Wondering how many hours of wedding videography do you need for your Queensland wedding? Most Brisbane couples book 8-10 hours, but your perfect coverage depends on your timeline, locations, and must-have moments.
One of the most common questions we hear from engaged couples is: how many hours of wedding videography do you need? It's a crucial decision that affects both your budget and the completeness of your wedding story. Too few hours and you risk missing precious moments; too many and you're paying for coverage you don't really need.
The good news? Most Queensland couples find their sweet spot between 8 and 10 hours of wedding videography, which typically captures everything from the final touches of getting ready through to the main reception formalities. But your wedding is unique, and understanding what influences your ideal coverage length will help you make the right choice for your day.
As experienced Brisbane wedding videographers, we've filmed everything from intimate elopements to grand cultural celebrations, and we're here to guide you through exactly how to calculate the perfect amount of coverage for your wedding film.
What Coverage Lengths Are Available for Wedding Videography?
When you start researching videography packages, you'll notice most Brisbane and Queensland videographers structure their offerings around standard hour blocks. Here's what each coverage length typically includes:
4–6 Hours: Intimate Weddings and Elopements
This shorter package is ideal for couples planning elopements, registry weddings, or simple afternoon ceremonies followed by a short reception. With 4–6 hours, your videographer will generally cover your ceremony, couple portraits, and a portion of your reception—usually up to the key formalities like speeches or cake cutting.
This option works beautifully for couples who are keeping things simple or who may be having a larger celebration at a later date and just want the legal ceremony documented professionally.
8 Hours: The Standard Full-Day Package
Eight hours is one of the most popular choices for Brisbane weddings, and for good reason. This timeframe comfortably includes one partner's preparation (typically the bride), the full ceremony, location shoots for couple and bridal party portraits, and the essential reception moments—entrances, speeches, cake cutting, and first dance.
For many couples wondering how many hours of wedding videography do you need, eight hours hits the perfect balance between comprehensive coverage and value for money.
9–10 Hours: Full Coverage for Traditional Weddings
If you want both partners' preparation footage, a more relaxed timeline, or plan to dance well into the evening, 9–10 hours is the sweet spot. This extended coverage captures the emotional morning moments for both the bride and groom, all ceremony and portrait time without rushing, and stays long enough to show your guests enjoying the dance floor.
This is particularly popular for Gold Coast wedding films and hinterland venues where couples want to showcase the full journey of their day, including those beautiful getting-ready moments with parents, siblings, and wedding parties.
12+ Hours: Extended and Cultural Weddings
Longer coverage is essential for certain wedding styles. Large cultural weddings with traditional ceremonies—such as Indian, Chinese, or Greek weddings—often include multiple events, outfit changes, and cultural performances that require extended documentation.
Similarly, if there's a significant gap between your ceremony and reception, you're having a multi-location day across Brisbane and the hinterland, or you specifically want your late-night exit and after-party captured, 12 or more hours ensures nothing is missed.
Key Factors That Determine How Many Hours Of Wedding Videography Do You Need
Rather than randomly choosing a package length, smart couples work backwards from their actual wedding timeline. Here are the critical factors that should influence your decision:
Your Wedding Day Timeline
Start by mapping out your day from start to finish. What time are you starting hair and makeup? When does the ceremony begin? How long will couple portraits take? What time are speeches scheduled?
If your ceremony is at 4pm but speeches won't happen until 8pm, that's already four hours just for those key moments—not counting prep, portraits, or dancing. The more spread out your formalities are, the more hours you'll need to capture them all.
Travel and Location Changes
Brisbane traffic, hinterland drives, and multiple location changes can quickly consume your videography hours. If you're getting ready in the Brisbane CBD, having your ceremony at New Farm Park, taking portraits at Kangaroo Point Cliffs, and then heading to a reception venue in Fortitude Valley, that's a lot of travel time.
Conversely, hinterland weddings in Maleny, Montville, Mount Tamborine, or the Scenic Rim often have everything on-site, making 8–9 hours incredibly efficient since your videographer isn't spending time in transit.
Always factor in 10–15 minute buffers for parking, location changes, and the inevitable timeline shifts that happen on wedding days.
Cultural Traditions and Special Events
Does your wedding include a tea ceremony? A religious mass? Cultural performances or traditional dances? Multiple outfit changes throughout the day?
