Free template · 21 questions
Wedding photography client questionnaire
Send it once the timeline starts to firm up. The goal isn't paperwork: it's walking into the wedding already knowing who matters, where the day can slip, and which of the two would rather be anywhere but in front of a lens.
When to send it
Six to eight weeks before the wedding, once the venue and ceremony times are set. Ask for the final family list two weeks out.
Paste them into HoneyBook, Dubsado, Google Forms or an email.
Client questionnaire · Wedding
The basics
- Your full names, and what you'd like me to call you on the day.
- Wedding date, ceremony and reception venues, with addresses.
- Who is your planner or day-of coordinator, and how do I reach them?
- The phone number of someone other than the two of you that I can call on the day.
The timeline
- Where and when is each of you getting ready?
- Are you doing a first look, a first touch, or seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony?
- What time does the ceremony start, and roughly how long does it run?
- Is the ceremony unplugged? Are there photography rules at the venue (no flash, no aisle, areas I can't stand in)?
- Would you like 15 minutes away from the reception for golden-hour portraits around sunset?
- Reception events in order: entrance, toasts, first dance, parent dances, cake, bouquet, send-off.
People
- List the family photo groupings you want, in order, with names. Mark anyone elderly or with mobility needs.
- Are there divorced parents, family tensions or people who shouldn't be placed side by side?
- Who should I photograph candidly during the day: grandparents, best friends, a mentor?
- Who can help me gather people for the family photos?
- Is anyone being remembered on the day that I should know about?
Details
- Which details did you put the most time or love into (rings, an heirloom, florals, stationery, outfits)?
- Are there cultural or religious traditions I should know about, and when do they happen?
- Which vendors should I credit when I share the photos?
On camera
- Honestly, how does each of you feel about being photographed?
- Is there anything either of you is self-conscious about that I can help with?
- Do you like being told exactly how to stand, or would you rather I set up a moment and let it happen?
How to use the answers
Turn the family list into a shot list
Print the groupings in order, biggest group first, and hand a copy to the helper who knows everyone. Family formals go twice as fast.
Plan around sunset, not the clock
If golden hour lands in the middle of dinner, flag it now so the coordinator can build a 15-minute break into the timeline.
Read the camera answers twice
"He hates photos" usually means he's never been directed well. Plan a low-pressure warm-up for that person before the ceremony nerves kick in.
The question forms get wrong
Most clients don't know how they like to be directed.
So they write “we're awkward” and leave it there. Send the Good Side camera quiz with your questionnaire: two minutes on their phone, and you get their camera type and a session plan with prompts in order.