How to deliver wedding photos: the full workflow

You shoot a wedding in a day and deliver it over weeks. That gap is where couples decide what they think of you: did they know what to expect, did they hear from you in time, was the gallery easy to use. This is a workflow that works for most wedding photographers, whatever software you use.

1. Right after the wedding: copy and back up

The first job is not editing, it is safety. Do not format a card until the files exist in at least two separate places.

• Copy the cards to your working drive the same night or next morning.
• Make a second copy on an external drive or NAS.
• Keep a third copy off-site, usually in the cloud.
• Only reuse the cards once all three copies are verified.

That is the 3-2-1 rule: three copies, two kinds of media, one off-site.

2. Culling

A full wedding day easily produces 2,000 to 5,000 frames. Couples want the best, not everything. Remove duplicates, closed eyes, missed focus and frames that add nothing new. Many photographers deliver 400 to 800 images for a full day, but completeness of the story matters more than the number: prep, ceremony, family formals, couple portraits, details and the party.

3. The sneak peek

Couples are most excited in the first few days. Twenty to fifty edited images within 3 to 7 days calms the waiting, gives them something to share with family and buys you time. It is also your best word of mouth, because it gets shared while the day is fresh. Send it as a small gallery or as the first collection of the main gallery, not as compressed files over a messaging app.

4. How long editing takes

Promise a deadline you can keep in your busiest month and deliver early when you can. A reminder such as “three weeks after the wedding, if the gallery isn’t published” keeps anything from slipping.

5. Delivery formats: web size and full resolution

• Web size (for example 2048 px on the long edge, JPEG, sRGB) for phones, messages and social media.
• Full resolution (high-quality JPEG, sRGB) for prints and enlargements, and as the couple’s archive.
• RAW files are normally not delivered unless agreed and priced separately.

An online gallery covers both: the couple browses a well-designed layout, downloads single images or a ZIP in either size, and you control access with a password, expiry date and watermark. A USB in a box is still a nice gift, but as the only delivery method it is impractical.

6. What the online gallery should have

• Collections by part of the day so guests can find their moments.
• Favourites and lists so the couple can mark album and print picks.
• Downloads in web size and original, optionally behind a PIN.
• Privacy controls: password, hidden collections, expiry with a reminder.
• Easy sharing with guests via a link or QR code.

In a Captures gallery, couples can keep several lists with limits (for example “pick 60 for the album”), and Album Starter turns their favourites into a first album draft. Whatever platform you use, run the selection inside the gallery rather than through messages full of file numbers.

7. Album selection

1. 1

   Set a limit

   For example 60–80 images for a 30-page album.

2. 2

   Set a deadline

   Two to three weeks, with a reminder a few days before.

3. 3

   Send a draft

   Lay out a first version from their picks and share it for review.

4. 4

   Cap the revisions

   One or two rounds included, extra rounds charged. Put it in the contract.

5. 5

   Get sign-off

   Ask for written approval before the album goes to print.

8. How long to keep the files

Couples lose their copies. Write down how long you keep the files: many photographers keep the online gallery live for 6 to 12 months and the edited images in an archive for several years. Whatever you choose, state it and remind the couple to download their copy.