For me, a ‘full-sized wedding’ includes a guest list of 50+, ceremony and reception coverage, as well as formal portraits of the couple, their families (and extended families), and possible ‘getting ready’ and ‘first look’ photos. Any time a wedding has 75+ guests, I bring a second photographer on the big day to make double-sure no moments are missed. Another thing that is super important on wedding day is that the couple, the coordinator/planner (if there is one), and I all have the same itinerary and schedule – I work with all my clients (and their coordinators/planners) to come up with custom wedding day timelines so that we can maximize efficiency. When I first started photographing weddings in 2012, it was still very much the norm to hire your photographer for 8-10 hours; unless your wedding day includes a special religious ceremony or is a multi-day event, I can promise you that you do not need to hire me for 8-10 hours. Working together on a timeline helps to ensure nothing is missed, time is well-dedicated, and that you can save that extra money for the honeymoon, house, etc. (Yes I’m a business owner and making money is great, but I’m also a real human being and things-especially weddings-are expensive! I get it.)

Elopements are weddings that are essentially scaled down. They’re usually much more intimate, with the couple focusing more on either their elopement location or personal effects than catering, or maybe just spending less in general. Typically, elopements have a 10-ish headcount maximum, a super small reception (or no reception plans at all), and it’s mostly about the portraits of the couple! (My husband and I eloped in our living room with just our parents present. We both wore jeans and I had a homemade bouquet. Soon after, we actually dressed up and hired a photographer to meet us at one of our favorite local breweries, and those photos at the brewery in our wedding attire (with beer flights, nachos, and burgers) is what we sent out as our announcement – for us, it was perfect!)