what if we need to cancel/reschedule our wedding?

what happens if you can't make it to our wedding?

I will do everything I can to be as accommodating as possible in this case, as I know these are big investments, and I don’t want you to be out thousands and thousands of dollars. However, I am depending on this income to make a living, which is why I have a nonrefundable retainer in place. If I am available for the reschedule date, I will gladly reschedule and move your retainer fee to the new date. If you cancel or reschedule to a date I am unavailable, I will keep the retainer fee but will refund any additional payments made toward your wedding.

I will do absolutely everything in my power to be at your wedding regardless of circumstance, so unless I’m hospitalized or something tragic, I’ll be there! In the case that something crazy or completely out of my control happens making me unable to make it, then I will do my best to find a replacement photographer who I trust fully to come and take my place to photograph it. I will still do all of the editing and communication with you, so your images look like my style! Although I’m not legally held to do so, in the case that myself or a replacement can’t make it to your wedding, you will be fully refunded.

how do your payment schedule work?

can you photoshop us to look skinnier/remove acne/tattoos?

In hopes of alleviating one larger payment for you, the payment schedule is broken down into a few smaller payments throughout the process. One-third of the total cost will act as the retainer (along with your signed contract) in order to reserve your date. The next third will be due at the midway point, and the final payment will be due 1 month before the wedding day. I use an online system called HoneyBook where you will be able to sign the contract electronically and pay online via credit card. You are also welcome to pay with cash or check.

I do not believe in changing your appearance. I want to focus on making you feel beautiful, rather than look unrealistic. If something is temporary or distracting, like a bruise or acne, I will lightly edit it out to the best of my ability! However, I do not do full skin retouching to make you look like a Barbie doll (plus, this would drastically hold up delivering your images quickly). So, no, I won’t edit out anything that makes you who you are. I do, however, try to pose you in the most flattering way to make you feel and look amazing in front of my camera! :)

what if we need to reschedule our session due to bad weather?

what should we wear for our photos?

We can reschedule if weather is really awful, but some of my favorite sessions have been in the rain or snow! And wind? Pshh, wind is what I hope for because we get the most amazing movement in your clothing and hair! Embracing the weather makes for incredible photos; however, if I feel that my equipment is as risk or that I won’t be able to provide you with the best experience, we can definitely look into rescheduling. I usually say under 50% chance of rain/snow, you decide; over 50%, let’s reschedule or switch locations! If you decide to go for it, though, there’s no rescheduling after that! We will just make it work! :)

I will be sending you plenty of information to prepare for your session, so don’t you worry! I have blog posts, Pinterest boards, and style guides to help you look and feel amazing! The short answer, though – wear something that is comfortable and your style. Just be yourselves! If you are the type of people who would rather sit around in sweats all day like me and binge Netflix shows, then it probably wouldn’t make much sense for you to wear something super fancy. Sticking to neutrals is usually a good options, but we will be in touch as we start planning your sesh, and I will help you choose your outfits based on the location and time of year we are shooting at!

when is the best time to book our wedding?

how will i know if we are a good fit?

As soon as possible! Wedding dates get booked very far in advance, and it breaks my heart to have to turn someone away because I’m already booked! We can make things officially official once we have a signed contract and retainer in place, so if you definitely want me to be a part of your day, I would suggest reaching out as soon as you have your wedding date!

Such a good question!! I love meeting and chatting with every couple before booking, so we can go over all the important questions and details you will want to know to make sure we are a great fit! I am here to help you and guide you along the way!

how would you describe your photography style?

do you watermark your images?

Ooh, I love this one! My main goal is to always have my couples feeling comfortable, confident, and most importantly, having fun the entire shoot. I know being in front of a camera can feel awkward at first, but that is why I play games, get my couples moving, and keep you two laughing and in love always! Genuine over posed shots any day – I want these photos to show your real personality! I edit my images with warm, deep tones that compliment nature and skin tones and keep my couples looking golden and sunkissed!

I do not watermark my images, as I find they are distracting and unappealing. Although I appreciate their purpose, I’ve created these images for you and I want you to be able to use them, print them, and share them freely!

who owns the copyright of the images?

do we choose our images or do you make the selections?

Great questions! As the photographer, I will retain the copyright to all my images taken on your wedding day or engagement session; however, as my couple, you have access to the full final edited gallery and have the ability to download, share, and print the images for personal use!

After a wedding day or session, I will go through all of the images and select and edit the very best ones! I have found that couples get overwhelmed by the thousands and thousands of images, so I go through and select images that tell the story of your day! If I know you’ll love a picture, it’s going in the gallery! ;)

do you provide black and white versions of every image?

can i request editing adjustments once we receive the gallery?

I do not! I will edit most of the gallery in color and just select very special moments to make black and white to enhance the gallery!

When you are hiring Tori Kelner Photography, you are acknowledging that you have seen my work and editing style! So, if you choose to hire me, that means that you LOVE my style, know what to expect, and trust me fully! Because of this, I do not take edit requests and just ask that couples are fully aware of my editing style to avoid any surprises in your final gallery!

what is the turnaround time for my images?

can we provide you with a shot list for our wedding?

