Adding a second person to your wedding crew: when it shows and when it doesn't

What your package's photo and video team already covers

Before adding anyone, it helps to know what the team in your package already does. Your photographer and videographer work together on one schedule and plan their angles for the processional, the vows and the first dance so they stay out of each other's way.

The video doesn't rely on a single camera, either. Every event we film has two video cameras, which give you two angles and a second recording if one camera fails. So at a typical ceremony, you already get two video angles at no extra cost.

What the team can't do is be in two places at once. That's where one more person really changes the result.

What an extra photographer or videographer costs by the hour

Extra crew pricing by the number of hours you book.

If you book both an extra photographer and an extra videographer for 4 hours, the total is $1,100. Extra crew hours can never exceed your package hours: up to 8 with the Essential Package, 10 with the Complete Package and 12 with the Deluxe Package.

When a second person is worth it at your wedding

It's worth it when the question is "where?", not "how long?". These are the most common cases.

You get ready in two places at the same time

This is the clearest case, and the contract spells it out: if two people are getting ready at the same time in different places, you need a second crew member to capture both. Without one, the team covers one place and then the other.

Two important moments happen at the same time

For example, couple photos with the wedding party while guests arrive at cocktail hour, or a sunset portrait session while your family is already at the reception. A second person covers your guests while the first one stays with you.

You want both getting-ready scenes or both families on video

If you want to see each of your faces on video as you get ready, or each family's reactions, what you need is a second videographer, not a second photographer. Choose based on what you want to keep: photos, video or both.

A big reception with a lot going on at once

At a reception with many tables, your lead photographer follows the two of you and the program. A second photographer can work the tables, the guests and the decor details. It's not required, but it fills gaps that one person leaves.

When you don't need a second wedding photographer

Plenty of weddings don't need one, and we'll tell you just as plainly:

• You get ready in the same place, or you only want one of you getting ready.
• Your ceremony and reception are at the same venue, with a simple program.
• It's a courthouse or small wedding, with few guests and short coverage.
• You're short on time, not places. If your timeline runs one hour over, an extra hour is $150. A second person doesn't stretch your coverage; it splits it.

The no-cost option: covering one place after the other

If you get ready in two places, the team can also cover one and then the other, with no extra crew. It works when your timeline leaves room for the drive and a buffer for the things that almost always run long: hair and makeup, a blessing from your parents or traffic.

The trade-off is that part of one getting-ready scene goes uncovered. Hours run continuously and travel counts toward them, so this option sometimes calls for more hours in your package. With your timeline in hand, we'll tell you what works for your day: more hours, a second person or a different schedule.

Who shows up as your extra photographer or videographer

Your extra photographer or videographer is part of the same IAZ Photo Studio team. The founders set the style, train the team and review every delivery, so the extra person's work goes through the same review as the rest of your wedding.

Working with a team protects you in another way, too. A wedding date doesn't move because someone gets sick, so a team means backup: if your photographer gets sick, another team member covers, and if no one could, you get a full refund.