It’s the first question on every quote, and most couples guess. You don’t have to. The right length falls out of your timeline once you know what each block of hours actually covers.
What each length covers
Three hours is for an elopement or a small wedding: your ceremony, the people standing closest to you, family photos and a little time for portraits afterwards. No preparations, no reception.
Six hours covers the ceremony and portraits properly, then gives you a choice: the quiet of getting ready beforehand, or the entrance, speeches and cake afterwards. You rarely get both in six hours.
Ten hours runs from getting ready through the ceremony, portraits and speeches, into the first dance and the start of the party. This is the full shape of a typical Saturday wedding.
Twelve hours is the whole day, from both preparations to the late dance floor, with a second photographer through getting ready and the ceremony so both of you are covered at the same time.
What couples actually choose
In the quotes couples build on our site, the single most common length is ten hours. Couples planning Adelaide weddings tend to choose shorter coverage than couples in Melbourne, with a median around six hours against nine, but they are more likely to book photography and film together.
Neither is right or wrong. They’re simply different kinds of days.
Work it out from your timeline
Start with the moments you’d be sad to lose, not with a number of hours:
- Getting ready. If the hour before the ceremony matters to you, with your people in the room and the dress going on, coverage needs to start before it.
- The ceremony and family photos. Every length covers these.
- Portraits. Plan them for when the light is good, not when there’s a gap. Late afternoon is usually kindest.
- Speeches and the first dance. If they’re in the evening, your coverage needs to reach them.
Then count from the first moment on your list to the last. That span, plus a little breathing room, is your length.
Two things that change the answer
Two locations getting ready. If you’re getting ready in different places at the same time, one photographer can only be in one of them. That’s where a second photographer earns their place.
Travel between venues. Driving from a church to a reception venue uses coverage too. Build it into the timeline rather than hoping it disappears.
When you’re ready, the quote builder prices any length from three hours to fourteen, and every collection is laid out on the packages page.
