If you’re planning a small wedding at the Dublin Registry Office, you might be wondering how much photography coverage you actually need.
The good news is — you definitely don’t need to book a photographer for the entire day just because you’re getting married!
One of the things I love about photographing smaller Dublin weddings is how relaxed they can be. Whether it’s just the two of you, a handful of family and friends, or a small celebration afterwards, even an hour or two can be enough to capture a lovely little story of your day.
Is One Hour of Wedding Photography Enough?
For lots of Dublin Registry Office weddings, one hour can work perfectly.
I usually meet couples shortly before the ceremony, photograph some of the arrivals and then capture the ceremony itself.
Afterwards, there’s time for the hugs and congratulations, a few family photographs and some relaxed portraits of the two of you.
Because you’re already right in Dublin city, we don’t need to go far to find great locations for photographs either. We can take a little walk afterwards and use the streets and architecture around the city as our backdrop.
And don’t worry if you hate the thought of posing for photographs! My approach is very relaxed. I’ll give you a little direction when you need it, but I want the photos to feel like you, rather than spending half your wedding day doing a photoshoot.
When Would I Recommend 2–3 Hours?
If you’d like your photographs to tell a little more of the story, 2–3 hours of coverage gives us much more breathing room.
That might include some photographs before the ceremony, guests arriving, the ceremony itself, family photographs and then a relaxed wander around Dublin for your couple portraits.
Depending on your plans, I can also stay long enough to capture you arriving at your restaurant or pub afterwards and the beginning of the celebrations.
It’s a lovely option if photography is important to you, but you still don’t want or need a photographer following you around for eight or ten hours
What Could a One-Hour Registry Office Wedding Look Like?
A really simple timeline might be:
2.00pm – Ceremony
2.20pm – Congratulations and family photographs
2.35pm – A relaxed walk and couple portraits around Dublin
3.00pm – Photography finished and you head off to celebrate 🥂
Simple, relaxed and no disappearing from your guests for hours!
Small Wedding Doesn’t Mean Less Important
I think there can sometimes be a feeling that if you’re having a small or non-traditional wedding, you somehow need to do things differently when it comes to photography.
You really don’t.
Some of my favourite weddings to photograph are the smallest ones. There’s often less rushing around, fewer formalities and much more time to actually enjoy the people you’re celebrating with.
The important thing is choosing the amount of photography that suits your wedding, rather than feeling like you have to book a traditional full-day package.
If you’re planning a Dublin Registry Office, Dublin City Hall or intimate city wedding, I offer shorter wedding photography coverage specifically for smaller celebrations.
You can get in touch and tell me a little about what you’re planning, and I can help you figure out how much coverage would work best for your day.
