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Welcome Zar & Steven !

Welcome to your custom Brian MacStay Weddings Welcome Guide! Below is everything you will need to prepare for your big day, and to get the most out of your experience with me!

Welcome to 

I can't tell you how thrilled I am we will be working together to capture all the wonderful moments of your celebration! I know you had a ton of options, so thank you again for choosing to work with me! 

I have taken the liberty to custom design a personalized on-boarding welcome packet for you so that you have a place to go with all of your photography related needs and questions.

I've included all the important details, timelines, invoicing and tips to make sure your experience is a good one. Please take a few minutes to review everything below, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.


xo, Brian

the
NEXT STEPS

I promised you a customized, personal experience, so here we go! 

Oh, but I forgot to tell you... You also have homework. LOL 

01

/   Read my Ultimate Wedding Guide

Yeah, I know I keep pushing it, but there really is SO much good information inside of my guide! If you are still in the thick of planning your wedding this resource can really help you!
And yes, I will be mailing you a hard copy too!

READ NOW

02

/  Book your engagement session

I am available to photograph your engagement session Monday through Thursday, as Friday through Sunday's I'm either shooting weddings, or enjoying time with my family. 
Please see the links below for how to prepare for your shoot!

PREPARE NOW

03

/   Send me a list of your vendors

I would love to know whom I will be working with on your wedding day, and would like to introduce myself! Please provide me with contact names and email/phone numbers so I can reach out!
If you are still booking some of your vendors you're welcome to look at my preferred vendors list linked below!

04

/   Fill out the pre-wedding questionnaire

I would love to know whom I will be working with on your wedding day, and would like to introduce myself! Please provide me with contact names and email/phone numbers so I can reach out!
If you are still booking some of your vendors you're welcome to look at my preferred vendors list linked below!

Questionnaire

NEED to KNOW

COMMUNICATION
Preferences

Because I am a wedding photographer I am largely unavailable for phone conversations or Zoom meetings Friday through Sunday. 

STUDIO HOURS 

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

As written in your contract a 50% retainer was required for booking. The remaining 50% is due 2 weeks (or 14 days) before your wedding day. I will forward you an updated invoice a few days before it is due as a reminder.

Tailored Wedding Collection II

These are the items included in the Tailored Wedding Collection I that you purchased:

+ Up to 10 hours of consecutive coverage
+ Brian and a second photographer on your wedding day
+ Online viewing gallery for downloading and sharing photos with family and friends
+ Complimentary engagement session, rehearsal dinner or after party coverage with Brian (up to 1 hour of photography)
+ Pre-wedding dinner/party (2 hours of photography coverage

You are welcome to add additional hours of coverage, additional photographers, wedding albums, or welcome dinner or after party coverage at any time. 

Just send me a note and I can modify your collection.

Monday.— Thursday, 10 am PT - 8pm PT

Although I don't mind quick text questions, I do prefer email's simply because I like to have a record of our conversations for future reference. So please primarily email me your questions to: [email protected]
PH 925-348-8856

TEXT POLICY / WEEKENDS

Invoicing Portal
Contact Brian

“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I'm not afraid to fall in love with these people.”

— Ann Leibovitz

the TIMELINE

Welcome Gift

Be sure I have your current address because I'll be sending you a welcome gift!

Schedule your Engagement shoot

Let's get you on my calendar! 
Engagement shoots are scheduled Mon thru Thursday evenings. Mid afternoons during the winter months

Engagement Photos  Delivery

Engagement photos are delivered 2-3 weeks from your shoot in an online gallery ready for viewing, downloading and printing

Vendors List

Please provide me with a complete list of your wedding vendors so I can reach out to them. I especially would like to chat with your wedding planner to begin the process of incorporating the photography portion into your timeline

Fill out Questionier

This helps me help you get your timeline built, as well ask get to know more what your photography needs and expectations are for your wedidng day

30 Days to go Timeline REview Call or Zoom

During this meeting we will go over the timeline from your wedding planner or venue to discuss photography coverage start and end times, your family portrait list, wedding details, etc. 

final Phone call or Zoom

The week of your wedding we will plan a conversation to discuss any final changes, adjustments to your timeline, and confirm start time and locaiton(s)

Though timelines shift with deliverables and other factors, this is an overview of my typical process and timeline prior to your wedding so you know what to expect. 

Make your final payment

Your final payment is due 2 weeks (14 days) before your wedding day. I will forward you your invoice again a few days before it's due as a reminder

My Preferred Wedding Vendors

Videographers

I've known Jesse of Love Unique Studios for nearly my entire 16+ year career. We have worked countless of weddings together, and I can't think of a single other videographer I'd rather work next to on your big day. 

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Wedding Planners

Ana Greene of Greene Signature Weddings is an up-and-coming rock start in this industry! I've worked several weddings with Ana. I have no idea what she charges, but I can't tell you it's definetly not enough. 

