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on your engagement!
Type A ppl, this is for you! All the FAQ’s laid out for your convenience!
Like what you see? Inquire today! Don’t see the answer to your question? Email us directly at kristen@kristenwynnphotography.com!
General Questions
We photograph weddings all over Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas – we do travel beyond this area when our schedule permits.
I began my business in Florida but my present office is in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania since April 2013. Our office is in White Oak, PA, named “Most Boring Town in PA” by some haters who don’t know what they’re missing – we’re all about that suburb life right now!
I describe my style as simple, clean, natural, and mainstream artistic. I’m partially traditional posed with a modern, comfortable twist and partially photojournalistic. We pride ourselves on comprehensive coverage and our editing style would be described as classic colors. We stay up on trends without being trendy and aim for thoroughness and customization for each client!
I sometimes see people looking for a wedding photographer in Butler, PA or Elizabeth, PA or Bethel Park, PA. I encourage people to simply search by the entire metro area – Pittsburgh – as the wedding industry isn’t hyperlocal/that specific and most of us cover a radius of 100-200 miles!
We’re in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and we cover all the surrounding areas. When our schedule permits, we do travel for weddings and can give you a custom quote for travel to your wedding location if you’re outside of the general Pittsburgh area.
Yes, we have a license within the borough, a PA sales tax license, we’re an LLC/S-Corp. I strive to do things the right way and by the book because:anxiety if I didn’t!
Studies (and by “studies” – I mean wedding influencers/educators on Tiktok) have shown – clients want the pricing on the website. For that reason, we don’t gatekeep – click here to see our pricing.
We know the investment can be a little surprising if you’ve never hired a wedding photographer previously! When I’m shopping for a big purchase, I like being informed – and I want that for my potential clients too.
Our prices are based on the fact that I am a full-time wedding professional and dedicate 100% of my working hours to weddings, engagements, and limited family portraits and the associated planning for those shoots and editing of those images. I’m mid-career, having photographed almost four hundred weddings as primary photographer and have been in the industry for twenty years. We keep abreast of the latest technology with new equipment and of course, backup equipment for safety’s sake. We also make sure that we are licensed and insured, that we are using the best software to provide the highest quality images to you, and that we partake in industry trade groups and continuing education. We also have overhead in our studio, insurance (liability, errors and omissions, worker’s comp), retirement, salaries, health insurance, and supplies. I also have a small team of people – from our wedding day assistant to our editor – who work hard for us as well and we believe in ethical employment and a living wage for our employees and contractors.
We use solely digital equipment for the flexibility and low light capabilities it provides.
Yes, I carry liability insurance and errors and omissions insurance and am a member of the Professional Photographers of America. If your venue will require an insurance certificate, you must let me know at least thirty days in advance of your wedding date. If your venue requires more than one million dollars in liability insurance, you may be responsible for the cost of purchasing the amount over one million dollars. We also do carry worker’s compensation for our employees and can present the certificate if your venue requires – let us know!
We carry Canon professional cameras and lenses, a mixture of prime lenses and zoom professional lenses, as well as Canon flashes. We also carry back-up equipment for the safety of your wedding images.
For photographers and those of you who are into tech, a list of my equipment follows: Canon 5DIV, Canon EOS R, Canon 5D III, 20mmL, 35mmL, 50mmL, 100mm 2.8 macro, 85mmL, 45mm TSE, 135mmL, 70-200mmL, 600EX-RT’s, and various other assorted pieces of gear! Check out more gear/things we use here on our Amazon Associates account!
I photographed my first wedding as a sole photographer in December 2009. Prior to that, I worked as an assistant to a wedding photographer, starting with carrying bags and gradually learning to the ropes, from 2004 to 2009. I have photographed almost four hundred weddings as the primary photographer from 2009-present. I am both self-taught and taught via the apprenticeship/mentoring model as well as attending photography seminars and workshops and I’ve been in the wedding industry for twenty years.
