How Long Do Wedding Photographs Take? And The Importance Of Wriggle Room!
How long should we allow for our wedding photographs? It’s a common question asked by couples before their wedding - here’s my thoughts…
Simple answer
30 minutes for formal groups plus as long as you can spare for your couple shoot (30 minutes is great, 45 is wonderful - add an additional ‘fall-back’ 15 minutes in the evening and I’m over the moon).
And, if you don’t wish to have any formal group photographs, that’s totally fine - it’s your preference and all this stuff about timings needn’t apply.
Complicated answer…
Each group takes time to assemble... and after half an hour, even the most dedicated wedding guest can be flagging. A dozen groups is an ideal number, to cover all the important combinations, and still keep everyone on-board.
No-one wants the reception to turn into one big group photo shoot - plus this number allows a little more time to make each shot a bit more creative - fewer, but more special.
If you’re struggling, combine several small groups into one. So rather than an individual photograph with each of your cousins, gather them all into one big group - this looks way better anyway and can help people feel more comfortable and less self-conscious.
Some venues will advise a set time for formal photographs, however, timescales can vary considerably with each photographer's approach. Chat to your photographer about your specific requirements for photographs and feed this back to your venue.
Wriggle Room
Regardless of how long we plan for photographs - it’s as important to factor in some ‘wriggle room’ in your timings for the day..!
On a wedding day timings usually overrun - it just happens, and when it does nobody minds if there’s some wriggle room in your timeline. Wriggle room is the key to a stress-free day.
More often than not, even if you’re a super-punctual person, those around you and the number of things out of your control can conspire against the most meticulously planned timeline.
I’ve photographed weddings where the ceremony has been delayed by an hour…(well actually over an hour, but no punctuality shaming here).
It happens, and it’s ok.
If your wedding is super chill and flexible, your guests are warm and comfortable and your caterer’s timings can be adjusted, then we’re golden! Opting for a casual vibe and your favourite food truck to cater means you can throw the timeline out with the confetti and relax - late is great.
But if the timing of your meal and reception are less flexible - then that time needs to be made up - otherwise you could be chowing down on the charred remains of beef bourguignon and chasing over-cooked soggy veggies around your plate. Food, it turns out is not so flexible!
But fear not - because our great friend wriggle room is about to save the day and get the timings back on track. As for wrangling the groups together… how hard can that be!
The power of Wriggle room
Always plan for 30 - 60 minutes additional time between the end of your ceremony and your meal.
This is in addition to anything else you have planned during this time - hugs and congratulations from your guests, drinks and canapés, freshening up after your photographs and don’t forget speeches before the meal.
If there’s no wriggle room, the only option to bring timings back on track is for you to sacrifice time from your photographs.
Wriggle room also allows us a little flexibility to wait out poor weather if the elements are against us.
With some wriggle room in hand, nothing needs to be rushed and the day is stress-free and can be brought back on time… bourguignon to perfection!
If everything runs perfectly to time and you don’t need that wriggle room, then the worst that happens is you have an added hour of real quality time with those you love, and if you’ve hired a beautiful string quartet - you’ll get the chance to actually hear them play. You’ll also get a chance to enjoy the games and afternoon fun you spent months organising, rather than feeling rushed and missing out.
Having wriggle room saves the day, every time. You’ll be stress-free and will feel more relaxed during the photographs. Similarly your photographer will also feel more relaxed and armed with that extra wriggle room, they’ll have all time they need to be at their most creative.
If you’d like to check out my tips for stress-free group photographs have a look at this post in my blog archive - there’s some good stuff here.
I’m Duncan Ireland - a photographer based in South Scotland specialising in wedding and lifestyle photography.
On my blog you’ll find all kinds of good stuff - so have a look… you might like what you find.