Budget · 6 min read · Updated
How a weddingis quoted
Four factors and one principle: this page publishes no figures, and every quotation is given in writing.
Few conversations are as uncomfortable as the one about price, and almost all begin with the figure rather than with what lies behind it. This house publishes no figures on its website. What it can explain is what a proposal is made of, so that you know what to ask for and how to compare.
What goes into a proposal for photography and film
- Hours: how much time of presence, from the start of the preparations to the end of the day.
- Photography, film or both: they are different disciplines, and the proposal changes depending on whether you choose one or both.
- The place: where it is held, and how the day is divided between one point or several.
- What the couple takes home: the finished works and the way they are delivered.
Two weddings with the same ceremony hour can call for different proposals, because each combines these factors in its own way. That is why there is no single rate that suits all of them.
Hours: how many does each wedding need
The ceremony hour does not tell you how many hours are needed. What you want to see does: both of you getting ready, the ceremony, the portraits, the cocktail hour, dinner and, if you wish, the first dance. Each stretch adds up, and each calls for a different light.
One fact helps you decide: natural light has an expiry time. In Palma, on 15 June 2027 the sun sets at 21:17; on 15 October, at 19:11. If you want portraits in evening light, the end of the useful stretch is set by the sunset of your month, not by the dinner schedule. The full table is in the text on the light of the island.
A simple way to work it out: write down the schedule you imagine, from the first appointment of the day to the last moment you want to keep, and count the hours. With that figure and the venue, the first call can already be concrete.
A second camera, extras and the album
Proposals usually distinguish what is included from what is added. Ask about each item separately:
- A second person with a camera: useful for being in two places at once, for instance with each of you while you get ready. Ask whether it is included or added.
- A film of the complete ceremony, in addition to the film of the day. Aerial images: what is worth knowing before asking for them.
- A printed album: whether it is included or booked separately, what size and how many pages. Cover materials, format and what to ask: how to choose the album.
- Delivery of the images in a private gallery, on a physical medium, or both.
Travel and destination
If the venue is in another city or on another island, the proposal changes for practical reasons: transfers, arriving the day before, accommodation. Ask what is included and what you cover yourselves, and whether the team needs to arrive the day before to see the space and its light. If the day is split between two places, ask too how that affects the hours. Para el caso de Mallorca: what it costs to get married in Mallorca.
How to compare two proposals
Compare like with like. This table, deliberately blank, is for filling in with each proposal you receive.
| What to ask | Proposal A | Proposal B |
|---|---|---|
| Hours included, from what time to what time | ||
| Photography, film or both, and whether one visual approach covers them | ||
| A second camera, if any | ||
| What I receive, in what form and how soon | ||
| Album: included or separate | ||
| Transfers and accommodation if the venue is far away | ||
| Taxes: included or not | ||
| What I may use the images for | ||
| Payment schedule and what happens if the date changes |
Taxes and rights of use
Two matters often go unasked and are worth settling from the start.
The first is taxes. Spanish consumer law requires the total price to be stated with all taxes included and, where the price depends on a quotation, how it is worked out. The standard rate of VAT in Spain is 21%: a figure that does not say whether it includes VAT may turn out 21% higher than it looked.
The second is rights of use. Photographs are protected works and belong to whoever creates them, who assigns the rights that are agreed. Where the agreement does not mention a period, the law limits the assignment to five years, and where it does not mention territory, to the country where the assignment is made. Ask, in writing, what you may use the images for: the family album, social media, a large print.
Timing and payments
After the design call, the house sends the Proposal Dossier. The specific proposal, with its conditions, is delivered in writing. Nothing discussed is considered agreed until it appears there.
The house accepts a limited number of weddings each year, so it can tell each story the way it deserves. That allows each proposal to be drafted with time and without templates. With any house, ask for the payment schedule and for what happens if the date or the place changes; what matters is that both answers appear in the same document.
How to begin the conversation
Four details are enough: the date or the month, the venue if you already have one, whether you want photography, film or both, and how many hours you imagine. With that, the first design call can be concrete, and the proposal follows in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Why do you not publish figures?
Because two weddings with the same ceremony hour do not call for the same thing, and a loose figure leads to comparing things that are not equal. We prefer a written proposal made for your story.
How do I know whether a proposal includes taxes?
It has to say so. Consumer law asks for the total price to be stated with taxes included; if the document does not say, ask before you compare.
How many hours do I need?
Enough to cover what you want to keep, from the first image to the last. A tip: count the stretches of the day and check what time the sun sets on your date.
Can I add hours later?
Always ask in writing. Nothing discussed is considered agreed until it is in the proposal, and it helps to know beforehand how an extension is handled.
Who is the author of the images, and what can I do with them?
The author is whoever creates them. What you may do with them is set by what is agreed in writing, with its period and territory; if nothing is said, the law limits the assignment to five years and to the country where it is agreed.