dance floor
• The little moments happening in between everything else

I'll be there, watching and photographing those moments as they happen.

You don't need to stop what you're doing for me.

That's the whole point.