Five suppliers, five emails, one wedding
The florist messages on Instagram asking for a few shots of the arch. The venue's marketing manager emails for images for their brochure. The planner wants a set for an awards entry. The cake maker would love a close-up. The dress shop asks for any photos of the bride in the gown.
Each request is reasonable, and good relationships with suppliers bring you work. But each one means choosing images, exporting, sending a link and asking them to credit you. A few weeks later you see your photograph on the venue's website with no credit and a filter on it.
Sharing happens one request at a time
The requests arrive through different channels, at different times, and each supplier wants different images. There is rarely a record of what was sent to whom, on what terms, or whether the couple were happy for it.
- Suppliers ask by DM, email and in person on the day.
- Each supplier needs a different subset of the wedding.
- Your credit and usage terms are mentioned in an email, if at all.
- The couple's wishes about public use are in your questionnaire, not in front of you when you share.
- Awards and publication requests may need different terms from social media use.
What informal sharing costs
Time is the obvious cost, spread across the season in small pieces. The bigger cost is lost credit. A supplier post without your name is marketing for them and not for you, even though it is your work.
There is also a trust issue. Sharing images of a couple who asked for privacy, or of guests who did not want to appear, causes real upset. Having the couple's wishes to hand at the moment of sharing matters.
How we build a supplier sharing page
- The suppliers for each wedding are listed from your questionnaire, with their contact details and social handles.
- The couple's answer about sharing is checked first. If they asked for no public use, suppliers get a polite message and no images.
- For each supplier type, the page suggests images from your starred selection using simple tags, such as flowers, cake, dress, venue, details. You confirm the set.
- Each supplier receives a link to their set, with your usage terms and the exact credit line and handle to use.
- Downloads are recorded, so you know who took what and when.
- Requests for awards or publication go through a separate option that asks for more detail before you decide.
| Supplier | Typical set | Terms shown |
|---|---|---|
| Venue | Exterior, ceremony room, reception | Credit line, no filters or crops that remove credit |
| Florist | Bouquets, arch, table flowers | Credit line and handle |
| Planner | Details and overview shots | Credit line; awards need separate request |
| Cake maker | Cake close-ups and cutting | Credit line and handle |
Your usage terms are your own, and you or your adviser write them. The page displays them; it does not enforce them outside the page.
What sharing looks like once it is set up
A few days after delivery, each supplier on the wedding gets their set with your terms and credit line, without separate requests. You spend a few minutes confirming the suggested images. The couple's privacy wishes are respected automatically.
When you see a supplier's post, it is more likely to carry your name, and you have a record of what was sent if it does not.
Awards and magazine requests stop being a scramble. The details of what was asked, what you agreed and which images went are all on the wedding's record, so when a feature appears in print, you can check it against what you actually allowed.
Signs supplier sharing is costing you
- Supplier image requests arrive by DM and email after most weddings.
- You rarely send your credit line in writing.
- You have found your images used without credit.
- You check the couple's sharing wishes from memory.
- You have no record of which images went to which supplier.