How to Deliver Wedding Photos to Clients

The Professional Wedding Delivery Workflow

Wedding photo delivery is the process of sharing edited wedding images with clients through galleries, downloads, or physical media. It's more than just a file transfer; it's the final impression you leave with your couple.

The average wedding photographer delivers 500-800 edited photos per event. With modern cameras (45MP+), a full gallery often ranges from 10GB to 50GB. 92% of couples now want digital delivery within 8 weeks, making speed and accessibility critical.

A standard professional workflow includes:

1. Culling: Selecting the best 500-800 images from the 3,000+ shot.
2. Editing: Color correction and retouching (often batched).
3. Exporting: Generating full-resolution JPEGs (and web-sized copies).
4. Uploading: Transferring files to a delivery platform.
5. Curating: Organizing into collections (Ceremony, Reception, Portraits).
6. Delivering: Sending a branded, password-protected link.
7. Archiving: Backing up the RAWs and edits for long-term storage.

While the shooting happens in a day, the delivery defines the weeks that follow. An organized workflow ensures you meet deadlines and exceed expectations.

Delivery Methods Compared: Galleries vs. USB vs. Transfer

How you deliver photos depends on your business model and client expectations. Here are the three main approaches:

1. Online Photo Galleries (The Standard)

Dedicated gallery platforms like Pixieset, Pic-Time, or CloudSpot are the industry standard. They allow clients to view images in a grid, share favorites, and order prints.

• Pros: Beautiful presentation, built-in print stores, mobile-friendly.
• Cons: can be expensive ($30-50/mo), storage limits, per-brand costs.
• Best for: Photographers who rely on print sales for revenue.

2. Direct File Transfer & Portals (The Efficient Choice)

For photographers who deliver full-resolution files without pushing print sales, secure file transfer platforms offer a streamlined experience. Tools like Fast.io provide branded portals where clients can download the entire gallery at maximum speed.

• Pros: Fastest downloads for clients, handles massive files (video/RAW), no per-seat fees for teams, often usage-based pricing.
• Cons: No built-in print lab integration.
• Best for: High-volume studios, destination photographers, and those delivering video alongside photos.

3. Physical Media (USB/Hard Drive)

Once the gold standard, USB drives are fading. Many modern laptops don't even have USB-A ports. However, some luxury packages still include a custom crystal or wood drive as a keepsake.

• Pros: Tangible product, works offline.
• Cons: Drives fail, easy to lose, shipping costs, clients may lack ports.
• Best for: Luxury add-ons or delivering massive RAW archives.

Recommendation: Use an online method (Gallery or Portal) as your primary delivery to ensure immediate access and backup. Offer physical media only as a premium keepsake.

Creating a Premium Client Experience

Your delivery method reflects your brand. A generic WeTransfer link with a 7-day expiration tells a different story than a custom branded portal.

Branded Presentation

Clients pay thousands for your vision. Don't break the spell at the finish line with a generic "File Download" page. Use a client portal that features:

• Your Logo & Colors: Matches your website and contract.
• Custom Domain: gallery.yourname.com builds trust over transfer.site/x7z9.
• Visual Previews: Clients should see the photos, not just filenames.

Speed and Reliability

Nothing frustrates a couple more than a download that fails at 99%. Wedding galleries are huge. Ensure your platform supports:

• Resumable Uploads: If the client's WiFi drops, the download picks up where it left off.
• No Zipping Required: Allow clients to view and download individual files or the whole set.
• Universal Media Engine: If you include video clips, they should stream instantly (like Netflix) rather than requiring a download first.

Accessible Archives

Couples will lose their files. It happens. A "Link Expired" message 6 months later leads to panic.

The Fix: Use storage that doesn't auto-expire files. Fast.io's workspaces keep project files active as long as you need, so you can resend a link instantly if a client loses their copy 2 years down the road.

Technical Best Practices for Delivery

Get the technical details right to avoid "I can't open this" emails.

File Formats and Resolution

Deliver two sets of images if possible, or a high-res set that handles both needs:

• Print-Ready: Full resolution JPEGs (300 DPI, sRGB). Don't limit the file size; let the quality shine.
• Web-Size: 2048px on the long edge. Perfect for Instagram and Facebook without compression artifacts.

Note: Always convert to sRGB. AdobeRGB looks dull on most web browsers and phones.

Organization Structure

Don't dump 800 files into one folder. Structure the delivery so it tells the story:

1. Highlights (The best 50-100 shots for quick sharing)
2. Getting Ready
3. Ceremony
4. Family Formals
5. Wedding Party
6. Reception

Access Control

Protect your clients' privacy. Wedding photos are personal data.

• Password Protection: Essential. Only the couple (and those they share with) should access the full gallery.
• Download Permissions: You might allow the couple full download access, but restrict guests to "View Only" or "Web Size Download" to prevent unauthorized printing.

After Delivery: Backup and Archiving

Delivery isn't the end of your responsibility. Hard drives fail, and houses flood. You need a 3-2-1 backup strategy.

The 3-2-1 Rule for Wedding Photographers

• 3 Copies of Data: Original RAWs, Edited JPEGs, and Catalog files.
• 2 Different Media Types: e.g., SSD for working, HDD for archive.
• 1 Offsite Copy: Cloud storage is the most reliable offsite solution.

Cloud Archiving

Consumer clouds (Google Drive, iCloud) often compress images or fill up quickly. For a wedding archive growing by 2-4TB per year, you need cloud storage for photographers that can keep up.

Team-focused storage like Fast.io lets you create an archive workspace where files are safe, organized, and retrievable without cluttering your active delivery dashboard. Since pricing is usage-based (not per-seat), it works well for long-term retention.