From photo selection to USB: what you receive after the wedding, and when

The delivery stages, from the wedding to your hands

Each stage depends on the one before, so it helps to know whose turn it is at each step.

Why delivery counts from your photo selection

Delivery counts from your selection because the album, the framed print and your edited photos are prepared from the images you choose. Nobody recognizes the right smile better than your family, so we don't choose blindly.

That rule comes from experience: without a deadline for choosing, delivery stalls. The full story is on photographybyvarela.com (opens in a new tab).

If the 4 weeks pass without your selection, the team chooses for you and that selection is final, so your delivery doesn't stall.

A sample timeline after a wedding with photo and video

This example shows how the two clocks add up. Weeks count from the wedding day.

The takeaway is simple: the part you can speed up most is yours. Set aside an afternoon with your spouse in the first week, open the gallery and choose calmly, but don't leave it until the end.

What arrives first and what takes longer

Anything delivered only in digital form is usually ready before anything printed, and video takes longer than photos. With photography only, the usual delivery is 2 to 4 weeks; with video too, the range rises to 4 to 8 weeks, because editing the full video and the highlight videos takes more hours.

The album and the framed print depend on the photos you choose, so the sooner you choose, the sooner they're prepared. If your package includes the Personalized Event Website, that's where the photos, slideshows, Event Highlight Video and full video come together once they're ready. To see what you receive with each package, read what a wedding photo and video package includes.

Sessions and graduations: a shorter delivery

Photo sessions usually take 2 weeks, because they're one or two hours of work and a set number of photos. That includes quinceañera, engagement and graduation sessions.

If you need graduation photos sooner, for example for announcements or party decorations, there's a 48-hour rush delivery for $100.

How we protect your footage while we edit it

Your footage is protected from the moment the wedding ends: we bring backup equipment to every event and keep copies in several places, so a failure costs time, never your images.

We explain why we work this way in how we film and back up your wedding.

The founders, Cristobal and Sonia Varela, set the style, train the team and review every delivery before it reaches you.

What you do when your photos and video arrive

When your files arrive, you have one year to download and save them, because after that year they're deleted. Do this as soon as they come in:

• Download the full gallery and the video.
• Save one copy on your computer and another on an external drive or in the cloud.
• Share the link with family before the year is up.
• If you want prints, your downloads include permission to print for personal use, and you get 20% off professional prints ordered online.

What to ask any photographer about delivery

Before you hire any studio, ask for the delivery terms in writing and ask the following:

1. How long does photo delivery usually take? And the video?
2. When does it start counting: from the wedding or from my selection?
3. How long do I have to choose my photos, and what happens if I don't?
4. How do I receive the files: USB, gallery, download?
5. How long do you keep my files?
6. What happens if you run late?

If someone tells you "I'll send them when I can," with no written date, read what to do when the photographer never delivered the photos. For the full list of questions, see questions to ask a photographer before hiring.