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I just gave our photography contract to my FI to read. He threw a fit when he saw the clause about paying 50% deposit up front, and the remaining balance is due 2 weeks prior to the wedding date. He is NOT okay with paying everything before the photographer actually shows up, shoots the wedding, and gets us a product back. I'm not sure what to do. The clause states if we do not pay the remaining 50% 2 weeks prior, then we are charged 15% interest until the balance is paid in full.
Is it common to pay 100% before the wedding? She shot our e-pics, but they were a gift to us (photog is a good friend of FI's mom) and we haven't gotten them back yet.
We paid upfront. I think it was 50% deposit and then 25%, 25% or something like that. In any case, yes it was due about two weeks prior to our wedding.
Hmm, I can kind of see your point. We paid 50% upfront, with the remainder due upon receipt of our photos.
Unfortunately, this is standard practice. They want 50% down as a good faith deposit and then they want to be paid in full two weeks prior to the event to make sure your payment clears.
I would be upset too. Our final payment is due when we receive our book of pictures.
I don't know if it is common or not, but it is the same thing with my photographer. And she is not cheap either :-\ I am thinking of just asking what would happen if I were unhappy? How is that dealt with after she already has been paid for the job? I was less worried about it at the time because my first choice photographer was booked and I was getting nervous, so I just booked her, but now I do think about that and wonder. I do have some great references for mine though so I am not really THAT worried about being unhappy with them, but hey, you never know. . mistakes do happen. My friend got married and her photog lost the photos of the grooms family. They were so crushed.. Anyway, sorry for the rant. I am in the same boat.
I paid/pay mine in thirds. So 1/3rd was the down payment. Another third is due a few months after we get our e-pictures back. And the final payment is due like 2 weeks before the wedding. I guess it would make me uneasy as well if I didn't trust my photographer so much. I stalked her for like 2 years AND she is a friend/acquaintance of mine :)
I think all of my payments are pretty much due a few weeks before my wedding. That includes venue, DJ, and something else, cake maybe? And then the others are due the day of (bagpiper and something else). Baha, I dunno :)
@kperry3: Twin date!!
And I'm also paying in thirds, 50% down, 25% 3 months before, and last 25% two weeks before. But, he's the best in the area and I hear great things about him from everone. I also do think it is common.
My balance was due 2 weeks before as well. I think its common. I think photographers know that often if they dont get paid up front, they don't get paid at all.
This is very common! The 50% deposit is to hold your date, from that moment on they tell all prospective clients that your date is booked & that turns business away. Before signing, try google-ing reviews on your photographer. Its typically either 50% deposit & the rest due before the wedding OR its 1/3rd payments (1/3 deposit, 1/3 before wedding, 1/3 either before wedding or before you get prints). Every photographer is different thou.
You don't want to deal with paying the photographer on your wedding day. Are you going to carry around that much cash? What will the photographer do with all that cash? If you pay by check, the photographer could worry it could bounce (sometimes its hard to keep track of all the checks you write out the day of the wedding). As a photographer, its best to get paid before the wedding. Plus, then we can start editing your photos right after your wedding (vs waiting for the couple to return from their honeymoon).
As a photographer, its very awkward to ask for payment at or after the wedding. One of my friends (a photographer) unfortunately had to do this once, it was very awkward to ask for payment from the bride/groom & they said they didn't owe them anything! It was a HUGE mis-communication. They never got paid.
That is the standard way to do business in the photography world. If you don't agree with that, I would suggest paying with a credit card so that you have recourse if they don't give you the pictures or something.
One of my friends is a wedding videographer, and when she was starting out, she let people do the remaining 50% payment after the wedding. After the 5th time she had to take someone to small claims court to get the money, she decided she'd never do that again. I think the liklihood of customers bailing on paying is way higher than the liklihood of the photog not giving you the finished product!
Hmm, I don't know what to do now!
She isn't terribly well known, the only reason I heard of her is because she knows my FMIL. Her work isn't spectacular, but it's decent and she offered to do our e-pics for free and give us a discount on whatever wedding package we chose should we book her to do the wedding. It's still a large sum of money to me ($2500 total). She has no reviews that I've been able to find.
I wouldn't mind breaking it into thirds, 1/3 deposit, 1/3 prior to wedding, remaining 1/3 when I get pics or something. :/ I read on a website that one should never 100% prepay because it does not protect the consumer, only the vendor. But if it's common practice, what's a girl to do??
I would ask the photog to give you references, and then grill them. I would also ask to see entire weddings they have shot so that you can see the quality from start to finish!
