This blog post is dedicated to all of my favorite photos from John & Kelly’s wedding, but I also thought it would be a great opportunity to talk through what you can get from hiring a photographer for a shorter amount of time on your wedding day, specifically whenever you’re having a smaller, more intimate wedding.

Most photographers won’t take on short-coverage weddings on prime wedding dates (Saturdays) because they may be passing up an opportunity to make more money. (A few hours of coverage versus a full day of coverage is a huge price difference!) So generally, it may be harder to have your favorite photographer for just a few hours, unless you’re having your wedding at a unique time. Insert: John & Kelly! Kelly reached out about having me cover just a few hours for them (3 hours) on a Friday mid-day. Yes, PLEASE.

Doing just a few hours of coverage usually means I get to be there for just my favorite parts of the day. (I’ll be honest—photographing 5 hours of dancing at a reception is not fun. After about an hour, all the photos start looking the same, and as the night goes on, the pictures just get worse and worse as the people get more inebriated. HAHA.) Doing just a few hours of coverage means I’m getting in all the important stuff and not a second is wasted. Let’s talk through what that looks like:

For Kelly, “getting ready” photos weren’t super important. She wanted portraits of the two of them, coverage of the ceremony, and some family photos afterward. (Like I said, the important stuff!) I also had some extra time and was able to do some detail photos of the reception space and photograph their rings. I look through these photos and feel like gosh—it tells the story so well! I may have missed the two minutes of cake cutting and photos of her invitations, but it doesn’t really feel like anything is missing when you look through these. You can see how beautiful (and windy!) it was on their wedding day, how happy they both were, and the first kiss they shared as husband and wife. It’s just so sweet.

If you’re looking for a way to save money, planning your wedding on a day besides Saturday, or during a unique time of day, and cutting down hours for some of your vendors (like the photographer and videographer) is the way to go. If getting ready photos are important to you, those could totally be squeezed in, and with even one or two more hours of coverage, you could get in the first dances to be photographed as well. (Just depending on the overall timeline of events.) The most important thing is finding a photographer who can help you plan through the timeline, and also knowing what’s most important to YOU.

I enjoyed getting to celebrate with these two so much, and will forever love these beautiful photos from their wedding on Goldbug Island. Here are just a few of my favorites. (Nothing close to the amount of photos they actually got in their gallery!)

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Venue: Goldbug Island // Flowers: Juniper & Jasmine // HMUA: Lashes and Lace Bridal Hair and Makeup