What's Actually in Our Wedding Photography Contract
Most couples sign a wedding photography contract without reading every line, and we understand why, contracts are full of formal language that can be hard to wade through when you're juggling a hundred other wedding planning tasks. But a contract is there to protect both of you and us, so we thought it was worth walking through the main parts of ours in plain English. Here's what's actually in it, and why.
Booking, payment and what happens if plans change?
When you book with us, a non refundable booking fee secures your date. That fee comes straight off your total price, it is not an extra cost on top. The remaining balance is then due 4 weeks before your wedding day.
If your plans change and you need to cancel, any money already paid is not refunded, since that booking fee and any payments reflect us turning away other couples for your date. If cancellation happens less than 8 weeks before your wedding, an additional payment equal to half the total contract value is also due. This isn't a penalty in the sense of punishing you, it reflects the real loss involved in losing a booking that close to the date, when there is very little chance of filling that space with another wedding.
Why we're the only professional photographer
at your wedding?
Our contract includes an exclusivity clause, meaning we are the only paid, professional photographers working at your wedding. This covers other hired photographers, videographers, or content creators acting in a professional capacity as a second professional photographer. You would be surprised by the amount of videographers and content creators who rock up to couples weddings having been hired by the couple to do their role, but want to try their hand at professional photography on the day as well. It does not apply to guests or family members taking photos on their phones etc, and that's completely normal and we don’t have a problem with that at all.
The reason for this clause is simple, when multiple professionals are trying to capture the same key moments at once, people get in each other's way, and it becomes much harder to get clean, unobstructed shots of things like your first kiss or your vows. If an unauthorised professional does turn up on the day, we reserve the right to ask them to step back, and we are not responsible for any images we miss as a result of that kind of interference. If you're considering booking anyone else in a professional capacity for your day, just have a chat with us first so we can make sure everyone is on the same page.
Who owns the photos, and what you can do with them?
The images we take remain our property, along with all digital files, and they are protected under copyright law. What you receive is the right to use your photos for things like printing, sharing, and personal use, but using them for commercial use or one of your vendors using them for commercial use without permission isn't something we can allow, and it's actually against the law regardless of what's in our contract specifically. This also includes being used in the media both online and in print. However if you do have a commercial usage requirement, we are always happy to have a chat about it.
We also ask for permission to use images from your wedding in our own portfolio, website, and social media, since that's how future couples get to see our work. If there's ever a specific image you'd rather we didn't use publicly, just let us know, we're always happy to talk about that.
What happens if something goes wrong?
We take creative and artistic license when it comes to posing, locations, and the overall number of images taken, our experience and judgement guides those decisions on the day. We also can't guarantee an exact number of images, though we always aim to give you more than you'd expect.
On the rare occasion something happens to us, like sudden illness, we may need to arrange another photographer. Weather and venue or celebrant restrictions are also things neither of us can control, and our contract reflects that we can't be held responsible for the impact those things have on your final gallery. We also can not accept any responsibility for missed moments caused by unprofessionalism from other wedding vendors or unruly guests.
If something ever goes wrong or you have a concern, we ask that complaints are raised with us in writing within 28 days of you becoming aware of the issue, or within 28 days of receiving your images. This gives us a clear window to sort things out properly rather than letting concerns sit unresolved.
This is a summary written to make things easier to understand, not a substitute for reading your actual contract in full, and we always encourage you to ask us anything before you sign.