Because we base our pricing on time, one of the most common questions we get is how much time is necessary for a wedding video. The real question, though, should be what events are the important ones? For example, a lot of people dismiss the hours before the bride puts on her dress, almost as if the wedding were a production itself. But the time before a groom puts on his tuxedo or the bride her dress is invaluable. These are the times that people show the excitement, the tension, and the anticipation that gives the ceremony so much of its meaning. Other people opt not to cover the last hour of the reception. In general, I agree that this time isn’t as critical as the preparation. However, the hugs and kisses, the final tears, and even some of the dancing that takes place as the guests loosen up add a personal touch that deepens the emotional depth of the day.

So how much time is necessary for a video? For shorter weddings, 8 hours is enough to get a solid video that will capture most of the best moments. This is especially true in cases where most of the wedding will take place within the same location. With this amount of time the best choice is generally to take away some of the time from the late reception, after the cake cutting and to apply it to the bridal preparation, earlier in the day. One thing to keep in mind is that one hour is necessary for preparation at the church, so 8 hours may not permit for groom coverage. For weddings with longer days, over 10 hours provides adequate coverage. The extra time not only amounts to a more subtle story, but the extra preparation time adds a wealth of personality. Better yet, the extra coverage of the small things that comes with a longer day makes for a more intricate story with more subtlety.