I, too, require 50% to hold the date, and final payment 5 days before the event. I've never had anyone have a problem with this. The one time I gave someone a little wiggle room and told her she could pay after the wedding never gave me the payment. Of course, she didn't get her pictures either but it was a full days work (like 9 am-11pm) with only 1/2 of my pay. And FWIW there is a clause in my contract stating that if the client is not happy I will do my best to rectify the situation including, but not limited to, a refund.
Do you not have to pay your other items before the date? My venue, coordinator, chair/linen rental place and car service requires payment 7 days before event.
I'm not sure what is normal, but we had to pay $500 fee to hold our date. Then the final fee was paid after the wedding. We made small payments when we could before the wedding though, to make the final payment not as painful. Plus we didn't know exactly how long we wanted them to stay at the reception so it depended on that. Also, I wasn't giving them full payment until I saw the proofs and got what I had wanted.
@serabell- I don't actually plan on doing this, but I guess it wouldn't really matter if I paid the photog at the wedding. Doesn't etiquette say you're supposed to have a handful of envelopes with money in them to tip all of your venders anyway?
I guess I'm just nervous since this is such an important thing to me, and it would be a lot of money to lose if something went wrong and she didn't end up shooting the wedding. :/ I know my FI has been screwed over on things that he paid for in full prior to receiving the service, so I'm guessing that's why he's upset about it. Sigh.
I really appreciate all of your help bees!
@shedays-The venue (ceremony and reception), cooridnator, DJ, both cakes, catering, and ALL decor (table linens, chairs, chair covers, centerpieces, floral ceremony decor, etc) are all included in our venue pricing. We've already paid a deposit, and the final money will be due at least two weeks before the wedding, mainly d/t the caterer needing to know the final head count and what it will cost. We won't be paying for any transportation.
The only separate contracts we will have are the photog and the personal flowers (bouquets and bouts). I haven't met with the florist yet.
Mine wanted 25% down, and the rest the day of or prior. But when I asked him, he said we could do 25%, 50% and 25% when we picked up our prints.
Like others have said, different photographers do different things, but 50 percent deposit to book and the rest before the wedding is standard practice. Photographers don't want to put 30-40 hours into editing without payment secured. If your fiance is nervous read through your contract- there should be clauses protecting both you and the photographer. If those aren't in there you should go with someone else.
My payment plan is 25% to book the date, 50% of the remaining balance at the halfway point to the wedding and final balance two weeks before the wedding. I have never had a problem with this. The one time a client tried to negotiate to have her final payment after the wedding and after she viewed the pictures I turned her away.
You don't pay the balance on your dress after you wear it and don't look fat in it. You don't pay the balance on your cake after you eat it and it's not dry. You don't pay the limo after they don't get lost on the way to your wedding reception. No other vendors work like that and it is industry standard for any real professional to require full payment 2-4 weeks in advance of the wedding.
You should trust your photographer enough that it is a non issue. Photographers who ask for less than 50% up front are also risking getting burned if your wedding is canceled and they have turned down other work. I lost $5k worth of income this year after two brides called off their weddings after only paying the deposit and I had turned down other inquiries for their dates. It's a trust/trust situation. If you don't trust, you shouldn't hire. I have learned my lesson the hard way and now I have to consider asking a higher deposit.
My photographer asked for 25% deposit and the rest 2 weeks before the wedding, but when I expressed concern with this, she was more than willing to allow 25% deposit, 50% two weeks prior and 25% on the date of the wedding. Try asking!
We had to pay a 25% deposit to hold the date, and the remaining 75% at the wedding. So I guess he's not worried about the check clearing, and obviously we know he'll show up. It doesn't seem that crazy to me to pay in full beforehand though. You're hiring a photog based on their work, and you're hiring them to do a specific task (shoot your wedding and supply you with prints/files as agreed upon in your contract). I assume your contract doesn't say anything about payment based on your assessment of the final product, so it makes sense to me to pay before.
We paid up-front for our photographer, and I think that's standard (although some may let you pay later, I think that's more unusual).
@BRbee: Her level of talent is irrelevant when it comes to this sort of thing. You are paying for a service, so why should she risk shooting your wedding and not being paid for it? Not that you would do that, but there are many who would. I know some photogs who used to split it who are waiting to be paid months after the wedding, and they already spent the time shooting and can't get that time back. Most photographers have a non-refundable deposit with a clause that states what happens if they don't show up.
