Booking Your Wedding Photographer: What You Need to Know

I often get asked about the booking process, timeline, and workflow before and after the wedding. It makes sense—planning a wedding is a big deal, and for many of my clients, it's their first time navigating this journey. So, let's dive in and cover what to expect.


When to Book Your Wedding Photographer

One of the most common questions I get is, "How far in advance should we book you?" The answer is a bit tricky because it varies, but generally, the earlier, the better.

On average, my couples book me about 8-10 months before their wedding date. However, this can vary a lot. For popular Saturdays in the spring and fall, you might need to book up to a year in advance, sometimes even 18-20 months ahead.

But don’t worry if you're last minute—I’ve booked weddings just a month or even a few days before the big day. It's always worth checking my availability, especially for Fridays, Sundays, and weekdays just to see and make sure.

Photographers are usually high on the priority list, right after the venue, (read our story on Killeen Wedding Venues) In some rare cases, couples have booked me first and then chosen their venues based on my availability! My advice: book your photographer as soon as you can to secure your preferred date.

Even if I'm available when you first inquire, I might get another booking request shortly after who takes your spot.

In some instances if I’ve had extensive communication with a couple and I sense they want to book but haven't finalized things yet, I'll try to contact them if another couple inquires about the same date. However, I generally can’t hold a date for more than a day or two unless specifically requested. If I hold a date for a couple and they don’t book, I might lose out on another potential booking.

The booking process can take a few days to a week, involving inquiries, detailed conversations, and signing the agreement, but sometimes it’s much quicker—I’ve had couples book me within an hour of inquiring.

So, the bottom line is, I do my best to accommodate everyone, but ultimately, the first couple to sign the contract and pay the retainer gets the date.


The Booking Process

Booking me to photograph your wedding is straightforward. We can do it in person, or we can handle everything via email, including signing the agreement electronically and making the first payment online (or by mailing a check). I’ll need basic information (names, address, phone numbers, locations, etc.), your package selection, and the start and end times of your wedding day coverage.

I still recommended that you book even if unsure about the package you want, this will ensure that your date is reserved and locked in for you. You simply start with the Mini Package to lock in your date and upgrade later. If you’re not certain about the wedding day timing yet, an estimate of the start and end times is fine for now.

For most weddings I use a two-payment system. The first payment half of the total is due upon signing the agreement, and the final half is due at least 1 week before the wedding. There are times when I can break this up into thirds, but that ends up getting complicated for both parties.


That’s the gist of it! Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions or if you're ready to book. Make sure to look over my portfolio. I’m here to help make your wedding planning as smooth as possible!