As a professional wedding photographer, I have insurance, experience to guide you, top of the line equipment to conquer tough lighting situations, editing software and skill to present the images at their most polished, a woman’s eye in posing you, a cheerful and calm demeanor, and my professional reputation at stake to assure I do my utmost best for you. This isn’t a hobby-it’s my passion and my calling. I have the dedication to reserve your date and plan my life around your day even years in advance! I’m all about timelines and problem-solving for a smooth and organized day for you – and to make sure we get the photographs you desire.
I aim to photograph about 23 weddings per year to be able to maintain a high level of customer service and customization for each couple – and that’s considered full-time in the Pittsburgh market. Actively photographing on location is my favorite part of the job (and not bookkeeping/office admin)!
Although I took some video and film classes as part of my undergrad degree (shout out Penn State Media Studies), we only focus on still photography at weddings. But we’d be glad to recommend some cinematographers to you!
I try to delight and surprise my clients by going above and beyond (no nickel and diming here!)
Some perks my clients receive could include booking gifts, our custom KWP wedding guide (90 pages full of info!), timeline assistance from first inquiry, vendor recommendations, outfit assistance for engagement sessions, extensive final consultation a month before the wedding, a solo site visit to all the venues prior to the wedding, corresponding/coordinating with other vendors prior to the big day, custom album creation, submitting your wedding for publication, sharing images with other vendors, social media featuring of each and every couple (unless the couple opts out), securing of permits/permission, making of rain/contingency plans, consumable surprises such as champagne to pop or confetti, a styling kit brought to prep based on your wedding colors/aesthetic, pre-shooting of flat lays and reception vignettes when necessary, a complimentary second (standard for most weddings) and even a third photographer when needed to properly cover your day, a preview gallery the week of your wedding, and completion gifts.
Before You Book
The wedding photography collection pricing is available online here – we put the prices on our website as research has shown consumers prefer it! (Prices vary from $3300 elopements to $4700 for full wedding days)
I like to keep things simple with one collection plus add-ons of your choice. Our base coverage for weddings includes full day coverage (as determined by the photographer), a complimentary assistant photographer, the USB, and reprint release – everything most engaged couples want. From there, you can choose to add an engagement session, an album – many options, but the choice is yours!
Yes, you will receive one USB drive with high resolution, watermark-free, edited images from your wedding as JPG files, suitable for making prints up to at least 16×24” or online sharing. You will also receive your files as a digital download from your online gallery.
The images that you receive on the USB drive are all edited for color, cropping, and exposure, and some photographs are converted to black and white imagery as well at my and my editor’s discretion. Hand retouching, such as the removal of every exit sign or stray eyelash, is done on large prints or in the album when ordered through Kristen Wynn Photography. Our editor Amy does a wonderful job for our clients! If you ever want more retouching, let us know and we can give you a quote for it.
We will guide you through the wedding day timeline and discuss your desired shots.
You don’t have to list things like “first dance” or “first kiss,” but I DO want you to tell me something like “the bride’s gown has a personalized dress label inside.”
We recommend avoiding a large number of Pinterest shot lists/Tiktok recreations – we’d rather create something unique for you that others will want to pin! But we’re always here to serve you and what you want for your day.
Absolutely, we require a Zoom consult or phone call prior to booking! After booking, the collection includes unlimited phone or email consultations, and we can also meet if you opt for an engagement portrait session as well. We also typically do a final extensive timeline meeting a month before the wedding on the phone or Zoom. So we’ll be “seeing” plenty of each other and get to know each other well!
We include a photographer’s assistant (complimentary) in our complete wedding collection. For best coverage, we don’t separate throughout the day typically and our assistant grabs candids during the prep, ceremony, and reception as well as assisting with lighting and organization, but I’d be happy to walk through the day’s plans on our consultation and see what the needs of your wedding are! There are rare occasions where you may need a third photographer add-on as an additional charge (or if I need it to complete coverage, it may be at no charge) – let’s talk about what you have planned!
