Your Wedding Photography Questions Answered

Planning your wedding is an exciting journey filled with anticipation and dreams of your perfect day. At Dominic Smith Photography, we’re here to ensure that your photography experience is seamless, enjoyable, and tailored to your needs. To help you along the way, we’ve compiled this comprehensive list of frequently asked questions to address any queries you may have about our wedding photography services.

We understand that choosing a wedding photographer is a significant decision, and you likely have numerous questions about the process, packages, and what to expect. This FAQ page is designed to provide you with clear and concise answers to common inquiries, offering insights into our approach, pricing, and how we can make your wedding photography experience truly special.

 

How long is “Full Day”

This is normally from around the time hair and makeup arrive until after first dance. We always make a point of sticking around (commonly around 30 minutes to an hour) as long as people are up and dancing after your first dance because if we were to run for the door we could miss all of your guests enjoying themselves and letting their hair down. Every day is different of course and each couple have a different expectation and so we plan our day around what you need. The advantage to booking us for a full day is that should your day run a little late we are still with you on site and not up against the clock with a restriction of 6 or 7 hours which are running out!

When should I book my wedding photographer?

I usually advise to book as early as possible. In the same way as most venues only support a single wedding per day, your photographer can only work one as well. If you have your heart set on a specific photographer I would suggest booking them at the same time you book your venue. The same also applies for a videographer too. We normally book clients for wedding photography anywhere up to 2 years in advance, whilst we sometimes have the space to take on late availability weddings the earlier you book me the better!

When do you require payment?

For weddings within 12 months I always ask for 50% of the total amount as the booking fee and the remaining 50% to be paid 30 days prior to the wedding itself. If you are booking more than 12 months in advance then I will split the booking fee so 25% of the total is payable at booking and 25% 12 months before with the remaining 50% 30 days prior. That being said, we are of course human, and so if the large single payments are an issue we can always work out smaller payments or scheduling them around any other commitments. Please contact me if you have any concerns regarding this.

Can we meet with you before the wedding?

Absolutely. I always prefer to have a meeting with all Bride and Grooms around one month prior to their wedding day, this allows me to find out more about you as a couple and to make sure that I have all the important information to ensure the details that matter to you are covered. It also gives me an insight into your personalities and what makes you tick as a couple, this really helps when working the big day. For a lot of couples I try to have this meeting in person and often have evenings available to do this around work commitments but for those a bit further away or those wi0th more complicated schedules I can always use video chat such as Zoom or WhatsApp for the meeting instead.

We are having the wedding and reception at different locations, is this a problem?

This is not a problem at all and is quite common. When planning a wedding that is across multiple venues it is essential you work with the venues to ensure that all of the timings are known by everyone and that the timescales are reasonable and allow time for unexpected delays as well as achieve what you want/need to.

How far do you travel?

I am happy to travel to your wedding regardless of where it is. I include travel for approximately one hour from my location to your wedding. If your wedding is taking place outside of this radius then additional costs may be involved depending if overnight stays or excess fuel costs are incurred. With international weddings I can provide a custom quotation to include the travel requirements however these are also dependant on any visa requirements for the country in question.

How many photos should I expect?

This depends on the coverage you choose and on the specifics of your day. A normal full day can deliver 500 to 700 images. If you have activities such as gladiator style inflatables or bucking broncos then you can expect this number to rise. Another factor that influences the final number is the timeline of your day, the more time you spend socialising with your friends and family then the more candid photos we will take of this but if your timeline is very tight and we move from one moment to another quite quickly you will generally have a lower total count of images.

If we have sparklers will you photograph them?

Yes, although with a couple of caveats. We are unable to photograph sparkler exits and we also request that sparklers are done no later than just after first dance or as soon as the light allows in the case of Summer weddings this is due to previous experiences. Sparklers are still classed as a firework and as such do carry certain risks regarding both health and safety of those taking part but also in protecting your wedding venue. As it gets later in the night guests come under the influence of alcohol more and more and it becomes more difficult to ensure that sparklers are carried out safely and we have previously had incidents with drunk guests causing minor incidents.
Please don’t let that put you off however, sparklers can make a great addition to your day.LOVE Sparkler Photo at South Lodge Hotel