Wedding Photography FAQ: Resource for Engaged Couples

January 24, 2023

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Planning a wedding can be overwhelming and can bring up a lot of questions! In today’s blog post, I’m answering the most frequently asked questions I get during wedding consultation calls to help you with wedding planning and choosing the photographer that’s best for you! Some of these questions are specific to my business and some of these are general. I hope this resource helps!

QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO JORDAN SIMONE PHOTOGRAPHY:

01. Why should we do an engagement session?

There are several reasons why you should highly consider an engagement session! For one, this is such a special moment in your lives that deserves to be documented, and you’ll have tons of photos to remember it by! Secondly, it’s a great way to get to know your photographer and get more comfortable in front of the camera. Your photographer spends most of the wedding day with you, so getting to know them beforehand helps you feel more relaxed and like a pro on the big day.

02. How many photos do we receive in our gallery?

On average, I deliver 75-100 professionally edited photos per hour of coverage.

03. Do you charge for travel?

Yes. Anything under 100 miles of travel by car is included in all session and wedding prices. Anything over 100 miles by car incurs a small fee per mile. If it’s a destination session or wedding that requires airfare or accommodations, this will all be factored into the total proposal price.

04. Do you edit the photos that will be included in our gallery?

Yes! All photos are edited by me and I review them a few times before uploading them to your gallery.

05. Do you offer sneak peeks?

Absolutely! After your wedding day, you’ll receive 50 professionally edited sneak peeks within one week.

06. How soon will we receive our images after the wedding?

For a full wedding gallery, the turnaround time is 6-8 weeks after your wedding day. Sneak peeks are delivered within one week. Expedited editing for galleries and sneak peeks is also offered as an add-on!

07. Do you shoot film?

I offer 35mm film as an add-on to all wedding packages! It’s such a fun way to incorporate a nostalgic and vintage aesthetic into your wedding gallery.

08. How do you protect our images?

Protecting your images start in-camera by shooting on dual memory cards – essentially every image I take is backed up onto two identical memory cards in case one becomes corrupted. The night of your wedding, all images are then backed up to an external hard drive. This hard drive is also connected and backed up to an offsite cloud system. I take all possible measures to protect your wedding images!

09. How many photographers will there be on our wedding day?

If you’ve booked 6-10+ hours of coverage, you’ll have two wedding photographers (me and another professional)! If your wedding is on the more intimate side with 2-5 hours of coverage, I’ll be the one to document all of your special moments, but you’re always welcome to add a second shooter to your day!

10. What wedding add-ons are offered?

Add-ons include 35mm film, rehearsal dinner coverage, bridal shower coverage, expedited editing for galleries and sneak peeks, and wedding content creation.

Married couple kissing on their wedding day

GENERAL WEDDING QUESTIONS

01. When should you reach out to wedding photographers?

In short, if you’re having a traditional wedding, you’ll want to reach out at least 9-18 months in advance of your wedding date.

Busy season for wedding photographers (especially on the east coast) is typically April – June and September – November. If your wedding is on a Saturday during this timeframe, it’s best to reach out closer to 12-18 months in advance. It’s always a good idea to reach out sooner rather than later – this way you can take your time searching for photographers that match your vision and set up consultation calls.

02. Should we do a first look?

The choice is totally up to you! Here’s some advice to help you make your decision. First looks are a great option if you’d like to get family, wedding party, and couple portraits out of the way before the ceremony and festivities so that you can enjoy cocktail hour with your guests. However, if you have a small immediate family and wedding party, there’s a good chance you still might be able to enjoy the second half of cocktail hour if you choose to first see each other down the aisle. In my experience, first looks and a ceremony reveal both stir up emotion and happy tears!

03. How long do family photos typically take?

Depending on the size of your immediate family and who you would like to include in formal family portraits, they can take anywhere from 15 minutes – 45 minutes. I recommend keeping the list for family portraits on the shorter side. More informal photos with specific guests and larger groups can always be taken during cocktail hour and/or reception. Another helpful tip is to let everyone you’d like for formal portraits, know exactly when and where they will be needed. For example, if family portraits are directly after the ceremony, make sure those family members know to stay in the ceremony location and not wander off.

04. We want to feel relaxed on our wedding day – what’s the best way to make this happen?

The best way to make sure you get to soak up every minute and have some alone time as newlyweds is to build in some cushion to the photography timeline. This might mean extending your photography coverage from 30 minutes to 1 hour so that the entire day doesn’t feel like one continuous photo shoot and you don’t feel rushed or overwhelmed.

05. What are detail items we should have ready for our photographer?

Here’s a list of items that you can bring for detail photos! You certainly don’t need all of these though.

GROOM:

shoes
bow tie or tie
cufflinks
watch
cologne
vow book
letter from your partner
boutonnière
sunglasses
other sentimental items

BRIDE:

save the date and invitation
shoes
engagement ring, wedding bands
jewelry (earrings, bracelet or necklace)
perfume and/or lipstick
hair accessories
loose florals from florist
veil
vow book
letter from groom
other sentimental items

06. What’s the best way to make sure we’re staying on time for the events of the day?

Here are some tips to make sure the timeline runs smoothly.

A wedding planner or day of coordinator can be extremely helpful with organizing all of the details for the day and making sure people are where they need to be on time
Make sure to give the timeline to your wedding party and immediate family members so that they know exactly when they’re needed for photos and other events
If there’s transportation to and from different locations, make sure that person has a copy of the timeline, and knows exactly when they’ll be picking up and dropping off.
Have all of your details in one location where you’re getting ready for when your photographer arrives so that you don’t need to go searching for any items

I hope that this list helps you with wedding planning and choosing your photographer!

If you think we would be a good fit together and you love my work, feel free to reach out to see if I’m available for your date! Can’t wait to hear from you 🙂