Yes, you absolutely can to see the entire scope of what we do and I encourage it. Please see our “Featured Wedding” and you can see several of our most recent weddings and sessions here.
You will receive a copy of the images on a USB drive and a personal reprint release for making your own prints, books, and sharing online. Kristen Wynn Photography maintains the copyrights to the images, but you have an unlimited personal reprint release. We do have rights buyouts/NDA’s available for clients seeking discretion – please ask.
Ugh, the anxiety even thinking of this, but it’s necessary! I have never had that happen and take great pains to avoid this, from keeping myself healthy, leaving very early to travel to the venue, and choosing cars for their reliability and keeping them in tiptop shape. I have photographed weddings while ill because I’m heavily committed to my couples and shortly after my husband passed away. There would have to be a major disaster/emergency for me to miss a wedding. If I were forced to miss a wedding, I would work with my photographer friends and professional associates throughout the area to find you a replacement photographer if possible (we do maintain a substitute list within our small wedding photography group, my family/friends/partner know my wedding schedule and where to find all the details for this sub list) and would do a wedding portrait session at a later date. The thought of this keeps me up at night and I’m always working on my contingency plans.
We photograph only one wedding per day for personalized service – we do all day coverage, so I don’t do anything else the day of your wedding (and truthfully, even the evening before typically). We provide comprehensive coverage, so we typically also only do one per weekend!
We utilize multiple back-up systems at the wedding itself (two cards in each camera, making two copies of each image I take, and two photographers with two cameras each throughout the day) and shortly after during the editing process (3 on-site backups, 1 cloud backup). Your gallery is hosted for a year online, so please download your images. We don’t promise storage of the images beyond the delivery to you – however, while not guaranteed, we do have a copy of every wedding we’ve ever photographed.
I encourage you to make multiple back-up copies of your images for safekeeping and store them in several places, such as one copy in a safe deposit box and one copy at a parent’s home! Also remember to update your media every few years as technology changes.
A. Contact us here and we can do a Zoom or phone chat to talk about your wedding plans.
B. If we are a good fit after talking and we have the date open, we will issue you a contract that is valid for one month in terms of pricing and deliverables. Your date is reserved when we receive your signed contract and non-refundable retainer. If the contract is not received within thirty days, you will need to request a new one if the date is still available and you are subject to pricing/collection changes.
C. You will receive a signed copy of the contract and an invoice letting you know you are booked at that time and a rough timeline of your day.
D. Book your optional engagement session if you’d like and we work together on that!
E. After you are booked for the wedding, review the wedding guide we send to help you plan out your day. With all clients, we finalize the timeline and schedule about a month before the wedding with a check-in call/meeting and give you a copy of the full timeline for easy reference.
We accept bookings as far as 18-24 months out from the wedding day. We recommend contacting us as early as possible, being flexible and available for a meeting, and being able to return email promptly for best results. We greatly appreciate all of our inquiries.
Dates are first-come, first served and held only with a non-refundable retainer and signed contract. Contact me to see if your date is still available!
When I got married quite a few years ago, I found it hard to remember who needed to be paid and when. Some vendors were thirty days out, some sixty, some two weeks, some the day-of, some with a certified check, etc. My motto is “keep it simple!”
You pay your non-refundable retainer (typically $1500) and it is applied to your wedding collection. After that, nothing further is due until two weeks after your wedding day, prior to receiving your images, when the balance for the wedding collection is due. If you opt for an engagement session, add-ons, or album, you pay for that separately from the wedding collection when booking/selecting it.
For the initial retainer, we accept cash and checks. For payments beyond the retainer, we accept cash, checks, certified checks, Paypal and Venmo and credit cards for payments beyond the initial retainer.
Retainers paid to Kristen Wynn Photography are non-refundable. If the wedding is canceled, moved a significant distance in location, or rescheduled for any reason, the retainer will not be refunded. Any changes to the contract must be done in writing and signed by both you and me, and may necessitate a new contract or additional fees.
Due to the custom nature of professional photography, no refunds are possible.
