Investment Guide (Extended)

Pricing | Elopements & Weddings

What does “full” elopement/wedding coverage entail?

This means I’m with you from getting ready until your day ends. That looks different per every elopement, wedding, & couple. Generally, you can expect that your day will start with at least 6 hours of coverage and would not exceed 12, but every elopement & wedding experience is unique.

I think that the wedding industry/photography industry has created the idea that you only need 2-4 hours of coverage for an elopement or 6 hours for a wedding, so that’s what couples invest in. Those days most often feel stressful & pressured because we are trying to cram everything in to a very specific amount of coverage. Most couples do not know how much elopement/wedding coverage they ACTUALLY need. Your timeline should consider everything from carving out time for all of the things important to you, how much time should be allotted for photos in general, location(s) & lighting, creative space, cushion time if you need it, & just space to breathe and soak it all in. Your day is full of potential! 10/10 times, it’s better to have too much time than not enough. There are so many ways to fill the time! There are things to do, places to explore, adventures to be had, love to share. I value telling the WHOLE story. I offer full/all-day coverage, so that your coverage molds to whatever your story looks like without sparing parts of it for the sake of fitting into time constraints. I don’t want to miss a beat. Make space for your MEMORIES.

What is a second shooter & do you have one?

A second shooter is a photographer that the primary photographer may hire on an elopement or wedding day to assist them. Their help may look like gathering people for photos, calling out names for shots, helping to keep us on schedule, & supplementing photos from a different perspective. Not every photographer needs, wants, or has a second shooter. It honestly is going to depend on the photographer, how much experience they have, & their personal approach to navigating elopement/wedding days. It’s the primary photographer’s responsibility to document the day in its entirety. Just because you have two photographers, doesn’t mean you’ll get twice the photos. A second shooter is really providing bonus content. Primary photographers generally use a very small portion of their second shooter’s photos & are always looking for those gems that really just stand out from the day that they didn’t capture or see from that perspective.

For me, I typically only hire a second shooter for large weddings. When I do hire one, I only hire someone who is experienced & that I can trust. Sometimes it’s just good for me to have an extra set of hands, an extra set of eyes, & just someone to work alongside me on a busy day.

Elopement & Wedding Add-Ons

The best thing about add-ons? They are at a slightly discounted rate when combined with elopement & wedding packages. Booyah!

Bridal Portrait Session - $525 (Travel Fee May Apply)

Make time apart from your elopement or wedding day to enjoy being pampered, dressing up, & truly showcasing who you are in your photos. No rushing, no formalities, no timelines. Just space to create magic.

Bride Boudoir Session - $525 (Travel Fee May Apply)

option of polaroids, disposable camera prints, digital files, or a mix
option of outdoor location or in-home

Elopement/Wedding Day Polaroids/Disposable Camera Prints - $125

Such a fun, sweet way to have more immediate memories from your day.
Just cover the cost of film/disposable cameras & I’ll make the magic.

Day-Before Session - $525 (Travel Fee May Apply)

Find a way to celebrate your nuptials. Plan a fun activity. Mark something off of your bucket list. Camping? Kayaking? Off-roading? Rock climbing? Helicopter ride? Make it a part of your elopement/wedding experience.

Pre-Wedding or Post-Wedding Session - $525 (Travel Fee May Apply)

Hop in your wedding attire - just the two of you - and get additional wedding photos before or after your wedding day. There is less stress, no rush, more personal, more time together, & more space to get creative.

Rehearsal Dinner Coverage - $525 (Travel Fee May Apply)

It’s the night before. You’re on cloud nine because you’re about to get married.
Your people are in town. There’s good food. Good music. Toasts. Hugs. Laughter. Tears. Dancing.
If I’m available, count me in!

Additional Coverage - $300 per hour

Need a little extra coverage? I’ve got you.

Pricing | Sessions

Sessions

Do I capture other life milestones? You betcha.

Details on Sessions

Sessions cannot be used for elopements, vow renewals, or weddings. These multi-faceted events need comprehensive coverage & detailed planning. The additional time, resources, & effort required for these kind of events cannot be adequately compensated at session rates. Thank you for understanding! XO

GIFS

Ever wonder what it would look like if your photographs came to life? That's exactly what gifs are.

GIF stands for Graphic Interchange Format. It’s essentially taking a series of pictures that gradually change from one image to the next, so that when the images are stacked together, they animate. A good example of this concept is flipbook animation (Google this). You’ve probably seen these all over my website or social platforms. A few years ago, I used to just make them for fun. In 2019, I decided that I wanted to make them a part of every session, elopement, or wedding that I shot.