+ More Info

Florists

I see a lot of flowers as you can imagine. No one does it like the mother and daughter team of The Flower House! 

+ More Info

DJ's and Emcee's

It's all about the party, and the guest experience, right? Well this is the man for the job! I've literally never seen an empty dance floor with DJ Justin Entertainment

+ More Info

Hair and Makeup

This vendor is more important than you think! Choose someone that keeps you calm, makes you look and feel beautiful, and most importantly keeps you on-time, giving you plenty of time for portraits with your photographer! I highly recommend Mila Costa Beauty for just that!

+ More Info

Gift him with a wedding gift he'll never forget

Have you ever considered delivering a gorgeous hand-crafted album of beauty portraits of you to your groom on his wedding day? 

Imagine his face as he opens his gift from you, and looks through it. Of course I will be there to capture his expressions.

My portraits are modest, tasteful, yet beautiful. 
He will love them. You will celebrate them.

Packages begin at 1750

LEARN MORE

Wedding Albums

You planned your wedding for months. I'm going to capture some incredible, once in a lifetime moments with the people you love most. This is the beginning of your new family's legacy… let’s give it the presentation it deserves!

 My Fine Art Wedding Albums are custom designed by me, approved by you, and hand crafted by experts.

I partners with some of the best wedding album creators in the world for mastering these beautiful family heirlooms that will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Albums begin at 1500

20% OFF ALBUM

Rehearsal Dinner, Welcome Party  & After Party Coverage

Maybe your family and friends are flying in for the weekend of festivities for your wedding, and you're having a get together Friday night. Wouldn't you love to have all of those wonderful moments of seeing loved ones you haven't seen in a long time captured?!

What about the next-day BBQ?! I

I love to be at these events! Especially the ones before the wedding where I can get to know everyone before the big day!

Coverage for 375 per hour

Learn More

Still have questions? Get in touch!

Frequently
Asked Questions

Can we know who our second photographer is?

Unfortunately, no. Not until right before your wedding day. As I mentioned above, I work with the best in the business. Often times that means they get booked at their own weddings, so booking my second photographer usually happens a couple weeks before your wedding. Once I have secured my second photographer, I am happy to share with you their portfolio.

How many photos will we get for from our wedding day?

The number of final photos I deliver can vary based on the hours we are booked, the number of guests at your wedding, and how many photographers are booked. Between two photographers and my assistant, I am typically delivering about 100 photos per hour of coverage on a wedding day. So for a 10 hour day, you can expect about 1,000 photos.

How much time should we plan for family portraits?

I always like to plan for 3-4 min on average per setup. For example, a setup is bride, groom, mom, dad. Also, a setup is your entire family of 30 people. Some setups take longer than others, so it's an average. 
So 10 setups can take up to 40 min when you calculate gathering everyone, getting everyone in place, setting up chairs to make layers for groups more larger than 10 people, etc.

If we book coverage for our rehearsal dinner or after party will you personally be there to photograph it?

This is a great question, and the answer is.... I hope to be there.  Being there personally is ideal as it would be great to get to know everyone personally before the big day!
However, there is a chance that I may book another wedding for that day, and won't be able to make it personally. If that does happen I will be sending one of my associate photographers whom I trust to cover that event for you. 

How long after our engagement session/wedding will we get our photos?

Following your engagement session you can expect to get your photos 1 - 2 weeks following your shoot.
Following your wedding I will provide you with a dozen or so teasers the within a week. 
The remaining photos will be delivered to you in your online gallery between 4 - 6 weeks of your wedding day.

What if we decide to purchase a wedding album after the wedding... How soon do we need to oder it?

Last year I hand delivered a wedding album to a couple that I photographed their wedding 10 years prior. They hired me for their 10 Anniversary party out of state. They gifted the photography coverage and wedding album to each other as an anniversary gift.

We might want to purchase a duplicate wedding album for our parents. Do you offer a discounted rate?

Yes. Wedding albums are heavily discounted for duplicate copies because all of the work has already been done in the creation of the album design. Now all we have to do is print more!
Exact copies of parent albums are available for 1000 each, regardless of size and cover upgrades. 
*Note: Custom edits to the design and additional spreads not included

What is the "online gallery" you mention in your collections?

Your wedding photographs will be housed in a confidential, password-protected gallery on my website, accessible to you, your family, and friends. This gallery doubles as a secure shopping portal, enabling you and your loved ones to order prints, cards, and choose album photos online. Simply share the password with those you'd like to grant viewing privileges to. This platform is also your gateway to retrieve your wedding day digital files. With a provided PIN for downloading, you can access your images the moment the gallery is in your hands.

THANK YOU

Thank you again for choosing me to join you for your big celebration with you and your loved ones!

[email protected]
brianmacstay.com
PH 925-348-8856

xo, Brian