Each of these special elements adds both significance and time to your day. These are often the most meaningful moments for families and definitely deserve to be captured on film, so ensure your videography package accommodates them comfortably.
Getting-Ready Coverage Priority
One of the biggest variables in determining how many hours of wedding videography do you need is whether you want prep footage included. Filming both partners getting ready typically adds 1–2 hours compared to coverage that starts at the ceremony.
Getting-ready footage adds beautiful storytelling elements to your wedding film—the quiet moments with your mother, reading letters from your partner, gift exchanges, and those nervous, excited moments before the ceremony. Many couples consider this essential emotional content.
However, if you're working with a tighter budget, starting coverage at the ceremony is a perfectly valid choice that can save you 1–2 hours of videography costs.
Common Questions About Wedding Videography Hours
Is 6 Hours Enough for My Wedding?
Six hours can absolutely work for simpler weddings, particularly afternoon ceremonies at a single venue with a modest reception. However, it can feel tight if getting-ready coverage, travel between locations, or a full reception program are important to you.
If you're considering 6 hours, make sure your videographer knows exactly which moments are non-negotiable, and confirm they can arrive and depart at times that capture those priorities.
Do We Really Need Preparation Footage?
This comes down to personal preference and budget. Prep footage adds significant emotional depth and storytelling—those tender moments with parents, the reveal of your dress or suit, and the anticipation before the ceremony all contribute to a more complete wedding narrative.
That said, couples on tighter budgets sometimes choose to skip prep coverage and start filming at the ceremony. You'll still get a beautiful wedding film; it just won't include that first chapter of the day.
How Late Should Our Videographer Stay?
For most Brisbane weddings, having your videographer stay 30–60 minutes into open dancing is sufficient to capture the party atmosphere and show your guests celebrating. You don't typically need to pay for coverage until midnight unless you have a specific late-night moment you want filmed, like a sparkler exit or cultural tradition.
Discuss with your videographer what the final moment should be—often it's after the first dance and some dancing footage, or perhaps after a special cultural performance or bouquet toss.
Do We Need Two Videographers?
While not strictly about hours, a second videographer becomes more valuable the more coverage you're booking. With two shooters, you can capture both partners' prep simultaneously, get multiple angles during the ceremony and speeches, and ensure reactions are never missed during tight timeline moments.
For large guest lists, cultural weddings, or when prep is happening in two locations, a second shooter often provides better value than simply adding more hours.
How Many Hours Of Wedding Videography Do You Need? Practical Planning Tips
Start With Your Timeline, Not a Number
Don't choose your videography hours based on what package looks like the best value. Instead, create a draft run-sheet of your wedding day from getting ready through to your planned finish time, then identify exactly where you want video coverage to begin and end.
This timeline-first approach ensures you're paying for the coverage you actually need rather than guessing.
Build in Buffer Time
Weddings rarely run exactly to schedule. Traffic happens, hair and makeup runs over, family photos take longer than expected, or your celebrant adds ten minutes of readings you didn't account for.
When calculating your ideal hours, add buffer time between major events. This padding means you won't end up paying overtime rates simply because your day ran 20 minutes behind schedule—which is completely normal and expected.
Prioritise Your Must-Have Moments
Make a list of non-negotiable moments: vows, speeches, first dance, cultural rituals, specific family moments. Then ensure your chosen package length comfortably encompasses all of them, with time before and after for transitions.
If budget is tight, it's better to skip some early prep coverage than to risk your videographer leaving before your father-daughter dance or cultural ceremony.
Understand How Overtime Works
Before booking, clarify your videographer's overtime policy. What's the hourly rate for additional coverage? When exactly does the clock start and stop? Can you decide on the day whether to extend coverage, or must it be arranged in advance?
Some videographers are happy to stay longer if needed and bill you afterward; others require pre-booking of specific hours. Knowing this policy helps you plan appropriately.
Coordinate With Your Photographer
When your Brisbane wedding videographer and photographer work together on your timeline, you avoid duplicated waiting time and may actually reduce the total hours needed. For example, if both are capturing couple portraits simultaneously, that time is used efficiently rather than your videographer waiting while photos happen separately.
Many couples find that booking photo and video with the same studio or with vendors who regularly collaborate leads to smoother coverage and better value.
Consider Queensland's Seasonal Light
In South-East Queensland's summer months, harsh midday sun is common. Many couples plan later afternoon ceremonies and schedule portraits near golden hour for the best lighting, which naturally affects when videography coverage should start.
