How to Invoice as a Wedding Photographer
Wedding work is booked ahead of the day. This guide covers the payment plan that runs up to the date, the hours you cover on the day, and what you bill after it.
A wedding booking holds one date for one couple, and it can be made months before the day. In this guide, the package invoice goes out at booking and is paid in parts until the wedding, so the couple knows every amount and date from the start. Anything that changes on the day, such as coverage that runs past the contracted hours, is billed after the wedding.
Billed's help center says "A payment schedule lets you add a payment plan to the invoices." It also says "Clients can pay several installments against a single invoice."
Worked example, with sample figures before any tax: a package of 8 hours' coverage plus an engagement session is 3,600.00, paid as 1,200.00 at booking, 1,200.00 six months before the wedding and 1,200.00 a month before it, and 3 × 1,200.00 = 3,600.00. The reception runs 1.5 hours past the contracted time, so after the wedding the couple receives a second invoice for 1.5 × 250.00 = 375.00. The couple pays 3,600.00 + 375.00 = 3,975.00 in all.
Step-by-step invoicing guide
- 1
Write the package down before the date is held
Name the hours of coverage, a second shooter if there is one, the engagement session and anything printed. Put your hourly rate for extra coverage in the contract too, so overtime has a price before the day.
- 2
Send the package invoice at booking
Billed's help center says you can "fill this section to charge against new items and services". Put the coverage, the engagement session and any album on lines of their own.
- 3
Spread the payments up to the wedding
Billed's help center says "Add a percentage or flat amount and the due date for each installment." A booking payment, a middle payment and a last payment before the date can keep the plan simple.
- 4
Remind the couple before each payment
With months between payments, a reminder can help. Billed's help center says "You can set a schedule of payment reminders before and after the invoice's due date."
- 5
Bill overtime and travel after the wedding
Hours past the contracted coverage go on a new invoice at the rate in the contract. For travel you paid, Billed's help center says "If there are any unbilled expenses of a particular client, you can add these expenses to the client's next invoice."
- 6
Invoice album and print orders when the couple chooses
If the couple picks album upgrades or extra prints after seeing the photos, bill them on an invoice of their own once the order is confirmed.
Tips for wedding photographer invoicing
- Put the wedding date and the venue on every invoice for the booking, so the couple's records stay together.
- Ask which of the two partners, or which family member, the invoices should go to.
- Write the start and end time of your coverage on the invoice, which makes any overtime line easy to check.
- Log travel and lodging for a wedding away from home: Billed's expenses page says "An expense in Billed records who you paid, when, how much and which category it belongs to, with the receipt attached to the same entry."
- Send a receipt for each payment: Billed's invoice software page says "After a client pays, you can send them a payment receipt."
Common invoicing mistakes to avoid
- Holding a wedding date with no payment and nothing in writing.
- Leaving the overtime rate out of the contract, then pricing it after the day.
- Giving a booking that's paid in parts a single due date.
- Folding travel to a distant venue into the package price without saying so.
How this works in Billed
A payment plan on one invoice
Billed's help center says "Clients can pay several installments against a single invoice."
Reminders before each due date
Billed's help center says "You can set a schedule of payment reminders before and after the invoice's due date." It also says "You can send up to three reminders."
Travel costs on the next invoice
Billed's help center says "If there are any unbilled expenses of a particular client, you can add these expenses to the client's next invoice." and "The expense will appear as a line item in the invoice."
Payment status at a glance
Billed's invoice software page says "Invoice reports show which invoices are paid, partially paid or past due, and you can see who owes you money and send them a payment reminder."
Card and PayPal payments
Billed's mobile app page says "Invoices carry a pay button when Stripe or PayPal is connected, so clients can pay by card the minute they receive it."
Frequently asked questions
Start Invoicing With Billed
Set up your account and send your first invoice with Billed.
At a glance
| When | What the couple is billed |
|---|---|
| At booking | The full package, with a payment plan |
| Before the wedding | The remaining payments, each on its own date |
| After the wedding | Overtime and travel, on a new invoice |
| Later | Album upgrades and print orders |
When this isn't for you
If the way you invoice clients today already works for you, there's no need to switch.