Weddings : Frequently Asked Questions

Getting married is a BIG deal and there is always a multitude of questions that future clients like to ask. Please read through the FAQ below to get some insight into some of the more common questions asked.

How long have you been photographing weddings?

I have been photographing weddings since 2011!

Over this time I have photographed hundreds of weddings and elopements around Australia and overseas.

Where are you based?

I am based in Newcastle, NSW Australia.

I also travel around Australia and overseas to document weddings and elopements.

What is your pricing?

I offer a range of collections for weddings and elopements for my clients which suit any type of celebration.

I have a Pricing Guide which includes a tonne of information about myself, my photography and the collections I offer my clients.

To give you an idea, my clients spend between $3500 and $5000 for their bigger wedding celebrations. For intimate weddings and elopements the price starts from $1500 and varies based on the coverage/time they opt for when they book.

Please get in touch and I can send you my current pricing guide before you book me in.

How do we book you?

Booking is very simple! Simply head to my booking form to get your date locked in – https://www.jackchauvel.com/book/

Your date is secured after I have received a signed digital contract and a booking retainer ($1000).

Your booking will be managed by me via my secure booking website.

Do you travel for weddings?

YES! I love to travel and document weddings and elopements. It is one of my favourite things to do.

I include complimentary travel in all of my bookings for weddings within 2 hours of Newcastle.

I am more than happy to travel within Australia or overseas to document weddings and elopements. I always work out the most cost effective way to travel for every assignment (whether locally or internationally).

I have already been involved with destination weddings and elopements within Australia, Iceland (x2), Italy, Fiji and destination pre-weddings in Hong Kong, Bali, Italy, Scotland and England.

Click here to see some of these Destination Weddings.

What is a wedding collection?

Wedding collections are pre-packaged options for you to pick from when booking me. The collections are built around the most requested services/options that my clients look to book each year. I created these collections over the past 12 years to accommodate my clients and what means most to them.

My new pricing guide contains all of the information about my wedding collections and I love to share it! I found this was the best way to present my work to my enquiring clients.

How long is your normal wedding photography coverage?

I include a minimum of up to 9 hours of photography in each of my wedding collections. This is with a latest finish of 10pm (I will also stay later than 10pm, if you’ll have me!).

Every wedding is different, and every wedding day follows its own schedule and as such additional hours can be added to your booking if required.

Can we meet in person before the wedding?

Yes of course! Post COVID the trend has been to do most meetings remotely via video chat. I love meeting up with couples (wherever possible) whether it be at an engagement shoot or simply over a coffee/drink in the lead up to the day to get to know each other in person and chat about your wedding plans.

Do you offer wedding albums?

I love my wedding albums and showing them off to anyone who asks. They are a beautiful representation of your wedding celebration in something you can hold, touch and enjoy f or many years to come. They become a family heirloom, a one of a kind book that tells your story.

I personally love the feel of holding images in the print form of a wedding album. I like to keep things simple, so I offer a ‘square’ format lay-flat fine art matte albums.

Click here to have a look at my gallery of albums (which shows off just how awesome they are!).

What wedding album options are available?

I offer (as a base) 10″ x 10″ and 12″ x 12″ sized albums which all compliment each other in the way they tell a story. All of my albums come with 30 spreads (60 pages) as standard which is plenty of spreads to tell your wedding story in. The albums can be upgraded to a total of 40 spreads (80 pages) if you’d like to fit even more in.

There are a number of album cover and embossing options that you can choose from. As standard; included in my album pricing is one of the of the linen/book cloth options as well as front cover embossing).

There are also a number of additional album upgrades that you can order/purchase for your album including additional embossing, custom embossed designs, album slip cases and of course additional album spreads for your design.

Please consult my pricing guide for the full information.

I have samples of each album that I offer, and I am more than happy to show you exactly how awesome they are in person. They can be ordered at any time before or after the wedding day.

Since I design in a square format that can be translated from the largest size, to the smallest; it allows me to produce the one design across multiple formats. From this I can also create parent albums (which are a duplicate of a main album) for parents upon request.

All albums include the album design process and a 3 stage process of design and delivery.

Am I able to purchase an album after my wedding day?

You are able to purchase an album (or three) before or after your wedding day. I have capped the time period at 12 months from the date I deliver your photos for you to take advantage of the included initial design & design change sessions. After 12 months there will be a small consultation fee for us to get together to discuss and design your album.

What information do you need before the wedding day?

I like to keep things simple so do my best to gather all the information required before the wedding day. I do this by sending out a ‘Wedding Questionnaire’ around 6 weeks out from the wedding. In short however, the following information below definitely helps out on the day (and I am more than happy to help plan aspects of the day if you are unsure).

  • Run sheet: A basic running schedule of the day. It must cover the times of arrivals/departures, significant events and allocated times for portions of the day.
  • Significant photo list: As much as I would love to be, I am not a mind reader. I will capture your day as I see it, however if you have some significant moments, items, people that you would like an emphasis on then please communicate this with me before the wedding day. Communication is key for both of us, so that I understand your expectations and you understand my knowledge of your wedding day.
  • Group photos & allocated time: If you want group photos on your wedding day, having some allocated time and a list of groups will make this process much easier. It should take no more than 15 – 20 minutes and be stress free. Taking the casual approach usually leads to a lot of stress and potentially missing out some groups.
  • All of the locations (exact addresses): I use this information to plan how I am getting around, and this can be a bit tricky especially if in a different city, state or country so the right information is always appreciated. I have knocked on the wrong house before, due to getting an incomplete address!
  • The important contacts: There are times that I need to get in touch with people in a rush, so it is always handy if I have not only your immediate contact numbers but those of others who are playing a big role in the day (parents, bridesmaids/groomsmen). This is usually all covered in the Wedding Questionnaire.