If you're planning outdoor portraits in beautiful locations around Brisbane or the hinterland, discuss timing with your videographer to make the most of Queensland's gorgeous natural light.
Queensland and Brisbane Wedding Videography: Local Considerations
Typical Ceremony Times
In Brisbane and throughout South-East Queensland, many outdoor ceremonies start mid-to-late afternoon to avoid the intense midday heat while still allowing time for portraits in softer light. This scheduling often means videography coverage starting late morning or early afternoon for preparation footage.
Popular Location Logistics
City-based Brisbane weddings often involve travel between multiple locations—getting ready in the CBD, ceremony at the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens, portraits at South Bank or Story Bridge, and reception in Teneriffe or New Farm. This movement requires additional hours to cover transit time.
Hinterland venues in Maleny, Montville, Mount Tamborine, and the Scenic Rim frequently offer all-in-one locations where everything happens on-site, making 8–9 hours remarkably efficient for comprehensive coverage.
Weather Contingencies
Queensland's summer storms and humidity can cause delays and quick plan changes. Having slightly more coverage time than your absolute minimum creates a safety net if ceremony or portrait timing shifts due to weather, ensuring you don't miss key moments.
Real-World Examples: Hour-by-Hour Breakdown
6-Hour Coverage: Intimate City Wedding
2:00pm: Videographer arrives for final prep details and bride getting into dress
2:30pm: Travel to ceremony location
3:00pm: Ceremony coverage
3:45pm: Family photos and couple portraits
5:00pm: Reception venue details and guest arrival
6:00pm: Entrances and early formalities
8:00pm: Coverage concludes
8-Hour Coverage: Classic Brisbane Full-Day Wedding
12:00pm: Bride's preparation, dress, details, and family moments
2:30pm: Travel to ceremony
3:00pm: Groom arrival and guest coverage
3:30pm: Ceremony
4:15pm: Family photos and couple portraits (multiple locations)
6:00pm: Reception details, guest candids
6:30pm: Entrances, speeches, cake cutting
7:45pm: First dance and early dancing
8:00pm: Coverage concludes
10-Hour Coverage: Full-Story Hinterland Wedding
11:00am: Bride's preparation begins
12:00pm: Second videographer captures groom's prep
2:00pm: Bride finishing touches, letter reading, gift exchange
3:00pm: First look or pre-ceremony portraits
4:00pm: Ceremony
5:00pm: Extended portrait session across venue grounds
6:30pm: Reception entrances and formalities begin
8:00pm: Speeches and cake cutting
8:30pm: First dance and parent dances
9:00pm: Dance floor coverage and celebration
Making Your Final Decision on Videography Hours
So, how many hours of wedding videography do you need? For most Queensland couples, the answer is 8–10 hours, adjusted based on:
Whether you want both partners' preparation covered (add 1–2 hours)
How much travel is involved between locations (add 30 minutes to 1 hour per major move)
Any cultural traditions or special events that extend the timeline
How late your key formalities are scheduled (speeches at 8pm vs. 6pm makes a big difference)
Whether you want late-night dancing and exit footage (add 1–2 hours)
The key is to start with your actual wedding timeline, identify your must-have moments, and then choose a package that comfortably covers everything with a little breathing room for the inevitable delays and spontaneous moments that make weddings wonderful.
Ready to Discuss Your Wedding Videography Coverage?
At Flare Films, we understand that every Brisbane wedding is unique, and we're here to help you find the perfect coverage length for your day. We've filmed hundreds of Queensland weddings, from intimate elopements to grand cultural celebrations, and we know exactly how to maximize your videography hours to tell your complete story.
Whether you're planning a city wedding across Brisbane's iconic locations, a romantic hinterland celebration in Maleny or Mount Tamborine, or a beachside ceremony on the Gold Coast, we'll work with your timeline to recommend the ideal coverage for your specific day.
Get in touch with Flare Films today to discuss your wedding plans, share your draft timeline, and receive personalized advice on how many hours of wedding videography you need. We'll provide honest recommendations based on your priorities and budget, ensuring you get the beautiful, comprehensive wedding film you deserve without paying for coverage you don't need.
Contact us now to check our availability for your wedding date and start planning the perfect videography coverage for your Brisbane or Queensland wedding.