Out of fairness to all couples, we do not offer unadvertised discounts or discounts upon request. If payment terms are an issue, get in touch with us and we can talk about payment plans.
All of the photos taken and presented on our website and blog were created with time for strong imagery. I also believe that the story of a wedding takes a full day to craft, and I never want to cheat a client out of that experience. Almost all of our couples opt for a full day of coverage for the best value. The only thing you can’t get after your wedding day is more coverage time, whereas albums can always be purchased later.
For 2025, we do have small elopement/microwedding coverage available. Please see the pricing page for details!
Before the Wedding
We encourage all of our couples to talk with their clergymember and venue about photography restrictions prior to booking the ceremony location and the photography. I abide by all of those restrictions out of respect for your ceremony. Not being able to use flash, not being able to approach the front of the venue, and being restricted to a certain spot in the venue are common restrictions. While they do affect the look of your images, I will work with what I am given! Restaging important aspects is rare these days, but may be done if restrictions do not allow me in the church or severely limit the photography.
It depends on your event’s level of formality and venue, as well as the weather. I typically wear dark dresses, but sometimes try to match the bridesmaids/wedding colors if I can. If you have specifics for me based on religion or venue, please let me know.
Sure, this doesn’t bother me! I only ask that others don’t interfere with the formals, as later when editing, we will notice people will be looking different directions! Additionally, I ask them to avoid using external flashes (the big professional ones) during the ceremony or entrances to the reception. Generally, family and friends want to just enjoy the big day and not have to worry about trying to cover the event photographically.
Yes, we do offer engagement sessions as an addition, as well as destination wedding coverage, proposal sessions, bridal shower coverage, rehearsal dinner coverage, after-party coverage, and bachelorette trip coverage, NDA/rights buyouts, rush editing, and RAW files. It is a great chance for us to get to know each other! I highly recommend them – click here for our engagement sessions.
If you want the best light, the best time is to have your photographs done starting at one and a half hours before sunset and continuing until sunset. You can use the internet to look up the sunset time for your wedding day and location at sunrisesunset.com. Midday sun can be harsh, so portraits then are best done under shade to keep you cool.
I will help you with a timeline starting with our first consultation – I provide full day wedding photography coverage (as determined by the photographer). In general, for photography:
- Ladies’ prep and details-1.5 hrs
- Posed bride, bridesmaids, and immediate family, dressed and ready-1 hour
- Posed groom, groomsmen, and immediate family, dressed and ready-1 hour
- First look, bride and groom formals, bridal party-1 hour
- Ceremony-varies
- Extended family formals-45 minutes
- Optional secondary photography location/cocktail hour-45 minutes
- Reception-2.5 hours (work with your DJ to insure all important events are completed prior to photography end time)
Don’t forget to allot time for travel between all of the locations, time for running a bit late, traffic, time for a receiving line if having one, everything!
Also keep in mind your sunset time, after which natural light photos will not be possible. Sunset calendars are available here to look up your sunset time.
I’ll happily help with a customized timeline as your day gets closer, but I have found this above list to be a general good starting point.
A first look is an emotional and logistical choice for the couple to see each other prior to going down the aisle – allowing you to spend the day together and get portraits accomplished prior to the ceremony.
In some cases, the first look is very helpful – early sunsets, late ceremonies, the ceremony and reception in one location, as a great weather contingency plan, traveling to a photo location that isn’t possible between the ceremony and reception, wanting to attend the cocktail hour, tight timelines, and for couples whose priority is photography.
Most of my couples today are doing a first look. (And some couples have chosen to do it after researching the tradition on why people didn’t see each other in the olden days). It isn’t required and may not be ideal in the summer if you have an early ceremony time. However, I have never had a couple regret doing it and it’s a great chance to spend a moment together on the wedding day.
It’s your wedding day – you should spend it together! This allows you to get most photos done when you are at your freshest. We can fit in more locations, more poses, more creativity, and more fun with the first look!
