Understanding the Elements of Wedding Photography Packages

Unless you’ve planned a wedding before (which I’m guessing you haven’t!) you may be overwhelmed by all of the options in wedding photography packages. Some elements are easier to understand, like an engagement session, but other parts are more difficult: what does print release mean? How many hours do I need? To make matters more complicated, different wedding photographers may offer different things! I’ve created this guide to help you understand each of the elements you may see in a wedding photography package, so that you can rest easy about your own wedding photography choices!

Below is a list of different items you may find in a wedding photography package. Feel free to jump around to the parts of the article that are most useful to you. But if you do want to read through the whole thing, you may find you learn something new about an item you thought you already understood! Also please note, I do not personally offer every one of these items in my own packages. This is quite a comprehensive list of things you may find among different photographers. I try to make a note of what I offer myself in the descriptions.

Common Elements You’ll See in Wedding Photography Packages

• Wedding day coverage
• Second/Associate photographer
• Edited digital images
• Printed album
• Prints and print release
• Photo delivery method
• Engagement session
• Bridal portraits
• Boudoir shoot
• Rehearsal dinner/welcome party coverage
• Photo booth
• Film
• Timeline assistance
• Fees: Travel fees, taxes, etc.

Wedding Day Coverage

Every wedding photography package should include wedding day coverage. Usually this is a set number of hours. For a standard wedding, most photographers will recommend at least eight hours. There are some photographers who offer less hours, particularly for smaller weddings or elopements. (I personally have shorter options for “micro” weddings with less than 50 guests.) Some weddings will require more than eight hours, particularly if you have a large gap between the ceremony and the reception, or if you have a send-off at the end of the night. Every wedding is different. I recommend talking to your potential photographer about how many hours you may need.

Second/Associate Photographer

Most photographers have the option of adding a second or associate photographer to photograph alongside the lead photographer on the wedding day. They may even require it. I personally include the second photographer in all of my standard wedding packages. The benefits of a second photographer include: more angles of a single moment, more guest reactions, insurance in case something were to happen to the lead’s camera or card before copies could be made, and the ability to be in two places at once (this is particularly helpful for dividing and conquering getting ready coverage and wedding party portraits).

Edited Digital Images

Wedding photography is primarily digital (even “film” photographers use digital in many parts of the day), and this means you need to receive edited digital files. You should not expect to receive the “RAW” unedited files. RAW file formats are too large and not compatible with viewing on your computer or phone without special programs. It’s hard to predict exactly how many digital files you’ll receive as every wedding day is different, so most photographers have a range of expected images. I myself tend to deliver 75-125 images for every hour of coverage. This varies from photographer to photographer. When looking into a potential wedding photographer for yourself, make sure their edited digital files are included in the package, and that you don’t have to purchase them at and additional cost. (This is more common with portrait photographers.)

Printed Albums

In our digital age, it still is really nice to have tangible photographs to hold. Many photographers offer prints and printed albums. I’ll talk about printed albums first. You’ll often see these called something fancy, like a “Signature Album” or “Heirloom Album”. Photographers are trying to get the point across that this is better than your average Shutterfly photobook. Often these have linen or leather covers and think, lay-flat pages. Your photographer will likely hand-design this album for you, and it’s a really special keepsake! Some photographers may also offer “photobooks” which are thinner, simpler products that feel more like a hard-back book than a high-level album, so just make sure you check what’s actually included.

Prints and Print Release

Many wedding photographers offer you some type of way of ordering professional-level prints, canvases, and wall art, but the methods can vary widely. The first thing you need to know, is if your photographer allows you to print elsewhere (this is called print release) or whether you are required to order all prints through them. I personally offer print release, meaning my clients have the option to download their images and order them wherever they like. Some photographers do not, so this is important to look out for!

For those that do offer print release, you may have the option of ordering professional level prints through your gallery delivery site, where a third party handles the printing, or you may be given a price sheet and order through your photographer directly. Some photographers may not offer professional level prints at all, so please make sure you check with them if it’s something you’re interested in.

Photo Delivery Method

Assuming you will be receiving digital images, you will need a method of receiving these files. Usually the full gallery is too big for standard file transferring services like Drop Box, so special photo-delivery platforms were created for this exact purpose. If your photographer uses one of these online gallery services, you’ll receive an email with a link to view the gallery. From there you can view and download the images. Other photographers may deliver by mailing a USB, though this appears to be decreasing in popularity.

