Intimate Wedding Pricing

We know it’s hard to find the pricing you are searching for online, but here’s our transparent small event pricing and packages for courthouse weddings, civil ceremonies, elopements, and backyard weddings. 

Small Event Pricing

For a small elopement ceremony or courthouse ceremony, one hour covers that important event.  A sample of what this might look like:

  • 30 minutes ceremony 
  • 30 minutes family photos OR 30 minutes bride and groom photos

Two hours is the most common choice for our couples, since this allows adequate coverage of the wedding ceremony, along with family photos and a couples session.  It also gives some leeway in case things run late, which means less stress about coordinating details.  A sample of what this would look like:

  • 30 minutes for the ceremony.  Remember that even if the ceremony is 5 minutes long, there is always a before and after to it (processional, recessional, candid photos before and after the ceremony, things running late).
  • 15 minutes for family photos
  • 15 minutes for travel to another location / getting ready for couple photos
  • 60 minute couples session, which is long enough to get great photos, but not so long that you miss your own intimate reception dinner with the guests.

Three hours is great for covering a small ceremony, family photos, couples photos, and then coverage of the beginning of the reception dinner.  A sample of what this might look like:

  • 30 minutes ceremony
  • 30 minutes family photos
  • 60 minutes couples session (including travel/walking time)
  • 60 minutes reception dinner (first dance, speeches) 

Courthouse Wedding/ Civil Ceremony Photography

We had our own courthouse wedding, in addition to our two other weddings!  So we understand personally the experience and feeling of this formal but intimate wedding ceremony.  And we’ve seen that this directly translates into comfort for our couples that do a courthouse wedding or civil ceremony.  There are often legal and financial reasons, though it can also include ease and comfort (and not dealing with family sometimes).  We’ve done courthouse weddings with up to 20 people, and we’ve done some where we were the only other person there to sign as a witness for our couple.  

Check out some of our examples of courthouse wedding photography that we have online on our blog.

Elopement Wedding Photography

Elopements can include a variety of small, intimate wedding ceremony formats, such as a courthouse wedding ceremony, a beach wedding ceremony, backyard weddings, Las Vegas, or a special location such as Yosemite National Park.  But the main point of an elopement is to get away from the large ordeal of a wedding ceremony and reception, often due to costs and/or family.  

Elopements also frees up the ability to choose a destination wedding with just the two of you.  For example, we did one destination elopement wedding with a British couple that absolutely fell in love with the Wayfarer’s Chapel in Palos Verdes (the one made of mostly glass).  Having a professional photographer guarantees that you capture the private moment.  Having us capture those moments guarantees that it will be fun and comfortable and enjoyable, even if we haven’t ever met before the wedding ceremony.  Check out our wedding blog for more examples of elopement wedding photography and beach wedding ceremonies. 

Backyard Wedding Photography

Backyard weddings are also another option for couples looking to reduce costs or make the wedding more comfortable and relaxed.  The backyard is almost always someplace close to home and heart, making it more of a family gathering and party than a formal affair.  We capture images in such a setting seamlessly, unobtrusively, and artistically.  Working in a home and backyard requires a more friendly and open demeanor, which both of us do with every wedding we photograph.