Check your photographer’s contract before you pay the deposit.
What should you check in a wedding photographer contract?
Before you pay a wedding photographer's retainer, check whether it's refundable and comes off the total, how many hours and edited photos are included, when you'll get them and in what form, who owns the copyright and how you can use the photos, what happens if the photographer can't come, and what cancelling or moving the date costs.
One contract review free on every plan, no card.
What to find in the contract
7 things to look for, what each one means, and what to ask the photographer before you sign.
- 1
How much is the retainer, and when is the rest due?
Photographers usually take a booking fee or retainer to hold your date, then the balance a few weeks before the wedding. Check whether the retainer comes off the total price or sits on top of it, and whether any of it is ever refundable.
If an album or prints are ordered later, check whether they're priced in the contract now or quoted separately after the wedding.
What to ask before you sign
- Does the retainer come off the total?
- When is the balance due, and how?
- Is the album price fixed now, or quoted later?
- 2
What exactly is included on the day?
The contract should say how many hours of coverage you're booking, when they start and finish, and whether that includes travel time. Look for the number of edited photos to expect, whether a second photographer is included, and what an extra hour costs if the day runs late.
A package described only as "full day" can mean different things to different photographers, so get the hours in writing.
What to ask before you sign
- How many hours, from when to when?
- Roughly how many edited photos will we get?
- What does an extra hour cost on the day?
- Is a second photographer included, or extra?
- 3
When will you get the photos, and in what form?
Check how long after the wedding the photos will be delivered, whether that's an online gallery, downloads or both, and how long the gallery stays online. A gallery that closes after a few months means downloading everything before then.
If there's an album, check how long the design and printing take, and how many rounds of changes are included.
What to ask before you sign
- How many weeks after the wedding will we have the photos?
- Can we download full-resolution copies?
- How long does the online gallery stay up?
- 4
Who owns the photos, and how can you use them?
In the UK the photographer usually keeps the copyright and gives you a licence to use the photos. The licence should say what that covers: printing, sharing online, sending to family. Check whether it rules anything out, such as editing the photos or using them commercially.
Many contracts also let the photographer use your photos in their own portfolio, website or social media. If you'd rather they didn't, ask before you sign.
What to ask before you sign
- What does our licence let us do with the photos?
- Can you use our photos in your marketing, and can we say no?
- Can we have photos printed anywhere we like?
- 5
What happens if the photographer can't make it?
Look for what the contract says if the photographer is ill or has an emergency. Some send an associate they've chosen, some refund what you've paid, and some limit what they owe you to a refund of the fees.
If you booked a particular photographer for their style, check whether a replacement needs your agreement.
What to ask before you sign
- Who would come instead, and do we get a say?
- If no one can come, do we get everything back?
- 6
What does it cost to cancel or move the date?
Cancellation charges often rise as the wedding gets closer. Check what you'd owe at each stage, and whether moving the date counts as cancelling or can be done for a fee, subject to the photographer being free.
What to ask before you sign
- What would we owe if we cancelled at each stage?
- Can we move the date instead, and what does that cost?
- 7
What are you expected to provide?
Some contracts ask you to provide a meal and a break for the photographer, or to cover travel and accommodation beyond a certain distance. These are reasonable, but they're costs to put in the budget.
What to ask before you sign
- Do you need a meal, and when do you take breaks?
- Are travel or accommodation charged extra?
This page is general information, not legal advice. Every photographer’s contract is different, and none of the above replaces reading yours. If a contract matters to you, take proper legal advice on it.
Questions
- What should you check in a wedding photographer contract?
- Before you pay a wedding photographer's retainer, check whether it's refundable and comes off the total, how many hours and edited photos are included, when you'll get them and in what form, who owns the copyright and how you can use the photos, what happens if the photographer can't come, and what cancelling or moving the date costs.
- Do wedding photographers keep the copyright?
- Usually, yes. The photographer keeps the copyright and you get a licence to use the photos for personal purposes. Read what the licence allows, and ask if you need more.
- Is a photographer's retainer refundable?
- It depends on the contract. Many retainers aren't refundable if you cancel, but check what the contract says if the photographer cancels or can't attend.
- Is PlanHitch's contract review legal advice?
- No. The review reads a document and reports what it appears to say. It is not a legal review, it is not carried out by a solicitor, and it may not spot every fee, penalty or cancellation term. Use it to know what to ask, and if a contract matters to you, take proper legal advice on it.
- How much does the contract review cost?
- Every wedding gets one contract review free, on every plan, with no card needed. Premium, at £15 a month or £149 once, includes unlimited reviews.
Other contracts to check
Read your photographer's contract before you pay
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