Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What’s your photography/videography style?

A; Our approach to wedding photography is centered around natural, authentic photojournalism. We believe that every wedding has a unique story to tell, and it's our job to capture the true essence and emotions of your special day. We strive to be unobtrusive and simply observe as your wedding day unfolds, allowing us to capture the genuine moments that truly reflect the spirit of the occasion. While we are there to direct when necessary, we prefer to let the magic of your love story unfold naturally, always remaining in the right place at the right time to document every happy and celebratory moment.

Q: What are some good engagement photo locations?

A; There are so many amazing spots in the city. Here are some of our favorites:

• Olive park

• North Ave Beach

• Montrose Beach

• South Garden at Art Institute

• Wrigley Building

• Riverwalk

• Lincoln Park, near the Zoo

• Grant Park

• Millenium Park

• The Board of Trade building

Q: Do you charge for travel?

A; We don’t charge for travel unless the round trip is more than 2 hours in a car.

Q: What’s your photo editing process?

A; Our editing process is streamlined and simple. We make sure all delivered images are color corrected, exposure adjusted, clarity adjusted, and other corrections.  

Q: About how long before we receive edited images and/or video?

A; The timeline for delivering edited photos and videos after a wedding can vary depending on several factors, including the amount of footage captured, the complexity of the editing process, and the workload of the in-house editor. With that said, we do try and quote that edited photos are estimated to be delivered 6 to 8 weeks post wedding. Edits from your video package, is estimated to be delivered 3 to 4 months post wedding.

Q: Have you shot at my venue before?

A; We have shot at hundreds of venues, so there is a good chance that we have. However, if we have not, we will get to the venue early on the day of and be sure to perform a thorough walk-through to scout out the best photography locations. We also do extensive online research prior to your big day!

Q: What rights do I have to the digital prints?

A; You have the right to reprint images whenever you want. However, you may not sell your images for profit or publish your images without the written consent of Big Day Photo & Video

Q: What happens if it rains on my wedding day?!?!

A; We actually enjoy the rain! It not only softens the harsh light but also offers unique photo opportunities with umbrellas, rainbows, or puddle jumping (post-ceremony, of course). We're adaptable and efficient in less-than-ideal weather conditions. We can find breaks in the rain or position you near a window, outdoor arch, or under a tree – providing plenty of options.

However, if you'd like to schedule another shoot on a different day after your wedding concludes, we could treat it as an engagement session and offer you a $100 discount!

Q: How many times can we download our images?

A; As many times as you like! All we ask is that you back up the images on your own external hard drive and also on a cloud-based service. We highly recommend having both backups to ensure that the images are safe and easily accessible in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Q: Who are your associates and how do we book?

A; Our associates:

We are a small group of talented artist friends. We are not just good camera operators, but we are good people too! 

We offer on the job training. All of our shooters come equipped with a shot list.

Our protocol: 

1 month before the wedding, we’ll reach out to you with a day-of form to filled out with wedding logistics. Then we’ll share the form with the lead photographer/videographer.

After the form is filled out, we’ll send an introductory email connecting everybody so that you can facetime/zoom/google hang with the shooters.

Our guarantee:

If you don’t jive with the shooter during your meeting, we will replace the shooter, no questions asked. 

We just ask that you let us know more than 3 weeks before the wedding. Send us an email (not cc’ing the shooter) asking for a different shooter.

The engagement session is a great way to meet the shooter, and we’ll schedule the same shooter for your wedding

Q: Who does your editing?

A; All editing is done in-house to keep quality high