Full Day vs. Half Day Wedding Photographer – Making the Right Choice for Your Celebration

Once you have found the right photographer to document your wedding you will have to ask yourself what length of time you would want the photographer to stay for. Typically, the two options on offer are full day photography and half day photography. These names can be quite misleading, a half day may only be 4 hours for some wedding photographers and that time begins the minute they arrive at your wedding, whereas for other wedding photographers a half day may be 8 hours. Similarly, full days can vary between different photographers, for example, a full day may be 8 hours to one photographer and 12 hours to another. It is so important that you ask your wedding photographer what exactly their package includes and how much coverage time you will have them for. Knowing this in advance will avoid disappointment if a photographer leaves earlier than you had anticipated.

Half day wedding photographer

We offer both half day and full day wedding photography. No matter which one of our package options you choose, you will get two experienced photographers with you on your wedding day. Having two photographers at your wedding gives two different perspectives of the day and also means that it is much less likely than an important moment will be missed. Two wedding photographers are better than one

Half Day Wedding Photographer

If you choose to go with the half day package option, both of us will be with you from the morning until the dinner reception. If speeches are completed before dinner begins, these images will also be included in your package. At the moment our Option 1 half day wedding photography package costs £1250 with your images either delivered via an online gallery or a U.S.B pen drive if you prefer.

book a half day wedding photographer
wedding photographer for half day

Advantages:

  • In the half day photography package with us you will still get the sentimental getting ready pics, which every bride should have. Getting ready is often excluded from other wedding photographer’s half day packages. We will be able to capture all the special details and moments before you walk down the aisle.

  • If you are having a more intimate winter wedding where both the ceremony and reception are in the same place, half day photography is ideal for your wedding. With this package option we will be able to capture the most important parts of your wedding day.

  • Half day wedding photography is a less expensive option.

Disadvantages:

  • Half day photography, means just that, half day. If you opt for a half day photographer you will only be receiving images from half the day and won’t be getting the full story of your wedding day in your wedding gallery or album.

  • If your reception and ceremony aren’t in the same place or are far away from each other you are wasting valuable time with your photographer as travelling to the reception will be included in the time.

  • We will not get to capture the gorgeous first dance pictures or evening portraits at your venue.

Full Day Wedding Photographer

For our full day wedding photography packages, we will be with you from the very beginning of your day and will stay with you until we capture the speeches, the cutting of the wedding cake, some evening portraits and the first dance. We always stay for a couple of songs after as well, so that we can capture some images of you and your guests having fun on the dance floor. The price for our full day wedding photography packages at the moment start at £1475 and this option also includes delivery of your edited images via an online gallery or a U.S.B pen drive if you prefer. We also have two other full day packages for you to choose from, at the moment, one is priced at £1825 and it is one of our most popular packages. This includes all of your edited images and a luxury 30x20 storybook photo album. We would highly recommend investing in the photo album option as they are a fabulous keepsake to have. The last option is currently priced at £2450 and this includes your edited images, an engagement session, a larger 40x30 storybook photo album and two 30x20 parent book albums.

All day wedding photography
wedding photographer for full day
book a full day wedding photographer

Advantages:

  • We will get to capture every moment from your special day from start to finish.

  • The little details that you put so much effort into when organising your wedding won’t be missed as being there for the full day your wedding photographer will have more time to focus on these smaller features.

Disadvantages:

  • The only downside to having a full day photographer at your wedding is that these packages are more expensive than a half day photographer.

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGES

Half day or full day wedding photography?

When choosing between a full day photographer and half day photographer it really depends on your personal preference, your budget and what type of wedding you are having.

Smaller more intimate weddings may only need a half day photographer. Some couples choose for example to have smaller wedding receptions in bars and restaurants with just their closest family and friends attending as often happens with elopement style weddings. With often no dancing and no location available for evening portraits a half day wedding photography package may suit these couples needs best. Half day packages are also very popular for couples who are getting married in the winter months with the shorter winter days meaning that less coverage is needed sometimes for winter weddings.

winter wedding

While for other couples who are having larger weddings, we would probably recommend a full day photographer as this means every detail of the day that you have spent months planning will be captured and you will have the photos to look back on forever. Also, the more photos taken on your wedding day means that there will be a larger volume of photos that you love and all those must have wedding photos will be captured. If you have chosen one of the best wedding venues in Northern Ireland and want all of the details from the day captured, a full day photographer will suit your needs better.

wedding photographer for full day coverage

We also understand that not every wedding will fit into one of our package options. For example, some couples have a second day of celebrations the day after the wedding and may want a photographer who can provide coverage for that as well. Some couples may prefer the larger storybook album included in our option 3 package but don’t require an engagement session or parent book albums. We are always happy to provide a bespoke package to suit our individual couples needs if none of our wedding photography package options are suitable.

Wedding photographer that gives all day coverage

Tip

We don’t, but quite a few wedding photographers work a set number of hours in both their half day and full day packages. This means for couples that they have to find ways of best making use of those set hours within their wedding timeline. It also means that if their wedding timeline runs later than expected, which can often happen, that they may have to purchase additional hours of coverage which they may not have budgeted for. This could also mean that some parts of the day may which they initially expected their wedding photographer to document may not be photographed at all as it falls outside the set hours agreed with their photographer. For those reasons it is always important if your photographer works set hours to confirm with them what the costs are for extra hours if needed and if they can provide those extra hours at very short notice if your wedding day runs longer than expected. You should also discuss with them if payment is required there and then and if it is, you may need to budget for and bring payment along with you on the day, just in case.

For all of our wedding photography packages we don’t include a set number of hours. Every wedding is different with different amounts of travelling time and logistics, so for us it doesn’t make sense to work to a set number of hours. Our half day option will always be from the bride getting ready until the speeches, if the speeches are before dinner is served. Our full day packages will always be from getting ready until the end of the first dance plus 2 songs.

Tommy + Laurene