The Booking Process
Do you wish you knew the booking process before filling out that contact form, or at least knew what to expect? It’s a little uncomfortable and can be awkward not knowing what to ask or say when reaching out to or meeting with your photographer. Just in case you know exactly what I’m talking about, here’s a glimpse into what my booking process looks like.
I hit send, now what?
Once you fill out my contact form and hit send, your message pops into my inbox, where I try to respond as soon as possible. When I get back to you, I might ask you a few questions about you and your fiancé and/or your wedding planning to help me envision you as a person and not just another bride. I always serve best when I know who I’m serving. I’ll give you a run down on who I am and my approach, then leave it open for you to ask questions. I’ll attach my pricing guide and all the info for each package for you to look over.
I want to book you or I’m at least considering you as my photographer.
I always like to meet couples in person (or on FaceTime, if needed) for us both to get to know each other and for me to gather some info about who you are, your families, your hearts, and what you envision on your wedding day. I want to know what you anticipate most and what you hold dear. If you do decide to book me, I do have a contract for us to sign. That contract spells out the details of what/when/where you are booking me for, how much it will cost, and all of the details regarding the services to be rendered. I do require a non-refundable deposit at the time of booking (at the time of writing this post, the deposit is 10%). The non-refundable deposit is part of your overall cost, but if you terminate the contract, I keep that deposit and give back any extra that you paid.
Engagement shoot.
After booking, if you chose a package that includes an engagement session, we can start planning your ENGAGEMENT SESSION!!! I have found that some brides have family members or friends that want to take their engagement photos. If that is something you want them to do, that’s ok, but I encourage couples to have me do their engagement session. When I take your engagement photos, it gives us both a chance to laugh and get comfortable with each other. Then, when it comes to your wedding day, I’ll be able to work with you that much better as I’m following you like paparazzi or a third wheel.
Do you keep in contact or…
YES! I don’t constantly message you as you continue planning your wedding, but I do check in. I like to schedule the engagement session early enough so that you are able to receive the images before things start to get too crazy with your planning (see Intentional Wedding Planning if you need any tips on planning your wedding). About a month before the wedding, I’ll send a draft of the timeline for your day along with a shot list for formal family portraits. It’s a month before the wedding date because you usually know by then how long hair and makeup will take, where getting ready locations are, etc… Then, after any adjustments are made, it is ready to be sent out to the bridal party and family members so everyone knows where to be and when to be there. When creating the shot list, I start with a basic shot list that my brides can look over and revise if necessary (sometimes because of death or divorce some shots aren’t needed or need to be handled to delicacy).
Anything on my end?
I always let my brides know what I need them to handle (or delegate, as mentioned in Intentional Wedding Planning). You’ll need to have a box of details (rings, jewelry, perfume, invites etc..) that are easily accessible for me to grab when I arrive. This helps me get great “details” photos so I can get those knocked out without having to bug you on where the items are. Same for the groom, any details in a box and ready (watch, shoes, flask, suspenders, vows, etc…).
I always want to have great communication and I’m available to answer questions. If you’re wondering about something or if anything has changed for the wedding day, please shoot me a text so that I can stay up to date. Lastly, I always ask my brides for a day-of contact person. If something happens that’s out of my control (say, a fallen tree or a stopped train), I want to make sure the contact person is “in the loop” without bothering you or adding stress to your day.
Wedding Day!
This is the fun part. You marry your best friend and I am right there to document it all! When I get home, I back up all of the images on two separate external drives, then leave one in a fireproof safe. After I’m done editing the photos, your finished gallery is uploaded to an online gallery for you to download, share, print and enjoy!