Ask a Pink Pro: Wedding Photography

The other day I ran across a wedding photographer related question that I didn't have the answer to... good thing I have a few of Nashville finest shooters on speed dial.  Anyway, I reached out to Erin Lee of The Collection for her expert insight... 

Q: Is it really worth it to pay your pro photographer to stay until the end of the wedding?

A:While it depends on the wedding and couple, most weddings will be just fine if the photographer leaves before the reception ends.  For the average wedding, 2.5 - 3 hours of reception photographs is perfect.  This gives you plenty of time to shot the more popular wedding traditions (bouquet toss, cake cutting, first dance, etc.) as well as a good number of photographs of you and your guests dancing.  If you don't have a wild and crazy party crew, 5 hours of photographs of your guests dancing can start to look the same.  After saying all of this, here are five things to keep in mind when making this decision.

1. Do you want the photographer to photograph your exit? If you do, make sure that it is going to take place while the photographer is there.  If you reception and ceremony are at different venues, you may want to consider doing your exit from the ceremony location. 

2. How large of a wedding are you planning?  Larger guest counts and numerous personalized will require additional time for your photographer to capture all the images. 

3. Are you planning a lengthy dinner service?  If it will take longer than 2 hours for everyone to be served, you may want to plan on extending the time your photographer will be on site.  Guests generally don't want to be photographed while eating so during this period, there will not be very many photographs of your guests.  Extending his or her time will ensure they are still there when the dance floor opens and dancing begins.  

4. How many traditions do you have happening? The standard traditions like a bouquet toss, garter toss, cake cutting, toasts, or first dance can take up to an hour of your reception.  But if you know that your best man is going to give a 15-minute toast, you plan to show a slide show, or there is a top-secret surprise that you want capture, you will need to adjust your photograph's timeframe.

5. Is your crew a party crew? Do your guests love to dance? Is the night just going to get crazier as it goes on?  You might want your photographer there until the end to capture every wild moment.

Ultimately with anything at your wedding photography it is best to talk to your photographer.  They will be able to best determine your needs and create the package and timeframe that ensure every special moment on wedding day is captured forever! 

Thanks so much to Erin for all her great advice... hopefully this helps you determine what works best for your wedding.  Be sure to connect with their facebook page as well as check out their website.  Do you have advice to add?  Leave a comment below!