A wedding photography invoice is for the taking, editing, and providing professional images of a wedding ceremony. Typically, a request for the services provided will be submitted by the bride and groom. The photographer will submit an estimate through a work order detailing exactly what the photography will cover (e.g. photo editing, video, etc.). Once an agreement is made, a deposit or down payment is provided by the wedding party.

Table of Contents

• Wedding Photography Prices
• Wedding Photography Tips
• Wedding Photography Checklist

Wedding Photography Prices

A large set of factors go into determining the cost of production for your desired wedding photos, which should be laid out in detail before hand. No matter what type of package or agreement is made, the price should be locked in with no surprises. When dealing with reputable photographers with an established company, rarely do you need to worry about malpractice. Finding a quality photographer located in the same area where the wedding takes place is the first step at reducing the cost. Typically if the photographer needs to travel long distance to a wedding gig, it’s the bride and groom that’ll be picking up the cost.

Cost Breakdown

Total Average Cost – $800-$2,000

• Hours – A wedding photographer will be paid $50 on average when calculated into a package. Wedding photo shoot (6-8 hour), Editing (4-6 hours), Travel (1-2 Hours).
• Travel – Airfare, gas, miles, hotel accommodation is an additional charge if needed.
• Tip – Giving a tip, with cash or check, at 5-10% of the total package is the norm.
• Photographers/staff – A solo photographer will be much cheaper than having 2 or more. However, you will not have the ability to take photos of both the bride and groom when they are separated.

Contract

A wedding photography contract is absolutely needed when a photographer is hired by a bride and groom. This type of contract protects the photographer from liabilities out of their control, severe weather for example, and guarantees that they are paid. Important clauses found in a wedding photo contract:

• Payment – Normally a downpayment of 25% of the total amount is due when the contract is signed.
• Cancelation/Postponement – Allows the photographer to collect an additional fee in the couple cancels or postpones the wedding to another date. Photographers often collect 50% of the total amount if a couple cancels.
• Wedding Coordinator – States that if there is no official wedding coordinator, the photographer is in no way responsible for anything outside of taking photos and their specific task.
• Terms and Conditions/Copyright – Allows the photographer and the couple to state their preferences about who gets to do what with the photos after the wedding.

Packages

A wedding photography package often includes the following:

• A pre-wedding consultation
• 1 or 2 photographers to cover the entire wedding event
• 600-800 photos covering the pre-wedding, the ceremony, and the reception.
• Private access to photos online and downloadable.
• An album printed on quality paper (need to pay extra)

Wedding Photography Tips

• Photographers often use photos from previous weddings that they have worked on. By having clients sign a Print Release form, photographers can use images for promotional purposes and the client can use the same images for their personal use.
• Every camera produces a sound when a picture is taken. Turn off your camera shutter to reduce annoyances as it could disrupt videography from other recordings.

Wedding Photography Checklist

For photographers, every wedding procedure is the same but what the bride and groom want is always different. Use this checklist to get a good feel for what the bride and groom want before the wedding shoot begins.

1. Call the bride and groom early in the morning to configure a plan. Does the photographer stay with the bride and the bridesmaids while they get ready putting on makeup? And does the groom want pre-wedding photos taken with he and the groomsmen? It’s important to put a plan in place so that the photographers know what to do when they arrive.
2. Photos always mean more to the bride and it’s usually the bride that is contact with the photographers making the plans. Therefore it’s key to take portraits of the bride early. If you wait later in the day, any crying on the brides part will mess up her makeup and make for unwanted portrait shots.
3. Do not finish shooting until you have the following images: Bride with bridesmaids, with parents (both individually and together), with the maid of honor, with siblings, and the entire group.
4. Always be on the lookout for tender moments of the bride and her father, especially the dance.
5. After the cake is cut and the photos are taken, ask the bride and groom if there is anything else that should be done before calling it a day.
6. Upon completion of the wedding, try to shoot for 800 photos. This will give plenty of room to work with when editing.