Yes, I do require a hot meal and non-alcoholic drinks for myself and any photographer’s assistant present (or the ability to take an off-site meal break.) Having a separate table in the reception venue just for the vendors works wonderfully and helps make sure I won’t miss anything while in another room. If you can’t provide a hot meal, let me know in advance and I will take a one-hour off-site meal break, during which time no photos will be taken. We can talk specifics about your venue and vendor meals as well.
The standard table shots have fallen out of favor with most of my couples lately, and therefore, we do not unless this is made as a specific request. Once the reception comes around, we try to capture moments as they happen. Any planned/posed photos at the reception should be discussed with me prior when creating the timeline together – I’ll ask for a designated helper who knows your family and friends to do the gathering of the requested groups.
I tend to favor outdoors or natural light areas for the large family groupings after the ceremony, as altar formals are not always possible due to lighting, church restrictions, or timing. Additionally, you will have many photos with the altar as the background from during the ceremony, so I like to have a variety of backgrounds for interest. The couple alone, the bridal party, or the bride alone are typically done in spots other than on the altar, as that’s what most couples prefer.
If weather or location doesn’t permit outdoor shots or you’d rather – we can do formals on the altar, of course!
We can cover the rehearsal dinner as an add-on to our coverage. I do site visits for every wedding – but on my own time as I match the lighting and timing for your wedding day!
By far, the biggest stressor is not having enough time. Prep will always take much longer than you thought it would, and you don’t want to be rushed! We also don’t want to have to cut photographs that are important to you due to time. It’s never too early to start getting ready and you should count on needing to be ready 3.5 hours plus travel time before the wedding to allow the majority of photos to be completed prior to the ceremony.
Yes, I’d be happy to share with you some things I’ve learned over the years from my couples! We have a full wedding guide for our clients that we provide, but here’s a few brief suggestions:
- Consider skipping sunglasses for a week or so prior to your wedding to avoid squinting in your images.
- Provide an invitation or two to the photographer for photography.
- Consider bringing a nice hanger for the dress (wooden, lingerie, or customized) if dress hanging shots are important to you.
- Consider having on-site hair and makeup to minimize travel times for you and your bridal party.
- Plan extra time to avoid having to rush! Also, having a solid backup weather plan is a must.
- Hair and makeup always tend to run long. Please tell your hair and makeup artists the time you and the bridal party must be finished and start photographs, not the time the ceremony begins. For most brides, you will need hair and makeup finished at least 3+ hours before the ceremony begins, more depending on the specifics.
- If you have a button-up gown, use a crochet hook for faster buttoning and less stress on manicured nails.
- Have bouquets and boutonnieres available wherever you are getting ready as it makes for nicer images for the formals.
- False eyelashes/eyelash extensions can really accent the eyes in your images, and professional makeup and hairstylists do great work.
- Schedule a first look if your ceremony is less than two hours before sunset.
- When coming down the aisle, pause to take it all in, smile, look at your groom or your escort and not behind at the person fixing your train, and keep the flowers at belly button level.
- Hold your kiss for three seconds during the ceremony so the photographer (and all your friends) can get a shot!
- Let your photographer know if you have any specific image concerns, such as a feature you want to minimize.
- Select an outfit that fits, flatters, and provides flare with good tailoring and good undergarments to make you feel your best in your gown. Select a bouquet size that you love and compliments your gown style and shape.
- Try to focus on proper posture throughout the day to look confident-keep thinking about standing up straight.
- Let your photographer know about any special elements, such as a choreographed first dance, a surprise gift for the groom, or just some shots that you really would like to have.
- Consult your photographer on special exits, such as bubbles or sparklers–we may have some tips to make sure you get the best possible photos for those more unique send-offs!
- Let the extended family members you want photographed after the ceremony know prior so they stay behind.
- Have fun and smile every minute you can! It’s going to be one of the best days of your life.
I’ve been to many popular venues and love going new places too. You can look through our venue list to find weddings shot at popular locations. Please click here to see an extensive list of venues where I have photographed and to see real weddings from those venues!
