Weddingbee boards

Our photographers still have the rights to our photos (meaning they can use them for advertising purposes, etc.) but we still have a disc of all of the high-res images and a "license for use" letter that we can show to anyone if they question the legality of us reproducing the images.  So I can still put all the photos on Weddingbee (as long as I credit their names), make prints and make albums to my hearts content.  I own the files, but I do not own the rights.  Make sure you discuss this with the photographer because it might not be a big deal!

ditto MrsCupcake - the important part is just that you get the HIGH-RESOLUTION files of  your pictures.  If you just get a DVD of low-res pics, you won't be able to make good copies/books/prints of them.

GOod Luck and Happy Planning!

Definitely ask your photographer about usage.  Usually they will give you some kind of personal use license, meaning you can't sell the photographs to a commercial magazine etc.  I agree with all the above posters about asking for a high-res DVD.  I noticed that this is not always included in photography packages, but is always available a la carte (at least from the many photographers I talked to).  Bottom line, talk to your photographer about this.  It's very unlikely that you will ask for something no one has before and they will guide you.  If you are very close to booking and this is the thing that might stop you, then let them know that too and see what they can do to help you out.

Another note is that most photographers will also be sensitive about how they use your photos commercially.  I was pretty clear that I esp. did not want photos of the children in our wedding party used in ads etc, and that generally I wanted to be notified if he was going to send another bride photos of our wedding (this is somewhat job-related for me, I just don't like a lot of images of me out there without my knowledge).  He said given my concerns he would definitely not include our photos in ad materials, and that he always contacted clients before sending out their proofs/slideshows etc.

KateMW, it depends on the photographers.  Ours were touched up to an extent, but not as much as if we were buying individual files or prints directly from our photographers (instead, we opted to buy the whole shebang of all of our photos).  But our rehearsal dinner photographer, Alison Conklin, edits all of her images (beautifully, I might add) before giving the disc of all images to her clients.  It is always important to ask about these things because different photographers may go about things in different ways.  I have the capability and know-how to edit our photos myself, but if you don't have that, it's good to make sure that the images your photographer gives you will already be touched-up to look their best.

But MayBee, not having the rights doesn't mean you can't do a lot with your photos.  It just means you don't have legal ownership to do anything you want with them outside of personal use (ie, you can create an album with the high-res images or post them on Weddingbee with credit to your photographers, but you just can't sell them to a magazine or use them in an advertisement).  There is a difference between obtaining the final high-res files for your own use and actually owning the actual rights to them.