How to deliver wedding photos and videos to clients
Updated · 2 min read
Delivery is where a good wedding can turn into a bad review. Photographs arrive late, links expire, files are too big for a phone and relatives keep asking for copies. A little structure fixes almost all of it.
Promise a date and keep it
Agree the delivery date when the client books and write it into the quotation. Give a first preview within days of the wedding, because couples are most excited right after the event. Then deliver the full gallery on the promised date.
Compress for people who open it on a phone
Most families will look at photographs on a phone, often on mobile data. Deliver web-sized images that open quickly, and keep full-resolution files for prints and albums. Smaran compresses photos to WebP and videos to WebM in the browser before upload, so a wedding day goes up quickly and loads fast for everyone.
Use albums for different audiences
A wedding has many audiences. Guests want a few highlights, the couple wants everything, and parents may want the family photographs. Separate albums let you share the right set with the right people.
- A public album that anyone with the link can view
- Private, password-protected albums for family, friends or the office
- Albums by event, such as the haldi, the ceremony and the reception
Let the couple arrange their own albums
Couples enjoy choosing their favourites. On Smaran the studio gives the couple a password and they sign in to a private client area, with no account to create, where they can arrange albums, choose a cover and decide which albums appear on their wedding website. They cannot delete your files or change anything else.
Know how long files will be kept
Tell clients upfront how long their gallery will stay online. On Smaran, a Pro project keeps a large photo and video library for six months, and the portfolio and public album you choose to keep stay online free of charge afterwards. Telling clients this at booking avoids awkward questions later.
Frequently asked questions
How should a studio share wedding photos with a couple?
Use one organised online gallery with a public album and private password-protected albums, set a delivery date at booking and deliver web-sized images that open quickly on a phone.
Can couples choose which photos appear on their wedding website?
Yes. On Smaran the couple signs in to a client area with a password from the studio and arranges their own albums, including which ones show on the website.
Can I protect an album with a password?
Yes. Every album except the public one is password-protected, and the studio and couple can both see the password.