Whether you like the photos you get is also irrelevant, because you are paying her for her shooting time. That's why it's so important not to hire someone you have any doubts about. Look at a full wedding and make sure you like the work you're buying. Unfortunately if you don't that's on you when you get the photos back and don't like them.
@LBPhotography: As always, excellent advice. Please make sure though, that the photographer you are using is reputable and has been around. You don't want this to happen to you using the "cheap new guy" on the block.....
http://www.weddingbee.com/reviews/semenick-photography-llc (read the last few reviews)
+1 to LB and User.
Although, you might be paying more for a reputable studio you are also assuring yourself that they are good business people and will not take your money and run so to say. Unfortunately this happens quite a bit in the fact that low priced photogs and newbies book all these weddings, take a deposit and burn out before they finish all the weddings they booked. This is why it's important to get references, reviews and do your research on anyone you hire.
We personally take a 1/3 deposit and require full payment 30 days prior to the wedding. When we started out we would take payment day of. We had one client write us a bad check and went on a month long honeymoon. Another who bounced and then disappeared all together, they never received their images but ended up divorced 4 months after the wedding. The last time we had a groom give us 2k in cash at the beginning of the wedding. My poor husband was so stressed about having that money on him he had a hard time focusing on making images. We move around a lot, it's not like the baker, florist or DJ who either drop stuff off or stand in one spot all night. We also have to set our gear bags down. Most photogs have their gear insured if something happens but how would you prove that money was taken?
There are only so many days we can book a wedding through out the year and really count on this payment as income to keep our business going and food on our tables. Not to mention how after we are with you through this emotional day how awkward it is to asked to be paid at the end of it.
We paid 50% upfront and then the remainder after the wedding. Actually, my FIL was supposed to have written a check on the day of the wedding but forgot his checkbook. So our photographer didnt end up getting paid until a few days after our wedding. I would be leary of paying 100% up front as well.
Wow i must be lucky, all my photographer required was 500.00 deposit and then i can pay it off monthly and must be all paid before the wedding.
Yeah, I would say that this is pretty common. We paid a $1,000 deposit and the rest was due 2 weeks prior to the wedding.
Thats exactly what my photographer does. Most of my vendors in fact are the same way. Rest of payment is due 2 weeks before date. I think its standard practice.
@BeeM: I 100% agree!
I paid a 10% deposit when I booked, then 40% at 5 months prior to the date, and my final payment (50%) is due on the morning of the wedding before she starts shooting (by VISA).
If you have a big problem with paying before you have the pictures, I don't think it would be unreasonable to try to negotiate paying 50% upfront, 40% 2 weeks before the wedding, then waiting to pay the last 10% until you have the photos. That is less of a risk to your photog so she might go for it!
@anon12345: For reasons stated above, I wouldn't accept those terms. !00% paid up front, except extras ordered.....those are paid in advance of receipt.
@shedayz: date twins!
OP as most everyone has said, this is common practice in the photography world. i'm a photographer and i require the exact same things. i do however, let the couple split up the payments with the balance due the night of the rehersal dinner. i know it seems like a crazy amount of money, but by paying it before, it's one less thing that you have to worry about the day of.
if you are concerned about the quality of work, ask for her portfolio or see if she would be willing to show you the 'reject' shots from her previous weddings. i had a couple ask me to do this when i was first starting out (i was hesitant) but they actually liked some the work that i didn't have in my portfolio. this will give you a better idea of their style. also, if it's logistically possible you can set up a time where you can check out the venue site, where you'll be getting dressed, etc. so that the photographer gets a better sense of the environment. i do this as well as attend the rehersal dinner which i use as a practice shoot for the wedding day.
We had this exact same discussion a few weeks ago! FI also did not like the idea of paying in full 60 days before the wedding according to our photographer's contract. We found it to be standard with almost all of the photogs we looked at. We just relied on his good portfolio and references, so we just have to trust he will honor the contract.
Sounds normal to me too-you pay a retainer fee and then the balance within two weeks of your wedding date.
Ours isn't quite that but it is all due 2 weeks before the wedding.
I thought this was normal. We paid our deposit and the rest is due before the wedding.
@BRbee: well, what I meant was almost everyone besides the caterer (because of head count) is going to require payment before the day. Just to ease your mind about the situation. 
This is pretty standard among succcessful/established photographers.
Let's put it this way, if you think giving the photographer all the money upfront and then not trusting him that he'll show up to shoot your wedding, then you probably should not consider him shooting your wedding to begin with.
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