How Many Hours Do You Need a Wedding Photographer?
We recommend 3-5 hours of wedding photography for city hall weddings, quaint B&B weddings, informal gardens weddings, etc.
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We recommend 6-9 hours for couples who want extraordinary photography of their wedding day but don't need us for the full day.
We recommend 10+ hours for couples who want to remember every single moment of one of the amazing days in their lives.
See below for information on what we photograph during each part of the wedding day, and how long it takes.
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Groom Getting Ready Photos
Approximately 1.5 Hours
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Most of the wedding day tends to revolve around the bride. That's why the "Groom Getting Ready" photos are important. It's the only time on the wedding day when we're focused exclusively on the groom.
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We start by taking photos of the groom and his groomsmen getting dressed, which usually involves lots of laughs, hijinks and whiskey drinking.
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After that, we do classic groom portraits, photos of the groom and his groomsmen outside, family photos, and then pictures of everyone leaving for the wedding.
Bride Getting Ready Photos
Approximately 1.5 Hours
There are so many touching moments to capture at the bride’s home before the wedding.
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We get photos of the bride putting her dress on, photos with mum and "first look" photos of dad seeing the bride in her wedding dress for the first time.
We also take some beautiful portraits of the bride, pictures with the bridesmaids, family photos, and finally - photos of the bride getting into the limo and heading for the ceremony.
First Look Photos
Approximately 30 Minutes
If you don't mind seeing each other before the wedding, a wonderful thing to do is a "First Look" photo session.
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Whether the bride sneaks up behind the groom, or vice versa, neither of you will ever forget the heart stopping moment when you first see each other in your wedding clothes.
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Not only is this really fun, but you will also end up with more portraits of the bride and groom, many of which are spontaneous and unposed.
Wedding Ceremony
Approximately 1.5 Hours
There are so many exciting moments to capture before, during and after the ceremony.
Before the ceremony, we get photos of the guests arriving, photos of the groom nervously waiting at the end of the aisle, photos of the family and bridal party lining up to enter the ceremony, and then finally, the bride coming down the aisle with her father.
The wedding ceremony itself is usually 30-45 minutes. After that, there’s a group photo of everyone on the church steps, photos of emotional moments as friends and family congratulate the newlyweds, and then photos of the bride and groom driving away from the church.
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Church wedding ceremonies tend to be long (1 hour), while weddings with officiants tend to be short (30 minutes), so photographing this portion of the day takes between 1.5 and 2 hours.
Family Photos
Approximately 30 minutes
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Family photos are some of the most important photos on a wedding day.
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Before the wedding, we create a wedding photography schedule and set enough time aside to do family portraits. We also ask the bride and groom to fill out our Who's Who form, listing all the important people they want photographed at their wedding.
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Because we organized everything beforehand, on the wedding day, our family photo sessions are fast and fun and everyone is soon back with the other guests, enjoying the cocktails.
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Depending on the size of the couple's families, this can take anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
Bridal Party Photos
Approximately 30 minutes
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You want amazing photos of your bridal party because these are your closest friends.
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We usually start with photos of the whole gang together, then all the girls together, then the boys, and then if there’s time, photos of each individual person with the bride and groom.
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Depending on the size of your bridal party, these photos take between 15-30 minutes.
Newlywed Portraits
Approximately 30 minutes
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There is nothing more important to the bride and groom – and your photographer – than getting magnificent photos of the newlyweds on their wedding day.
The planning starts months before the wedding. We block out time in your wedding photography schedule to take these photos. We discuss various locations to do these photos, then narrow it down to the best one. And finally, we make a backup plan in case of rain.
​But you know what they say about plans, right? “We plan, God laughs?”
Your wedding ceremony runs overtime, and now you only have 10 minutes for newlywed photos. It’s pouring rain and you can’t go to the beautiful location you chose. Worse yet? Every other photographer in Montreal is also rained out and they have all descended on your (not so secret) backup rain location, the World Trade Centre in Old Montreal.
​​Rain or shine, wherever you end up doing your newlywed photos, it will take 30-60 minutes.
Reception Hall / Cocktail Hour Photos
Approximately 30 minutes
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For photographers, the purpose of the cocktail party is to keep all the guests happy while you take the wedding party away for photos.
So, by the time we get back from taking photos, there is usually not much time left to get photos of the cocktail party.
That said, we usually get 15-30 minutes to take these photos.
We zoom around the room, snapping photos of happy guests, then rush into the reception hall to get some beautiful photos of the venue before all the guests enter.
Wedding Reception
1-5 hours (depends on package)
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Party time!!! We get photo of the bride and groom making their big entrance, the speeches, the toasts, the first dance, the parent dances, table shots, cutting the cake and fun shots of the guests.
We also set up a photo booth for those who have chosen that option in their package.
During the evening, we also take photos of extended family and any groups we didn't have time for during the day, such as friends, cousins, work colleagues, etc.