For engagement or portrait sessions, you can expect a 3 to 4 week turnaround for the fully-edited, high-resolution online gallery. For weddings, my turnaround is usually 4 to 6 weeks for the fully-edited, high-resolution online gallery! Busy seasons may affect this timing slightly, but I do my best to return your galleries as soon as I can!

Aside from an organized list of formal family portraits, I do not take any shot lists! I know that my couples trust me to capture their day to the best of my ability. Often, if I am trying to capture certain shots on a list, I’m missing the real, candid moments happening right in front of me! Years from now, I think you will want to have images that represent your day, not images that won’t mean as much found on Pinterest!

how do we pick our engagement session location?

what is the farthest you will travel?

Once we are officially official, I will guide you along with planning your engagement session from locations to outfits to props and more! I always recommend having couples choose locations that hold significance for you – maybe the place you went on your first date, the place you met, or just somewhere you two would love to visit together! I am ALL for traveling, hiking, and adventuring somewhere for your engagement session, and it is so special when you can make it totally your own!

Seriously, take me anywhere and I’m yours!! Traveling is such a passion of mine, and being able to capture the sweetest couples in incredible locations makes my heart SO full. Please feel free to take me along with you on your world travels, and we will figure out the logistics based on the location!

do you provide video or other wedding services, as well?

do you attend rehearsals?

I’m a huge believer in handing off the job to an expert instead of doing something myself sub-par. Video is not for this chica, no way! However, I know some INCREDIBLE wedding vendors from all different parts of the industry who I would love to refer to you! Videographers, calligraphers, florists, hair stylists, makeup artists, decor, rentals, etc. You name it, I’m sure I can find you some super rad vendors to spice up your day!!

Typically, I do not attend or photograph the rehearsal dinner unless it is a weekend destination wedding! During the wedding planning process, I will send you and your fiancé questionnaires to get all of the crucial information I will need to capture your day! We will video chat and email to make sure everything will be covered perfectly on your day!

do you provide albums and how does that process work?

do you have insurance and can you send it to my venue?

I’m SO glad you asked – I love knowing that these special images are going to live somewhere other than in a folder on your computer! I am a huge fan of the tangible, printed form, so I do offer beautiful linen-covered albums. Once you receive your gallery and confirm that you would like an album, I choose a huge chunk of the gallery to send off to an album designer who will create a mock-up for you! You are able to proof and make revisions twice, and once it is perfect, we send it off to be printed! In a few weeks, you have a gorgeous heirloom to look back on for years to come!

Yes! I have liability insurance for up to one million dollars and can provide a COI to any venue that requires it!

who is your second photographer?

can we pay for a portion of the package after the wedding?

I work with multiple different second photographers who I trust fully and have worked with plenty of times before. They are all professional wedding photographers who run their own businesses, so I typically solidify who will be working with me a few months ahead of time. This is to ensure that their schedules are set and they can commit to your date based on their wedding schedule! Please keep in mind that I will be editing all of their images and you will receive your images through me. You will not receive images in their editing style or from them, so you can be sure that your full gallery will look cohesive and entirely in my style!

No, I require all payments to be completed before each wedding or portrait session, but I am more than willing to work with you on a payment plan if necessary! I’ve already divided your full package into three equal payments to alleviate one larger payment. The first payment is due at the time of signing your contract to lock in your date on my calendar, the second payment will be due halfway to your wedding or session date, and the third and final payment is due one month before your date!

can we remove the engagement session to lower the cost?

do you have back up camera equipment?

I always highly encourage my couples to take advantage of the complimentary engagement session. I have found that it's a really important part of the experience and helps you two get comfortable with me, my posing style, and just being in front of my camera. As well, this really helps me learn your best angles and what images you absolutely adore. That way, when your wedding day comes around, you are already pros! Plus, it helps us connect and get to know each other by having that time to hang out before the wedding day! :) These are great images to use on your save the dates or wedding website! It’s so important to me to have a personal connection with all of my couples, and the engagement session is a big part of that. You can, of course, choose to opt out, but it will not impact the package price.

Yes – backups for my backups! My equipment is as important to me as it is to you and your big day, so I can provide you with images you will cherish for years to come! I have backups and replacements for all of my gear, and have my second photographer’s gear as another backup, as well!

will 8 hours of coverage be enough for my day?

we want you! what is the next step to book you?!

Through my experience, 8 hours is the perfect amount of time to tell the story of your day, but it will depend on details like the distance and travel time between each of the locations, length of ceremony, and so on. It's a priority of mine to work with my couples throughout the planning process to get the timeline of the day optimized for a stress-free day and allow for all the photos you want! I, typically, book the base 8-hour package initially, and if we find you want to add additional hours on once your timeline is in the works, that is definitely doable! I just don’t want to overcharge you and later find that you don’t really need the extra time!

YAY!! I am so glad to hear that! Let’s meet for coffee and chat about your big day, so we can make sure that we are a perfect fit! Once you give me the word to move forward with the booking process, I will send over a contract proposal for you to sign and an invoice for the first retainer payment! I will walk you through every step of the process to help make this experience as simple and fun as possible! xoxo