Is 3 hours of Wedding Photography Enough?

Katie + Kyle’s Wedding at The Woodman Inn, Thunderbridge

Documentary wedding photographers love a good story, and what better way to tell the story of a wedding day than covering it from start to finish – from the moment the hair straighteners (or curling tongs) are on to the taxi picking up your guests. Right?

Maybe.

But what about if your wedding budget doesn’t stretch to a photographers full-day packages? You could go for a cheaper photographer, which may mean you could get full-day coverage for less - but I’ll be writing a post about the risks of cheaper photographers, as there are quite a few!

Your other option is to reduce coverage, but what about the story. Can a wedding photographer still capture your wedding day story in just a few short hours?

How much of a wedding is covered by 3 hours of photography?

Katie and Kyle got in touch back in October. They were on a budget but they were in love with my alternative, creative wedding photography style. They were planning a smaller wedding ceremony and reception, with around 35 guests, at The Woodman Inn in Thunderbridge, Yorkshire.

Now, this is one heck of a scenic venue. The hamlet of Thunderbridge consists of about 15 buildings set amongst a woodland valley beside a stream, one of which is the 18th century Woodman Inn nestled in the valley. Katie and Kyle had their ceremony in the more intimate Country Room in the upstairs of the pub, followed by their reception across the road in Garden Room – a glass-fronted marquee surrounded by idyllic woodlands.

Katie and Kyle opted for around 3 hours wedding photography coverage. I don’t restrict how this coverage is used – it’s up to you if you want prep, or just ceremony, or just party – all I ask is that it is continuous (i.e. not split). They asked me to cover the groom getting ready through to the start of the reception and to make sure I got them some alone time for fun, creative couple portraits. Deal.

Their wedding was amazing. Katie and Kyle were an alternative wedding photographer’s dream couple. They were happy to stand in the middle of the road and dodge the traffic for a perfect composition, they got amongst the brambles for a gorgeous forest backdrop and were equally up for standing looking as serious as possible to emulate my classic Wes Anderson-inspired big door photo – although the only thing I could find that resembled a big door was the rock wall of the former quarry turned Woodman Inn car park! The registrars laughed, the Woodman Inn staff were amongst the friendliest, most helpful venue staff I’ve met, and their chilled-out guests made it perfect.

Venue: The Woodman Inn, Thunderbridge, West Yorkshire
Hair + Makeup: Cheryl Marie Wright
Flowers: Pampas Box
Saxophone: Brent Read

How much coverage do you need?

Take a look at a few of their photos! Even though there was only a few hours coverage, we got some great storytelling photos, had a laugh with creative wedding couple portraits and managed a handful of fun group shots – along with a gallery full of candid moments.

In fact, Katie and Kyle summed up my approach in their review: 

Andrew was the most amazing photographer we could have wished for. He was down to earth, professional, and listened to our ideas and understood we wanted natural, quirky and fun images. He went above and beyond to create perfect memories for us, some of which we didn't even see happen ourselves due to the busy day, so it was so lovely to see the photos of the moments we missed! He has such a great eye for detail and saw photo opportunities at every turn! He wasn't demanding of our time, he was very relaxed and allowed us to go at our own pace.

So, is 3 hours of alternative wedding photography enough? Well, it depends upon what you want, but if you’re on a tight budget, or you’re having a smaller intimate wedding, micro-wedding or elopement, get in touch and we’ll have a chat about your plans