How long do you need for photos on the wedding day?

One of the most enjoyable and fun parts of the day is my session capturing some lovely portrait photos with you. More time is never a bad thing.. I understand a wedding day can be full on and busy, but I sure do appreciate having an adequate amount of time for portraits. How long do I need? I need 15 – 30 minutes for group/family photos, 15 – 30 minutes for wedding party photos (with your wedding party) and up to 1 hour with your good selves on your own (so let’s say 2 hours total, 90 for the portraits). This is generally enough time with a buffer if we run over time. The last thing you want to do is rush around on your wedding day, but if things run a little bit late, then we usually lose some time for portraits.

I wrote a little article about ‘light’ and how to make the most of it for Wedshed.

I love the light I see in the late afternoon often in your photos, How can we shoot in this light?

I actually wrote an article about this very subject for Wedshed. First and foremost, the weather has to be right for this on the wedding day. It cannot be done when it is overcast, or raining. Second of all it is all about timing, the best light is during the golden hour, which is the 30mins before and after sunset. You can quite easily search for the sunset times and check when sunset will be on your wedding day. Thirdly it comes down to timing, there needs to be enough time during this ‘golden hour’ or around that time of the day to be able to capture the light as it dramatically changes. Quite often it might be a few minutes after you leave that the light gets truly amazing, so it is worth having a buffer of time to be able to accommodate and utilize this to the fullest. Finally it comes down to location, a spot where you can see the setting sun or catch the last of that light as it warms up the landscape and falls away behind the horizon. It can be quite easy to be hidden in the shade or in a spot where that light never really falls (think beach in the East with hills/cliffs blocking the afternoon light).

I know a lot about light and am always happy to plan a location and time to make the most of it. I love shooting in amazing light, and my photos certainly reflect this.

What if it rains?

The one thing you have absolutely no control over on your wedding day is the weather. I would like to say that I have never had to shoot a rainy day wedding (but that would be lying). Having said that.. not everything is lost with a little bit of rain. You need to (in your planning phase) of your wedding day, have a wet weather plan. This is very much location based (indoor wedding/outdoor wedding) but also the type of weather the area of your wedding attracts. Shooting in the rain is fine, I have done so many times.. but shooting in the rain with gale force winds is difficult. I will do it, but will you stand in it? I am more than happy to discuss your wet weather plan and add my own point of view of how we can approach photos if the weather does not come to the party.

In the majority of cases everything pans out and all the shots are captured, but if we get rained/weathered out for the bridal photos (just the two of you) then I offer a post-wedding shoot. This means we can go back to the wedding location and shoot in the surrounding area, OR shoot an area which will compliment the both of you and your wedding day.

How will we receive our photographs?

I have spent a long time designing how I deliver your wedding photos, to suit the style of photographs I shoot and the presentation I feel my clients deserve. The images are edited and print ready, in high resolution and web resolution sizes. They are delivered on USB and in an Online Gallery in a beautiful bespoke package. Without giving the surprise away, I want it to feel like an experience and for it to be something that you keep and enjoy for years to come.

How many photos will we receive?

The number varies greatly from wedding to wedding (and I never put a cap on the photos I deliver). Your story is unique, and that is all that matters to me.

On average I deliver 1000-1500 edited photographs in a mixture of colour and black & white.

Of the photos we receive, will they all be edited?

Yes, I edit all of my photos one by one. Rest assured, I spend a great amount of time on each wedding making sure they are just right for delivery. I am a firm believer that the time spent is worth it for the final product (even if it means a little wait to receive them). They are delivered in high resolution and web resolution sizes with no watermarks at all. They are your photographs to enjoy and use.

How long do you take to deliver the photos?

I will deliver a small preview of the photos to you within a few days of the wedding. I need 8 (eight) to 12 (twelve) weeks from the wedding day to deliver the final set of images. I put a lot of time and effort into the final curation of your images and good work cannot be rushed.  If I require a touch longer than the 12 weeks I will get in touch and let you know (life happens!). If you need some specific images sooner than this turn around; I am more than happy to accommodate these requests and discuss this option with you.

2022 Update: Due to COVID and fitting in all the postponed weddings (as well as new ones) I am currently delivering final sets of images beyond 12 weeks. I am making sure to keep everyone up to date and informed, but always happy to discuss this with my clients.

Do you have backup gear?

YES! I take this very seriously and have backup camera bodies and lenses that I take to each and every shoot. This includes additional memory cards and everything I need to securely capture your wedding/elopement.

Do you have insurance?

Yes, I am fully insured and ready to work. I have my own public liability insurance and I can provide this to your venue (church/reception) as required. I renew this in July each year, and therefore if your wedding is taking place after July (in the current calendar year) I will provide this once it renews and I receive my updated policy.

Do you offer video/videography?

I do not over video for weddings and elopements. I am a one man band who focuses on what he does best, photography! However I work with many wonderful videographers on a regular basis and I am always happy to recommend vendors that I enjoy working with. You can see some of these recommendations here – https://www.jackchauvel.com/wedding-vendors/