Guide · Planning your day
Wedding day timeline and how many hours of video coverage you need
Published October 2026 · Sean Harman
Most couples need 7 to 8 hours of consecutive video coverage: enough to film the final preparations, the ceremony, portraits, the reception and the first dance or speeches. Start coverage about an hour before the ceremony, and plan your portraits for the hour before sunset.
How many hours of coverage do you need?
It depends on what you want in the film. My packages include 7 hours of consecutive coverage, and 8 hours in Your Legacy. Extra hours are $400 an hour, billed in 30-minute blocks. Start by deciding which moments matter most, then count back from them.
A sample timeline for a 3pm ceremony (7 hours)
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1:30pm | Final preparations, details, letters and first look |
| 2:30pm | Guests arrive |
| 3:00pm | Ceremony |
| 3:45pm | Congratulations and family photos |
| 4:30pm | Couple portraits |
| 5:30pm | Reception entrance and speeches |
| 8:00pm | Cake cut and first dance |
| 8:30pm | Coverage ends |
In winter, with sunset around 5:00pm, the 4:30pm couple portraits in this example fall in golden hour. In summer, sunset is after 6:30pm, so you could move portraits later. This is an example only. Part of every package is a pre-wedding consultation and timeline building, so we build yours together.
When is golden hour in Brisbane?
Golden hour, the soft, warm light that makes portraits glow, is roughly the hour before sunset. These are sunrise and sunset times for Brisbane on the 15th of each month. The Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Maleny, Toowoomba and Byron Bay are all within about four minutes of these times. Queensland does not use daylight saving, so the times do not shift in summer.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| January | 5:06am | 6:47pm |
| February | 5:31am | 6:32pm |
| March | 5:48am | 6:04pm |
| April | 6:04am | 5:30pm |
| May | 6:21am | 5:07pm |
| June | 6:36am | 5:00pm |
| July | 6:37am | 5:10pm |
| August | 6:18am | 5:26pm |
| September | 5:46am | 5:40pm |
| October | 5:12am | 5:55pm |
| November | 4:48am | 6:16pm |
| December | 4:47am | 6:38pm |
What this means for your ceremony time
- Summer (November to February): sunset is after 6pm, so a ceremony anywhere from 3pm to 5pm still leaves time for golden-hour portraits.
- Autumn and spring: sunset moves between about 5:30pm and 6:15pm, so plan portraits around 4:45pm to 5:30pm.
- Winter (June and July): sunset is around 5:00pm, so an earlier ceremony, around 2pm or 3pm, gives you daylight for portraits.
Tell me your venue and your ceremony time and I will tell you where the light will be. Let's check your date, or see the venues in the SEQ wedding guide.
