Your Arizona wedding timeline, month by month, from yes to the album

Once you have a date and venue: book coverage and compare packages

A photo and video team can only be at one wedding at a time, so book it before the cake or the flowers. And since the balance is paid in installments until one month out, booking early keeps each payment smaller.

• Compare against the same list. The three packages run from $2,150 to $4,995, always with a photographer and a videographer. What a wedding photo and video package includes walks through every piece.
• Ask the questions that matter. Who covers your wedding, what happens if they get sick, when you get your photos: it's all in questions to ask before hiring a photographer.
• Read the contract before you pay. What a photo and video contract should include explains the terms that protect you. You sign on your phone, and the deposit is a separate step.
• Check the distance. No travel fee within 50 driving miles of Tempe, Arizona (I-10 and US-60); farther out, it's quoted and agreed in writing first.

12 to 6 months out: engagement session, attire and wedding party

This is when you make the choices that show up most in your photos.

Your engagement session already comes with your package

Every package includes a 1-hour Pre-Event Photo Session, and you can schedule it whenever you like, as long as it's at least 2 weeks before the wedding. If it's your engagement session for save-the-dates, do it early. Our engagement session guide covers what to wear and where to go.

Attire, wedding party and ceremony sponsors

The dress, the suits and the wedding party colors all show up together in every group photo. If your ceremony includes lazo, arras or other sponsor traditions, write them down now. They happen once.

How the season affects an Arizona wedding

If your wedding is outdoors, the date changes the plan. The National Weather Service defines Arizona's monsoon season as June 15 through September 30 (NWS Tucson (opens in a new tab), checked November 7, 2026). For summer heat, the Arizona heat and monsoon photo guide covers timing and shade.

4 months out: lock in your package before the cancellation line

The cancellation rule changes 4 months before the wedding, so this is the time to finalize your package. Cancel 4 or more months ahead and you lose only the $500 deposit, which serves as the cancellation fee; with less than 4 months to go, you lose everything you've paid.

1. Your hours. Count from the first moment you want covered to the last. Our coverage hours guide has a sample wedding day.
2. A date change. The contract allows one, requested 4 or more months ahead, if the new date is open.
3. Add-ons. An album, framed enlargements or the Online Video Streaming Experience for family who can't travel.

3 to 2 months out: marriage license, witnesses and getting-ready spots

An Arizona marriage license expires one year after it's issued, so get yours within the 12 months before the wedding. You apply with the clerk of the superior court in any Arizona county (A.R.S. § 25-121 (opens in a new tab), checked November 7, 2026). Check the requirements and fee with the county where you apply.

State law calls for at least two witnesses age 18 or older, and the license is signed by the couple, the witnesses and the officiant (A.R.S. § 25-125 (opens in a new tab), checked November 7, 2026). That signing is worth photographing, so put it on your timeline.

Decide where each of you gets ready, too. If you and your partner get ready in separate places at the same time, one person can't be in both: the team covers one place after the other, with buffer time, or you add a second crew member. Prices are in is a second photographer or videographer worth it?.

1 month out: final payment, timeline and family photo list

One month before the wedding, you pay the balance and send your timeline in writing. It's also the deadline to book an extra photographer or videographer.

Your timeline should include: - Addresses and times for every location: getting ready, ceremony, photos and reception. - When you'll sign the license and your witnesses' names. - Grand entrance, toasts, first dance, cake, bouquet toss and money dance. - Your family photo list, with groups in order. - Surprises, like a mariachi or a special dance: tell the team, even if you keep them from everyone else. - Your photographer and videographer in the catering headcount.

Any later change goes in writing. Parking and entrance fees for parks or gardens are on you.

The wedding day and the weeks after

On the wedding day, hours run continuously, including travel and waiting, and coverage ends at 10:00 pm; each extra hour is $150.

Afterward, you have 4 weeks to choose your photos in your online gallery; if you don't choose in time, the team makes the selection. From your selection, usual delivery is 4 to 8 weeks for photo and video, or 2 to 4 weeks for photography only, and your contract sets the final terms. Files are kept for one year, so download and back them up within that year.