bride and groom portrait illustrating FAQs article

FAQs

What’s the average price for a wedding photographer in the UK?

Cost is the most frequent FAQ that I get from couples. Wedding photography prices vary depending on the area of the country and the experience of the wedding photographer. The package features also influence price.

Based on the annual industry survey by ‘Your Perfect Wedding Photographer‘, the average cost for a wedding photographer in the UK in 2018-2019 was £1,560. This increased from £1,480 in 2017 and £1,450 in 2016.

When should you book a photographer for a wedding?

It’s best to book around the 12-18 month mark as leaving less time may reduce your chances of finding the right photographer with your preferred style and experience.

How many hours should I have a wedding photographer for?

8-10 hours is usually long enough.
The bulk of wedding photographs are usually taken around the ceremony time, followed by the gap before the wedding breakfast. It’s during this time that the group photos and couple portraits would be taken. The time of your wedding ceremony will influence the timings of the rest of the day. For a 2pm ceremony, coverage from 12noon until around 9pm is usually enough to cover everything from bridal preparations to the first dance and some photos of your guests on the dancefloor afterward.

What’s the best time for a wedding ceremony?

From my experience shooting over 400 weddings, I think the best ceremony time for large weddings is 2pm, and for small, intimate weddings 4pm works really well.

How long is a wedding ceremony?

Wedding ceremonies vary in duration based on whether it is a church wedding or civil ceremony. Church of England ceremonies are typically 45 minutes. Catholic church wedding ceremonies are usually 1 hour, or 1 hour and 30 minutes if there’s a mass at the end. Civil ceremonies are usually around 20-30 minutes.bride walks down aisle to meet groom at their Rustic Shireburn Arms Wedding

What time should I have my wedding breakfast?

As a rough guide, it’s best to leave a minimum of 1.5 hours between the end of your wedding ceremony and the start of your wedding breakfast. This will allow time for you to relax with guests and have any group photos and couple portraits without feeling rushed. If your wedding involves more than 100 guests or is at a large, spread out wedding venue, or if you’re travelling between venues, plan a minimum of 2 hours.wedding breakfast illustrating FAQs page

What timeline for a 2pm wedding?

A 2pm wedding is perfect for civil ceremonies.
Getting ready – allow 45min for hair and 45min for make-up per person
2pm – Wedding ceremony (civil ceremony)
2:30pm – Drinks reception
3pm – Group photos (Check how long your photographer will need!)
3:30pm – Couple portraits
4pm – Wedding breakfast (usually 30 minutes per course)
5:30pm – Speeches
6pm – Relax with guests whilst wedding venue prepare the reception room
7:30pm – Evening reception starts
8:30pm – Cake cutting and first dance
9pm – Evening food (Usually buffet or canapes)

What timeline for a 1pm church wedding?

A 12noon or 1pm wedding ceremony is perfect if you are getting married in a church or need to travel between the wedding venue and reception venue.
Here’s a guide for timings:
Getting ready – allow 45min for hair and 45min for make-up per person
1pm – Wedding ceremony (church ceremony)
2pm – Travel to the reception venue
2:30pm – Drinks reception
3pm – Group photos (Check how long your photographer will need!)
3:30pm – Couple portraits
4pm – Wedding breakfast (usually 30 minutes per course)
5:30pm – Speeches
6pm – Relax with guests whilst wedding venue prepare the reception room
7:30pm – Evening reception starts
8:30pm – Cake cutting and first dance
9pm – Evening food (Usually buffet or canapes)

How long do group photos take at a wedding?

This will vary depending on your wedding photographer and their organisational and people skills. The initial group photo takes the longest amount of time to organise, so I recommend allowing 10 minutes for that. Then for each subsequent group photo, I recommend allowing 1 minute per group photo and find I can complete 20 combinations in around 20 minutes. wedding group photo in castlefield

Do I need to have formal group photos?

Absolutely not! (Although your parents may want a few!)
You could opt for some fun group photos instead, or a mix of different types. Fun group photos that are less formal can take place anywhere, including the dance floor. Talk to your photographer before the wedding day to ensure they understand what type of group photos you would like.Crewe Hall Wedding Photography a dance floor group shot selfieVillage Hall Wedding Photography end of night group shot selfiegroup photos outside the Royal Liver Buildingfamily portrait outside the Royal Liver Building

Confetti FAQs: How much confetti do I need?

I recommend a litre of dried petals for every 20 guests.
For 100 guests, 5 litres works well.

What’s the best type of biodegradable confetti?

Dried flower petals work well, and are better than paper. Paper confetti can blend into the sky a bit and is easily blown away, whereas dried flower petals like that shown below give a better burst of colour. The dried delphinium petals below were supplied by Shropshire Petals.
confetti FAQs: photo shows dried delphinium petals

How long to get my photos back after the wedding?

It’s best to check the contract you have with your photographer, as times can vary between a couple of weeks to a couple of months. I aim to deliver the wedding photos within one month, but this can be slightly longer in the UK peak season months of July and August.

How long do wedding photographers spend editing?

Editing the photos usually takes longer than the wedding photography! The average duration for wedding photographers surveyed in 2019 was 14 hours. This varies between photographers and is influenced by shooting style.

What camera do most wedding photographers use?

Wedding photographers typically use professional DSLR cameras with professional lenses. These cameras feature additional weather sealing so that the camera will not be damaged with rain. The most popular brands for wedding photography in 2019 are Canon, followed by Nikon and Sony.

Popular Canon cameras for wedding photography include the Canon EOS 5D Mk3 and Mk4. For Nikon, popular models include the D810 and D700.

What lens is best for wedding photography?

This is an FAQ I often get asked by guests! The wedding photographers style and approach will influence their specific range of lenses that they use, but the most versatile is the 35mm f1.4. This is a lens that can be used for both group photos and portraits and is great for documentary style photography too. F1.4 is an ideal aperture for shooting in low light, so this lens is perfectly suited to both dark churches and reception party photos. I use the Canon version of this lens.Canon 35mm f1.4 illustrating FAQs page