Kathy--
We'll agree to disagree. You're not a laywer, I presume, and neither am I.
My advice stands: talk to a real lawyer (and not a group one) about how your contract gets made and how you can provide a minimum service to your clients.
That's it.
Now, on to overshooting 50 or 60 per hour at a wedding. Look, in an 8 hour wedding, 50 per hour is only 400 shots.
You say, correctly, that a final album may only have 50 - 100 shots in it. Also true; of course if you're delivering traditional albums with parent and wedding party variations where not everyone gets the same album, or with the same focus, then that number can easily climb to 150.
Next, you're assuming my brides only order one album or volume. Quite the contrary; I've sold brides up to 3 volumes of books: engagement, wedding to the ceremony, and wedding from ceremony to recpetion. Now we're at 250 images and sometimes more.
With ethnic weddings that go many days, you may even have more books. Or prints! Everyone likes prints, and if you're not selling them due to lack of coverage, well, then you're missing out.
And just because something isn't in an album doesn't mean it doesn't see the light of day anymore. Facebook, email, DVD slideshows--online loose print sales, all require you have something to show that tells a story.
Anyway, please don't tell me (as you did) I'm overshooting
I still say if you're providing 25 shots per hour as proofs you're wearing your camera as jewelry. I mean, am I the only one here that needs to cover for blinks, say, in-camera? Or do you do that all in PS? Better have a clean shot to go by
Anyway, I'm anything but a scattershot guy. I believe in the decisive moment and I work hard at getting it. But 50 shots per hour--give or take 10%, on average, is entirely ok to deliver as proofs in my book.
Again, less is more... but you still need to take them. I'd rather overshoot than undershoot, frankly. I still deliver the same number of finals, though.
Now that's a guide too, Kathy. If we're all delivering the quality of, say, Jeff Ascough, then I'm sure 100 is enough
People starting out (and even some of us doing it a long time) don't tend to do that though.
So my advice stands, especially to newcomers. Don't be afraid of covering yourself with an extra shot or two--it's digital--you don't have to pay for film!
Don't include junk in your proofs, but variants (BW, toned) in my experience, that aren't just pure duplicates, are usually liked and give you a chance to stretch a bit.
Also, and this is a little hard to quantify, if you keep shooting you stay in the groove. Again, I'm not saying machine-gun. But you'll miss the moment you should have got if you're not actively using your camera.
YMMV.