How Many Hours Should I Hire A Photographer for my Wedding?

Well, here you are. The question has been popped, you’ve told the family, a date with a venue has been booked. Now the task of hiring a photographer for your wedding has presented itself. What do you do? Where to start?

If you live here in Omaha, you’re immediately overwhelmed by a huge selection of different photographers. Everyone has different price points, some wedding photographers offer an hourly rate, some have packages, some only sell a single package. Are your eyes glazing over yet?

It’s tough, i’ve been there. Even my own wedding photographer was chosen out of haste because I really didn’t want to spend weeks or months interviewing photographers. There was one decision however, that was made with certainty. I hired my photographer for 8 hours.

This was a “no-brainer“ as my Mom always says. After covering weddings for 10 years, you notice one thing that is universal across them all, time is not as you remembered it from the previous day. It slips by like oil and water. Next think you know you’re standing at the altar. If you haven’t padded out the schedule an extra 15 minutes on every event, you’re doing it wrong. To this day, I’ve only seen one wedding start on time and it wasn’t even my own.

This brings me to the my main point about having a full-day photographer. You’re not likely to remember everything. Now, I’m not saying it’s impossible to remember every little moment and be able to relive that in your mind. Wedding photographers are trained to capture moments, we watch, we listen, we sit in random spots. Waiting for smiles, displays of affection, surprised faces, etc.

It’s in these candid moments are some of the best natural photos taken. Your wedding is a beautiful celebration of this union. It’s bigger than just the ceremony and the reception. We capture friends sneaking a peak of you getting ready, the first time Dad sees you in your dress or tux, the aunts all arriving way too early.

We spend normally the first couple of hours getting to understand your family’s dynamic, this also gives time to adjust to a photographer in the room. It takes time to earn that trust, otherwise a lot of your family and friends may have that '“deer in the headlights” look in the photos. Who’s that little man with the camera, their faces scowl.

When you hire a Wedding Photographer we make it our mission to tell your story. It’s often difficult to tell that story if we don’t have time or we’re rushed to do so. Simple as that.