PRICING + INFO

chicago wedding photography packages


our approach

By now you’re probably realizing that there’s a huge variety in Chicago wedding photographers and packages. When you work with us, you can count on personalized attention, stress-free experience and, of course, breathtaking photos that allow you to relive your favorite moments forever. So what differentiates Wasabi Photography?

Real Wedding Photojournalism

My entire approach is built on my background in photojournalism. Real wedding photojournalism is more than just a trendy style. I actually worked as a photojournalist at daily newspapers for the first six years of my career and it’s influenced everything about how I cover weddings.

You can count on us to put you and your guests at ease and be ready for every moment. I love documenting all the emotions of the day – the joy, the laughter and even the tears. You can read more about how we tell stories, anticipate moments, put people at ease and are prepared for anything here.

Two Photographers

We shoot every wedding with two photographers. To be clear my second photographers aren’t just assistants or beginning students – they’re experienced professionals with similar backgrounds and share my documentary approach. Having two photographers lets us capture both the action (you walking down the aisle) and the reaction (the look on their face). It also lets us be in two places at the same time, for example, if you’re getting ready in different locations.

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what does full day coverage mean?

When I began photographing weddings more than 10 years ago, I brought the photojournalism mantra of “get there early, and stay late,” to my coverage approach. When covering news events, often the most interesting moments (and photos) came in the times before or after the main event. I thought it only natural to show up for all the hair, makeup and getting ready activities. And I never left after toasts or first dances – the party is part of the story too.

Eventually, I noticed that most other photographers were pricing their wedding photography packages in hourly bundles. This never really made sense to me. First, I want to be able to tell the whole story of your day and there’s just no way to do that if I’m not there for it. Second, I don’t expect couples to know their full timelines a year in advance. Couples will often underestimate or try to fit everything into the photographer’s limited time window. I want you to plan your day without worrying whether I’ll be there to capture it.

“Travis was everywhere and nowhere (in the best way possible) on our wedding day and he captured everything we wanted.”

BRENNA + REUBEN

And finally, I can only photograph one wedding a day. Once I’m booked for a Saturday, even if it’s just a few hours, I can’t schedule another wedding. So it only makes sense to set everyone up for success and plan to be there for the full day.

In almost every case, a full wedding day timeline in Chicago is 10 to 12 hours. So I say “up to 12 hours” as a reasonable starting point and include that in all wedding photography collections. But if you know you’re doing a special exit at the end of the night or are planning an especially long day, just let me know and we’ll work together to make sure we’re there.

  • 9:30am Getting Ready (Travis arrives)
  • 11:00amPut on dress /suit
  • 12:00pmFirst Look
  • 12:30pmTravel to first portrait location
  • 12:45pmPortraits at first location
  • 1:30pmPortraits at second location
  • 3:00pmArrive at ceremony location
  • 3:30pmCeremony
  • 4:30pmFamily Photos after ceremony
  • 5:00pmTravel to reception location
  • 6:00pmCocktail hour
  • 7:00pmGrand entrance, toasts
  • 7:45pmSunset portraits (between courses)
  • 8:15pmFirst dances
  • 8:30pmDance floor opens
  • 9:30pmFinal check-in before starting to pack up

FREE PLANNING TIPS & ADVICE

7 reasons why you need to hire a real photojournalist for your wedding

what is included in the collections?

As part of my simplified pricing approach, I include everything you need and nothing you don’t. You won’t find inflated prices for wall prints – or complicated print credits. I offer three collections. A base collection with the essentials, a premium collection that adds an engagement session, and a luxury collection that adds an engagement session and a 10″ custom book. You can see a breakdown of our wedding photography packages below:

Base Collection

  • Travis Haughton plus second wedding photojournalist for up to 12 hours
  • password-protected online gallery to share with friends and family
  • full resolution digital files delivered via USB thumb drive with print release
  • expert advice from our planning guide and personalized timeline assistance

starting at…

$4,800

Premium Collection

  • everything from the base collection
  • engagement session in Chicago-area

starting at…

$5,400

Luxury Collection

  • everything from premium collection
  • 10″ custom book with 25 spreads

starting at…

$6,300

Prices are subject to change. Please contact us for pricing based on your event specifics. Weddings on peak dates & holidays and weddings with extensive travel (usually involving flights or hotel stays) may be priced higher. Contact us for detailed pricing information.

Absolutely. Nearly half of my weddings each year are actually outside of the Chicago area. In most cases, there’s no additional fees for travel outside of actual costs (flight, hotel, etc).

This can vary depending on the specifics of your day, but most couples should expect between 500 and 800 images. We’ve found that is the sweet spot for making sure everything is covered, without being redundant.

During peak times our average turnaround time is 6 to 8 weeks. We process every image personally, to the same high quality standards you see throughout this site. We often post a blog preview first and sneak peaks on our instagram page.

You’ll get a password-protected gallery that you can share with friends and family. You will also get a 4-digit PIN code that can be used to download the photos individually or as full set. Additionally, you’ll get a USB (Combo type-C and type-A) with the full resolution, edited images from both the wedding and engagement session.

Yes. We believe part of what makes our work special is the editing process so we don’t outsource. Everything is processed to be consistent with the color and quality you see on our site.

We suggest reaching out as soon as possible. In some cases, we begin working with couples before they have booked their venues or have an official date. We tend to book 12-18 months in advance, and with all the Covid postponements our schedule is busier than ever.

Once we’ve met (either online via Zoom/FaceTime or in-person), I’ll send a digital invoice and agreement. You can pay the booking fee ($1,000) via secure online payment system. The balance is due 14 days before your wedding date. We also accept checks.

Yes, it’s super convenient to order prints directly through the online gallery. They’ll come from a pro print lab in Minnesota, on archival lustre paper. Additionally, the USB drive includes a print release so you can have them printed locally. We don’t believe in crazy markups (we want to be paid to create beautiful images of your day, not for the paper they’re printed on.) Seriously, our print prices start at $4. If a print fades or is damaged, you can always make a perfect reprint from your original files.

First, contact us using the form below. If we’re available for you date, we’ll follow up with a full pricing guide and some more info. From there, we’ll set up a time to meet and discuss more of your wedding day plans and I’ll share some more about my background and approach. If we’re a good fit, you can pay the booking fee and sign the agreement digitally. Once I have those two items your date is officially reserved!

A FEW MORE DETAILS

faqs