What Is A Reasonable Turnaround Time For Wedding Photos?

A recent poster on Reddit exclaimed that her wedding photos should have been ready 2 weeks ago and now the photographer is ignoring her.

Need help: our wedding photos should have been done 2 weeks ago and now the photographer is ignoring me

My husband and I got married on the 19th of October. That day the photographer said the photos would be ready about 2 weeks later (November 2nd). November 13th comes around and she finally messages me and said the previews would be available the next day. Now it’s 11/27 and I have no preview, no photos, and an ignored Facebook message. She has posted previews of a wedding that took place after ours and finished galleries for family sessions that took place after our wedding. I sent her a Facebook message yesterday morning and received no response. It looks like she didn’t see it but I highly doubt as a small business owner she was away from her phone for the entire day. Especially since she has messaged me on odd days and times before so I would expect she would have checked her phone or Facebook at least once.
Should I be worried? I see horror stories about people not getting their photos back and now I’m freaking out because I can’t get an answer and it’s been so long.

So, what is a reasonable turnaround time for your wedding photos?  It really depends.

Jeff, from Iron Elephant Photography explains; “It really just depends on how busy I am and how many shots I have to edit.  I try to set my deadlines based on my workload at the time and always meet my deadlines.”

In the case of the Reddit poster, two weeks is an insanely short turnaround period.  Unless this photographer has a huge team with dedicated editors, or this was her only event for the month, two weeks is going to be a tough deadline to meet.  

After talking with several photographers, most couples should expect an average time-frame from 30-60 days depending on the time of year and the photographer’s schedule.  Once photographer stated, “You should be cautious if a photographer states a turnaround time less than 30 days.”  You may get a few previews in a short period, but it will normally take longer than that for your finished photos.

If you want quality edited photos, it is going to take some time.  Each photo needs to be edited separately to ensure the best finished photo.  We know you want the photos back at record speed, but chances are, you will not be happy with a rushed editing job.  In the end, make sure that the expectations are clear.  If you want a priority turn-around time, it will likely cost extra.

We don’t know the Reddit poster personally or the outcome of her situation.  Just make sure that you have a solid contract with all of your wedding vendors.  While this photographer likely promised something she could not fulfill, the contract is there to protect both parties.