Booking & Deposit

A signed contract and a 30% deposit (booking retainer) are required to secure your date for any wedding or event. We cannot hold a date without a deposit. The deposit will be applied toward your total package price. Once paid, this retainer is non-refundable (as we commit to your date and turn away other inquiries).

Payments

The remaining balance for your package is due no later than 7 days before your wedding or event. For shorter portrait sessions (like engagements) or small events, the balance may be due on the day of the shoot before we begin. We accept various payment methods including e-transfer, credit card, PayPal, or cash. All prices are subject to applicable taxes (e.g., 13% HST for Ontario). If a payment is not received by the agreed due date, we reserve the right to refuse service (though we will always attempt to contact and work with you to avoid this scenario).

Cancellation Policy

If you need to cancel your booking, please notify us in writing as soon as possible. The initial deposit is non-refundable under all circumstances. If a cancellation is made more than 60 days before a wedding or large event, you will not be required to pay the remaining balance (and any additional payments made beyond the deposit will be refunded). For cancellations made within 60 days of the event date (especially for weddings), you may be responsible for a portion or all of the remaining balance, since it may be too late for us to book another client on that date. We approach cancellations on a case-by-case basis and will be as accommodating as possible, especially in emergency situations or extreme circumstances.

Rescheduling

If you need to reschedule your event or session, we will do our best to work with you. For non-wedding sessions like engagement shoots, we allow one complimentary reschedule (with at least 24-48 hours notice, if possible). For weddings and big events, rescheduling is more complex:

• If you postpone to a new date and we are available, we can transfer your contract and deposit to the new date (an addendum will be signed). No extra fee will be charged for a first reschedule.

• If we are unavailable on your new date, it will be considered a cancellation of the original booking (see cancellation policy). You could either keep the original date with us or cancel the booking.

• Date changes made close to the event (for example, within 30 days) will be handled on a case-by-case basis. We understand issues can arise (illness, venue problems, etc.) and we aim to be flexible, but we cannot guarantee availability beyond the original date.

Always communicate with us as early as possible if you think a date change might happen.

Weather Policy

Weather can be unpredictable, especially for outdoor shoots. For engagement sessions or outdoor portrait shoots, we are happy to reschedule at no cost if the weather is extremely unfavourable (heavy rain, storms, etc.). We usually make the weather call the day before or morning of the shoot. A little light rain or snow can be fun in photos, but your comfort and safety come first. For weddings and events, we will be there rain or shine. We come prepared with weather-resistant gear (and even cute white umbrellas for the couple if needed!). If severe weather (like a blizzard or hurricane) forces an event to be postponed for safety reasons, we treat that as a reschedule (see Rescheduling above). Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds due to weather if the event itself isn’t cancelled, but rest assured we’ll adapt and still capture amazing photos in any conditions.

Overtime / Extended Coverage

Our packages and coverage hours are agreed upon in advance. If your event is running longer and you request us to stay additional time beyond the contracted hours, we are usually able to accommodate. Overtime is charged at a rate of $300 per hour for weddings (or $250 per hour for regular events), billed in half-hour increments. We will confirm with you (or your coordinator) before extending coverage. Payment for overtime can be settled after the event (we’ll invoice you for any extra hours). Don’t worry – we won’t ever pack up and leave without checking if you need us to stay; we know how important those final moments can be!

Image Delivery & Archive

After your wedding/event, we will deliver the edited images via an online gallery. We aim for the timeframe stated in our FAQ (e.g., 4-6 weeks for weddings). We typically keep your edited images archived for at least one year. We recommend that once you receive your photos, you download and back them up in multiple places for safekeeping. If you lose your images down the road, contact us – if we still have them archived, we’re happy to provide a new download link. Raw (unedited) files remain the property of Azmy Photography and are not delivered or stored long-term after final edits are completed.

Image Rights & Usage

All images taken by Azmy Photography are copyrighted by us (the photographer). We grant our clients a personal usage license: you may share the photos with family and friends, post on social media, and print them for personal use as much as you like. For corporate clients, you receive a license to use the images for your company’s internal and marketing purposes. What’s not allowed without permission is selling the photos or submitting them for commercial use by third parties (for example, a magazine or advertisement) – if you have an opportunity like that, just talk to us and we can arrange a commercial usage agreement if needed.