That said, every wedding is different in terms of light, time of year, and time of day, so having prior experience in every venue isn’t a necessity for photographers, as we have to be able to work in any condition. I welcome any information you want to share with me about your venue’s unique conditions! We do site visits on our own time for every wedding, so we will feel the most prepared.
We offer full day coverage as determined by the photographer – for most couples, this ends up being about ten(ish) hours. Full day coverage starts with getting ready and then goes until about three hours into the reception.
You may need to purchase more hours if you are planning a very late send-off, want coverage of an after-party, or are having a New Year’s Eve wedding and want us to stay for the ball drop event. I’m happy to talk timeline with you!
Coverage is front-loaded. That means that a large amount of photos actually come prior to the ceremony. By the time the ceremony comes around, most couples have already done their prep, individuals, portraits alone, portraits with immediate family, bridal party images, and even their couples’ portraits.
The average reception is five hours (four hours plus a cocktail hour) and the main events are usually done when most guests are present, immediately after the meal, leaving that last hour or two for having fun and dancing. I generally finish coverage with one to two hours left in your reception. General dancing photos do tend to look the same after a few hours.
If you are planning a special send-off or otherwise need coverage through the entire reception, simply let me know and we will work together to make sure you love your photographs!
After the Wedding
We provide a preview gallery the week after your wedding. Your image gallery will be delivered approximately sixty days after the wedding following final payment. Rush editing is available for a fee for those customers who desire their images back even more quickly.
Every wedding is different in size, complexity, and moments captured. We don’t guarantee a certain amount of images, and we also don’t like to limit ourselves to a certain number of images. See our full galleries for an approximate idea of how many images you can expect based on wedding style. Recently we have been delivering between 500 and 1000 images for most full day weddings.
All the images we present to you are true-to-color editing done by our professional editor. We are happy to customize editing to your preferences to an extent – please reach out before the wedding if you wanted something a bit brighter or a bit more moody. Otherwise, your images will be similar in tone to the images in our portfolio here.
We may remove blemishes and exit signs if they’re prominent in a photo (especially if you order an enlargement or album). Body modification, filling in a hair line, making a boutonierre bigger, making a tan deeper – we can do it and have done it, but only by request and it may involve an additional fee!
Yes, we want you to be able to share! We ask that you tag Kristen Wynn Photography. Thanks so much for referring your friends and family to us!
We provide most images in color (90%), with some photographer-selected images done in black and white where we feel it will suit the image (10%).
We recommend several consumer photo labs that have high quality results, such as Mpix.com and BayPhoto.com – better quality than many other labs we’ve tried. You can also order professional products and prints through Kristen Wynn Photography as well.
We do global edits on each image placed onto your USB drive and in your online gallery. If you want some additional hand-retouching or have a concern, please get in touch with us about our additional retouching services and fees.
As far as raw/unedited images – for decades, the answer was nope. But in recent years, we have had a few customers purchase the RAW files and become more flexible with this! If this interests you, get in touch – we can quote you a price for this add-on!
We ask that you don’t do your own edits or filters, but we’re not on social media policing this – so don’t tell us if you go a DIY approach and we won’t be any the wiser!
In short, no (but see the above question about purchasing unedited/RAW files). We provide all photos that we feel are suitable and representative of our work. We want you to look and feel your absolute best when you see the images, so we remove duplicates, images with an unflattering expression, blinking, or where the light is a distraction, for example.
If your family or friends want images and you wish to make them copies, sure, go for it! If you would prefer them to order through us for a professional result and less hassle for you, that’s absolutely possible as well. They can order right from the gallery.
Yes, we do offer albums and highly recommend purchasing one as your first heirloom for your new family. You can make your own consumer photo book with the included reprint release, but many newlyweds simply do not have the time, software, or desire to do their own DIY books, so if that’s you, we can help. Our albums are better quality when compared to consumer books, as our lab provides albums only to professional photographers. We love creating albums for our couples!
