How long for a photographer?!

2-3 hours would need to mean it has to align with your timeline for instance if you don't want any pre ceremony shots then it could ideally work. If both your ceremony and reception are in the same area and you've got no cocktail hour and your first dance and other dances and cake cutting and whatever else you have you want to photograph are within the first hours of your reception

However it does feel like it's cutting it too short so I'd go for a bit longer.

I think three hours would work. How long will the ceremony itself be? I would say if you are concerned with some before, during and after ceremony shots at least three hours but you could be cutting it close.

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The ceremony itself will be 15-20 minutes.

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Then I would say 3 hours is good. What would you want photos of?

Hmm...that's an interesting point. I had gotten ours for a full 8 hours but now I'm not even sure if we would really need them for that long. I'm probably going to reconsider and have them for at least 4 hours now. It'll also help cut cost a bit. That's always nice.

What pictures are important to you to have? I'd make a list of those and compare them with your day-of timeline, and see what window would work.

I personally want getting ready pictures, detail shots, first look, family photos/portraits, wedding party pictures, ceremony pictures, cocktail hour pictures, grand entrance, and some post-dinner events (first dance, cake cutting, etc.). I want it all lol. We're arriving at 10 or 11 am, and won't be leaving until 11 pm. I think 8 hours would've been fine for us, but we're doing 10 hours of coverage just in case things get pushed back and so that we have some flexibility.

It depends on what photos you really want. Our photographer's package was 10 hours. We had her and her husband arrive at 12 pm for getting ready photos, me with my side, my husband with his side, first look with my dad, and first look with my husband. They were there for the ceremony and entire reception. It was important to us to have her caption all of the important moments for us.

I'd say three hours is doable if you're going to be eating right away and can cut the cake right after. It really depends on how long your ceremony is and what pictures you really want. I'm getting one for 2 hours for just the basics: before pics with Mom and bridesmaids, fiance and his guys, the ceremony, wedding party and family pictures, and the beginning of the reception, which is in the same location. There'll be plenty of people at the wedding who'll be taking pictures also.

I am doing one photographer for 8 hours... simply because we need someone to do the pre-shots and apparently set up time is included in that time. Our ceremony plus reception is 6 total hours.