It’s been over a decade since we started capturing weddings, and in that time, we’ve noticed similar questions popping up during consultations, and for good reason! Before we sit down to see if we’re the right fit, we wanted to answer the most common questions couples ask when they’re researching questions to ask their wedding photographer and videographer before booking. Whether you ultimately book with us or someone else, these are the questions we believe every couple should ask before hiring a wedding photographer and videographer in San Diego and Southern California.

How many weddings have you photographed/filmed?/How long have you been a wedding photographer/videographer?

Hayes and I both started our careers in the photography/videography industry back in 2016, when weddings truly fell into our laps.

Hayes started filming as a personal hobby, learning and editing videos with friends and family on YouTube. With camera experience under his belt, a friend asked if he’d help with a wedding coming up, and he agreed. Falling in love with the art of storytelling, he soaked in all the education he could from leaders in the industry and helped the same friend with weddings for years before branching out on his own.

My journey was a little different. Going to school for journalism, storytelling was all I dreamed of doing — telling people’s unique stories all over the world. In my first semester of college, I took a photo 101 class and was inspired by my teachers and the way they could convey so much without words. I started photographing portraits, always keeping my camera with me in case a story inspired me, and on a friend’s wedding day, the photographer forgot to charge his camera batteries, and I ended up taking over. Though I had no experience, looking through the photos that evening lit something inside me, and I’ve never looked back!

Since then, we’ve spent the last decade documenting weddings across San Diego and Southern California.

How would you describe your style, how much direction do you give, and do you include engagement sessions?

We approach each wedding differently because each couple is different — personalities, preferences, timeline, etc. During our consultations, we ask what our couples are drawn to and what’s most important to them on their wedding day. Is it the candid moments of parents crying? Family portraits? Feeling like a model? Being present with loved ones? We note those things and intentionally use that information to deliver a gallery that feels like them. Our style blends candid storytelling with natural direction, creating images that feel authentic while still looking polished and intentional.

It’s also a big reason why we gift engagement sessions in all our packages. During the session, we’re able to see how comfortable you are on camera. Are there things you’re insecure about? Do you like a lot of movement? More direction? Prefer lots of editorial shots? We’ll even show you the back of our camera so you can see exactly what we’re capturing, and we can tweak as we go. That time allows you to feel confident that we’re going to capture you exactly the way you’re hoping for, and that changes with every couple.

As far as coloring, we’ve always stuck to our signature, true-to-color editing style. Incorporating my background in journalism, it’s always been important to me that your wedding photos look like real life, so when you show the generations after you, it feels like they can step into those moments.

How many hours of coverage do we need? Will you help create our timeline?

Similar to how we approach style, every couple needs a different amount of coverage. All of our wedding collections begin with eight hours of coverage because we’ve found that’s the minimum most couples need to tell the story of their day without feeling rushed.

For weddings with multiple locations, large wedding parties, extensive family photo lists, or cultural traditions, additional coverage is often helpful.

After you inquire, we’ll send a questionnaire and create a draft timeline based on your plans. Our goal isn’t to squeeze a packed wedding day into the fewest hours possible. We want you to have enough coverage to fully enjoy your day while only investing in what you actually need.

How far in advance should we book our wedding photographer/videographer? How many second shooters do we need?

We recommend booking 9-12 months in advance, though many couples planning popular dates or venues choose to book even earlier. The sooner you inquire, the more likely your preferred vendors will still have availability.

We personally bring a second shooter for each service we provide. For example, if you book just wedding photography with us, you’ll have two shooters. If you book photography and videography, you’ll have a total of four shooters, two for each service. If the wedding day has more moving pieces than most, we may recommend an extra shooter, but as a rule of thumb, one second shooter per service is what we provide and recommend.

What equipment do you use, and how do you store our photos and videos?

A lot of couples ask these questions without really knowing what the “right” answers are, but we actually think they’re some of the most important.

Every couple should look for photographers/videographers who use full-frame cameras with high-quality lenses that provide printing capabilities for extra-large prints and viewing capabilities for large screens. You can always view a list of our latest gear HERE!

Storing your most precious memories is one of the most important aspects of our jobs, and we take it very seriously. On the cameras themselves, we have dual card slots, which means our cameras are recording two copies of everything we capture. This is important in case a card is corrupted. When we get home, the unedited files are saved onto a hard drive, and we keep the files on the cards until the final edits are delivered, as backups. Once you receive your photos and video(s), we store the final edits on a hard drive, as well as two different clouds, for one year after the wedding date. This ensures that your files are extra safe, no matter what happens.

How much does a wedding photographer/videographer cost?

While every photographer and videographer structures pricing differently, here’s what we’re commonly seeing in the San Diego wedding market in 2026:

• < $3,600 (each): Up-and-coming photographers or videographers who are building their portfolios
• $4,000-$6,500 (each): Middle-range creatives who have lots of experience, are well-known in their area for their talent
• $6,600-$9,900 (each): Upper-range creatives, who are more selective with their clientele and have ample experience
• $10,000+ (each): Luxury tier in high demand. Usually working with exclusive venues, planners, and clients

Can we see a full wedding gallery/video, how many photos will we receive, and how long does editing take?

We believe every couple should ask to see at least one full wedding gallery before booking any photographer, and personally send two full wedding galleries to every couple that does a consultation with us. If there’s a wedding at your venue specifically, we’ll be sure to send that to you, as well as a secondary gallery that has similar moments to your timeline. If we haven’t worked at your venue, don’t worry! We always do our research and get familiar with the venue beforehand so that we feel comfortable and confident on your wedding day. In fact, sometimes new venues make us even more creative! You can always view full wedding videos on our YouTube channel.

The number of photos really depends on the structure of your day. We promise between 85-90 photos per hour on a wedding, but that can change based on what your day looks like. That said, we don’t cap our photos, meaning you’ll get every photo that isn’t a duplicate, doesn’t have someone blinking, and isn’t blurry (unless it’s purposeful).

Engagement sessions take 30 days to deliver, and wedding photos and videos take 60 days to deliver. We hand-edit each one, including removing blemishes.

Do you offer print products? Do we get to choose the song on our wedding video?

We do! All of our galleries have a shop attached to it that allows you to order prints, photo books, cards, albums, etc from our lab partners and have them delivered straight to your door. If you’d like a custom album made by us, that’s also an option!

Legally, wedding videos have to be made with non-copyrighted music unless given a license by the song owner. If there’s a specific song you want, we can reach out and see if they’ll grant a license and how much it would cost. However, since most music labels won’t grant usage rights or offer at a substantial cost, we will try our best to find a song that is similar in tone to what you’re hoping for. Please let us know that in advance, as changing the song after we’ve edited it will cost an extra fee.

What happens if you get sick or have an emergency?

One question every couple should ask before booking any wedding photographer or videographer is what happens if an emergency prevents them from attending. Fortunately, in over a decade of weddings, we’ve never missed one. However, we maintain relationships with trusted photographers and videographers throughout Southern California and have contingency plans in place should an emergency ever arise. While we’ve never had to use those plans, we believe every professional wedding vendor should have them.

Why these questions matter:

Choosing a wedding photographer and videographer is about more than beautiful images and videos. These are the people who will spend more time with you than almost anyone else on your wedding day. Asking thoughtful questions helps you find a team whose personality, experience, and approach align with your vision, so you can feel confident and fully present on one of the most important days of your life.