How Long Do You Need? The Honest Guide to Copenhagen City Hall Wedding Timelines
How does my city hall wedding day look like?
The 2-Hour Timeline: Minimum Time, Maximum Focus
What the 2-Hour Plan Delivers
The 4-Hour Timeline: A Coordinated Celebration
How is City Hall Wedding Look Like with 4 Hours?
The 8-Hour Timeline: The Documentary Story
Designing Your Full Day
The "Weekend" Wedding: Multi-Day Coverage
Which One is For You?
TABLE OF CONTENT
How does my city hall wedding day look like?
So, you are a multiracial / international couple — maybe living in Berlin, London, or flying in from the US—you likely chose Copenhagen for efficiency. You survived the paperwork (congratulations), but now you have to figure out the actual city hall wedding timeline.
How long should you book a photographer for? Does a civil ceremony really deserve a full day of wedding planning?
I’ve been running these weddings for more than 100 couples, and I can tell you that the difference between two hours and eight hours isn’t just about the budget. It’s the difference between a logistical task and a full story.
Here is the honest breakdown of what your day actually looks like, depending on the clock.
The 2-Hour Timeline: Minimum Time, Maximum Focus
This option is reserved for couples who prioritize speed above all else. This timeline is lean, focused, and assumes that your main post-ceremony celebration happens later, perhaps without a photographer present.
What the 2-Hour Plan Delivers
The structure is concentrated. We meet near City Hall 15 min in advance and then execute the official ten-minute sprint into the ceremony.
09:45: Meet Suzan DreamSonder
10:00 AM: The Ceremony.
10:15 AM: Group Photos & Exiting. If you have guests, they'll gather outside for a confetti toss and quick group portraits.
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM: Core Couple Portraits. This is crucial. I steal you away for a dedicated portrait session, leaving your guests to grab a coffee. This separation ensures we capture intimate, quality images without your uncle hovering with his iPad.
The Investment: This is your entry point. If you are looking for photography only, coverage typically starts from €1,179. However, many couples realize they still want the "wedding look" without the hassle. For about €1,989, we can upgrade this to a coordinated collection that includes a professional makeup artist, a customized bouquet, and a matching boutonniere.
It’s the perfect choice when you appreciate quality and me taking care of everything but only need the core moments documented.
Why Upgrade to the Full Coordinated Package?
You flew to Copenhagen to avoid chaos. So, why manage three separate vendors?
Our team is one unit. The photographer, MUA, and flower designer work together to guarantee a cohesive look. Every detail—from the shade of your lipstick to the table decor—is coordinated and camera-ready.
We compress your planning. If you are still considering booking separate freelancers, you should see why couples choose us as a unified team over DIY vendor sourcing: [Link: Why Couples Choose Us Over DIY Vendor Sourcing]. It’s about making your day seamless.
The 4-Hour Timeline: A Coordinated Celebration
For many of my clients—especially those flying in who want a balance of comfort and time savings—the 4-hour approach is the standard. It is long enough to include meaningful preparation and celebration, but avoids that feeling of "wedding exhaustion."
How is City Hall Wedding Look Like with 4 Hours?
08:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Preparation & First Look. We capture the final hour of getting ready, the details of your rings, ties, cuff links etc. If you are staying at a stylish hotel, this is a great opportunity for a relaxed "first look" before we head out.
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Ceremony & Champagne. This covers the official part and the immediate exit, followed by champagne and snacks with your guests.
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Portraits with a View. After the group photos, I typically bring you both for a 45min to a full hour to another location, like the harbour or the old streets of Christianshavn.
12:30 PM Onward: Documentation with Guests. The remaining time is spent photographing you enjoying lunch or heading to a boat tour.
See it in action: You can see how this flow works in practice—and how relaxed the boat tour portion feels—in Yan & Daniel’s half day wedding celebration in Copenhagen canal.
The Full Service Value: Photography for this duration usually starts at €1,849, but the real value is in the full coordination. Why the upgrade? Because in addition to the MUA and flowers, my team handles decoration at your chosen venue. We design the table flowers, menu cards, name cards, and welcome signs. You don't need to pack decor in your suitcase; we handle the aesthetic logistics so you can just show up.
The 8-Hour Timeline: The Documentary Story
You might wonder, "What to do for city hall wedding in Copenhagen that takes up a whole day?" The answer is simple: you create a narrative. An 8-hour city hall wedding plan is about immersive documentation. It’s what you choose when you want the day to feel like a "real" wedding, just on a smaller scale.
Designing Your Full Day
This option (which can extend up to 12 hours) is where our expertise in timeline planning truly shines. Photography coverage for a full day typically begins at €2,679 for 8 hours.
Morning: Detailed preparation, capturing the nervous energy and the slow build-up.
Mid-Day: The ceremony followed by a celebratory adventure—often a private boat tour or a guided walk through Tivoli or anything you can and cannot think of. Our planning will help you to achieve your dream day.
Evening: Dinner and Toasts. We document the intimate dinner setting. Since you are in a culinary capital, the food is often a highlight.
The "Weekend" Wedding: Multi-Day Coverage
For couples flying in their closest family and friends, one day often isn't enough to justify the travel. This is why we increasingly see the Multi-Day Celebration.
You have two main options here:
The Warm-Up: We cover the rehearsal dinner the night before. It’s a great way for guests to break the ice before the formality of City Hall.
The Recovery: You have the full wedding day (ceremony + party), followed by a relaxed brunch the next morning.
This option allows us to capture the candid, unguarded moments—the hugs at the airport, the toast at the rehearsal, and the sleepy but happy vibes at brunch. If you are treating your guests to a Copenhagen weekend, let’s document the whole trip, not just the signing.
So, Which One is For You?
Look, you have already done the hard part. The paperwork is signed, the flights are booked. Now you just have to decide how you want to remember it.
Do you want a quick, sharp set of photos before you head off on your own? The 2-hour dash works perfectly.
Or do you want someone to handle the messy bits—the flowers, the timeline, the table cards—so you can actually have a drink with your friends? That’s where the 4-hour or full-day plans come in.
Whatever you pick, just make sure it fits the vibe you are flying all this way for.
Still not sure how the timing works with your vision of the day? Drop me a message, and we can sketch out a timeline that makes sense.
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