Engagement Session

I love engagement sessions! These pre-wedding photoshoots have so many benefits, such as getting to know your photographer and get comfortable in front of the camera ahead of the wedding day. They are also great for having images for save-the-dates and your wedding website. Also, you’ll likely like having a few nice pictures of the two of you in something more casual than wedding attire. Some photographers include them in their basic package while others don’t. Engagement session length and options can vary from among photographers as well.

Bridal Portrait Session

As an NC-based photographer, I thought everybody knew what bridal portraits are, but I was wrong! Apparently bridal portrait sessions are a Southern tradition. If you don’t know what they are, it is a portrait session ahead of the wedding day where the bride dons her gown, hair and makeup for session all about her. Traditionally, a bridal portrait would be printed out and displayed at the reception. Plenty of mamas and grandmas of the bride still keep this tradition alive today! Even if you don’t want to display a portrait at your reception, these sessions are still great for trialing your hair and makeup look and deciding if you like how it photographs ahead of the wedding day.

Boudoir Shoot

Boudoir shoots are a bit less common to find in a standard wedding photography package, but some photographers offer them. These are portrait sessions for the bride in lingerie, and the images are often used as a wedding gift to the groom. I don’t offer boudoir sessions at this time. However, if a bride working with me was interested in one, there are plenty of boudoir portrait photographers who specialize in just this!

Rehearsal Dinner/Welcome Party Coverage

Some couples like to have their rehearsal dinner photographed as well. Often this request comes from the parents of the groom who are hosting the dinner. While it’s not often part of the base package, if check with your photographer to see if it can be added on. “Welcome parties” are a pre-wedding party during the wedding weekend for family, close, friends, or perhaps your out-of-town guests. These are growing in popularity and often fall in this same category.

Photo Booth

Guests love a good photo booth! The cheesy props are always fun for guests, plus the the film strips make a great gift to take home. Some photographers with bigger business have a photo booth that they can offer as an add-on to their wedding packages, though many of the photo booths you see at weddings were booked separately from the wedding photographer. If your photographer does not have a photo booth themself, ask if they have any recommendations for a good company in the area they can book one through! (This is what I do when couples ask me about photo booths.)

Film

Film photography has seen a huge bump in popularity over recent years! Maybe we’re all craving the nostalgia of a simpler time. Some photographers market themselves as “fine art” film photographers, and you can expect film to be a large portion of what they offer on a wedding day. Other photographers dabble with it for fun, and may offer to take a few rolls of film for a flat rate.

Here’s a fun tip: if you like the idea of fun, candid moments captured on film, but don’t have the budget for or a photographer who offers it, consider buying a disposable camera for each of your reception tables and let the guests take the shots! They’ll have a blast, and you’ll have so many amazing, unique moments captured from them just having fun!

Timeline Assistance

Timeline assistance may not be listed on every photographer’s package, it is something that I think every wedding photographer should be doing. Somewhere in the process between booking and the wedding day, your photographer should be helping to make sure your timeline is appropriate for 1) your wedding desires and 2) their workflow. Some may do it simply over email, while others may schedule a meeting to go over it with you. I personally like to meet either in person or over video chat with each of my couples to make sure their wedding day timeline is set right. If you don’t see this listed anywhere in a potential photographer’s package, workflow, or FAQs, you may want to ask them about it!

Extra Fees

Alright, last but not least (actually, this may be least…) we need to talk about extra fees. These fees may include sales tax, travel fees, credit card fees, extra digitals, and more. I like to be upfront with each of my clients about any fees they will have before they book. For myself, this is primarily sales tax. North Carolina requires sales tax for wedding and portrait photography, but this varies from state to state. Some photographers may build it into the price you see, while others do not.

You may also find that your photographer charges a travel fee. This is often to cover the cost of hotel, gas, or airfare, and possibly meals as well. If you’re booking with a photographer outside of their primary city, make sure you ask about this!

Lastly, make sure you ask if there are any fees for credit card transactions, the use of digital images, or anything else in general! Weddings are expensive, and you want to make sure you’re sticking to your budget!

Alright, I believe that about covers it! Wedding photography is a big investment, and you want to make sure you’re getting exactly what you want for your day. If you’re looking for a photographer for your wedding and want to see what kind of packages I offer, fill out my inquiry form here and let’s chat! I offer customizable packages for every client. I want to make sure you have exactly what you want, and aren’t paying for anything extra!