The reason that I don’t have a set number of gifs I deliver, but rather a range - is because not every session or elopement/wedding yields the same amount. Each session, elopement, & wedding is unique.

Travel Fees

Full transparency here, friend. Travel fees are already included in packages within 50 miles of Birmingham, AL. I’m always down to road-trip or hop on a plane to come adventure with you - whether that’s in Alabama, another state, or another destination around the world.

If you are inquiring about an out-of-state or destination elopement/wedding, I charge a flat travel fee. If there are any unexpected expenses (airfare, lodging, transportation, meals, etc.), that travel fee allows me to cover them on my own. What you see in your contract, is what you will pay. There are no hidden fees!

Simple Travel Fee Breakdown

1. Local Travel (same day, no overnight)

• within 50 miles of Birmingham: no fee

• 1 to 2 hours away (roughly 50 to 100 miles from Birmingham): $250

2. Out-of-Town/Out-of-State Travel

• 2 to 4 hours away (1 night stay): $500 (covers travel, lodging, gas, & meals)

• 4 to 6 hours away (2 night stay): $750 (covers travel, lodging, gas, & meals)

• 6+ hours away (3 nights stay): $1,750 (covers travel, flight, lodging, rental car, gas, & meals)

3. International Travel

• anywhere outside of the U.S. (5-7 night stay): $3,000 (includes travel, flight, lodging, rental car, gas, & meals)

This ensures I have time to travel, adjust to time zones, document your day beautifully, and return home without rushing.

The Booking Process

If you decide to book me for your elopement, wedding, or session - this is what the booking process looks like:

The Contract

Talking legal stuff can be a little scary & even confusing, but a contract is to ensure that both parties are on the same page. It benefits & protects everyone, along with those memories that you've trusted me to capture. I’ll send this contract over via email where you will be able to open & view it. I encourage all of my clients to read it over & ask me questions if they have any. Once you’ve done this, you can electronically sign your contract. I will receive a confirmation when it’s completed.

The Deposit & Payment Options

After I’ve received your signed contract, I will send over an invoice for your deposit via email.
You can pay your deposit directly through this invoice.

I streamline all of my income & expenses through Intuit Quickbooks. It makes bookkeeping and client management go a lot smoother around here! However, I do accept Venmo & PayPal if you’d like to pay there too. I do not accept checks.

If you sign your contract but do not pay your deposit, dates and services will not be reserved as your contract is not valid without payment.

Elopements & Weddings

option 1 | 30% is due when you book & the balance is due one month before the date of your event. You can make payments literally at anytime between as long as your balance is paid off on by due date.

option 2 | 50% is due when you book & the balance is due one month before the date of your event.

option 3 | Your total is split into 4 equal payments. The first is due when you book, the second and third will be scheduled between, & the final payment is due one month before the date of your event.

Sessions

option 1 | 50% is due when you book & the balance is due the day of your session.

option 2 | Your total is split into 3 equal payments. The first is due when you book, the second is due on a scheduled date in the middle, & the third is due the day of your session.

Making It Official

Once I’ve received your deposit, I will send a receipt for your payment via email.

We’ve done the thing! Your spot is booked!

Anytime you make a payment, I always send an invoice for the amount due & a receipt for the amount paid.

Deposits are non-refundable. I feel like it’s important to understand why this is, before booking any photographer.

I’ve written up a post here, friend!

Frequently Asked Questions

When will we receive our images?

4-6 weeks for 1 hr sessions

6-8 weeks for 2 hr sessions

8-10 weeks for elopements/weddings

What matters to me is making sure that I give myself the time & space to create something really beautiful for you.

How do we receive our photos?

All of your edited, high-resolution digital images will be hosted in your personal online gallery, available for you to download & then print anywhere you'd like!

How many images do you deliver?

Portrait sessions usually yield 50-100 images, and elopements/weddings 500-1000.

Every session and elopement/wedding is different. I don't really have a cap for the amount of images I deliver & I always deliver more than promised.

So, where do we go from here?

I know I jam-packed a ton of info onto this page, but I am a huge believer in honesty & transparency because I’m here for you. The memories you have documented are a big deal, but so is the person you have spending the day photographing it.

If you have some free time & find yourself needing/wanting to talk out details, I’m always open to a phone call/FaceTime/virtual coffee so that we can chat more! It’s the best time to ask questions, get to know each other, have peace of mind, get assurance, find encouragement, get help, & put a face to a name. This is not required at all. Just wanted you to know it’s available to you!

If you are a returning client, then this page might just be a refresher & a visual aid to booking your next session with me. And I of course can’t wait!

Anyways, I am so excited to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts & don’t hesitate to ask me anything. I’m in your corner, friend!

XO, Dakota Chasity