There are many wedding packages out there, and they are not all created equal. Learn what elements make up the various packages, and learn what things to consider with each element. Whether you want a Parents’ Album, gift folios, or only the Bride and Groom’s Album, there are many variations to choose from. Learn all about them here.
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There are hundreds of different wedding packages available that depend upon the combination of services and products the photographer puts together. So, we will approach it by talking about the elements that are available to you. Remember, although photographers do bundle services and products to create packages, you can specify the services you want and get a quote on that alone.
As you saw from 1-8-4 Photography Subjects, you can hire a photographer to take photos before the ceremony, at the ceremony site, at your chosen photography site, and at the reception. You might choose to just have the photographer take pictures at your ceremony site covering your wedding ceremony and taking family and group pictures there. Or, you can mix and combine the subjects that are important to you.
The most important of all the products you can purchase is the Bride and Groom’s Album. Good quality albums that will keep the integrity of your photos intact for many years are costly. The best album manufacturers are Art Leather, Leather Craftsman, and Capri. The alternative is digital albums, which can combine your wedding photos with text and images. The cost between the traditional photo album and the digital album is not very different, so it really comes down to what you would prefer. The Bride and Groom’s Album usually ranges from $900 to $9000, which really depends upon how many subjects you chose in the last module, how good the photographer is, and how many photographs you chose for your album package.
Then there is the Parents’ Album—actually two albums, one for each set of parents. If your parents are divorced and remarried, then you will need to order yet more parents’ albums. Parents’ Albums usually contains about twenty to sixty 5 x 7 photographs. When choosing the photos for the parents’ album, personalize it by picking and choosing the key photos that will mean the most to them. Often, these albums can be further personalized with the bride and groom’s names and date of their wedding on the front cover.
Another product is a gift folio for the wedding party members, those who had a special duty at your wedding (like doing a reading at the ceremony), siblings, and close friends. This usually consists of two to four 5″ x 7″ photographs in a nice gift folio, or 8″ x 10″ photographs, 11″ x 14″ photographs. These can cost anywhere from $20 to $100, depending upon what you choose.
If you are getting proofs of your photos, you can save development costs if your photographer uses them as part of your album package. Your photographer keeps the proofs, but you can ask to purchase them and use them in your gift folios. Depending upon how many proofs they have, you could be paying between $100 and $800 for them.
If you choose to get an engagement portrait, or a formal bridal portrait, it will cost you anywhere from $75 to $250. An engagement portrait is used for newspaper engagement announcements. Formal bridal portraits are a regional phenomenon, which is a photograph of the bride in her full wedding attire that is taken a few months before the wedding so it can appear in the newspaper just after the wedding with a marriage announcement. In areas where this is a common practise, bridal salons often have a place to have the photograph taken after the final fitting of the gown. Otherwise, you will arrange to have the portrait done with your photographer.
The last thing to consider is purchasing the negatives. This is a good choice if you think you will need a lot of reprints. Canadian law states that anyone who takes the photo owns the copyright to the photo. Many photographers will not sell the negatives to their clients, although if you really want them, you can approach the photographer a few years later, and probably be able to pick them up for an inexpensive price. Negatives are usually kept for only a set number of years, determined by the photographer. If you are interested in the negatives, be sure to ask them how long they keep the negatives on file.