Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQ's

General FAQ's

We have several people on our rosters in each service category plus Studio Veil owner, Ryan Veil, is well connected with other companies in town. We’ve got you covered!

What happens if my DJ, photographer, videographer, or photo booth attendant has an emergency come up? 

Yes, Studio Veil is fully insured. Some venues have specific insurance requirements. Please note that we can provide a COI to show a venue free of charge, but any venues that require to be listed as an additional insured may incur a fee that would be added to your contract total.

Do you have insurance?

We ask that Studio Veil representatives be included in the meal count when working over dinner time. Mostly, this includes photographers, videographers and DJ. Occasionally it includes our photo booth attendant, but often times the booth doesn’t open till after dinner. 

Do we need to feed our vendors?

Once you have secured your date with Studio Veil, you will have access to a client portal. This is where you can view your contract, make payments, and communicate your event details. We have designed a questionnaire for each of our services that will walk you through all the details needed. This will be followed up with a final check-in call prior to your event. Of course you can always send us an email or give us a call if you need advice or have questions. 

How are my event details handled after booking?

As with any service industry, tipping vendors is appreciated, but not required. All day long, they will be with you, helping to create life-long memories. One industry article explained it this way: “If you tip a server for bringing you a meal, why wouldn’t you tip the vendors bringing you the best day of your life?” We hope to provide the kind of quality service that compels you to show gratitude in that way at the end of the day. Here are some reasonable amounts to consider for tips…

  • Photography: $75-$200 each
  • Videography: $75-$200 each
  • DJ: $100-$250
  • Photo Booth: $50-$100

What about tipping?

Studio Veil aims to make your event planning simple. There are no hidden fees or extras you will be charged for later (unless you add services to your contract). The only things to keep in mind beyond the stated prices are, sales tax for uncle Sam and gratuity should you decide to tip your vendors. DJ service is not subject to sales tax, but all other services are.

Any hidden fees?

To secure your service with Studio Veil we require a 50% deposit with a signed contract. The final 50% (or remaining balance) is due 1 month before the event.


How much is due upon booking?

Studio Veil is based in Brooklyn Park, MN. Our team will travel up to 1 hour to your event venue from our location. Please note, some venues will incur a travel fee. This will be communicated ahead of time on your quote/contract.     

How far do you travel?

In 2005, our company was started from a shared idea between two good friends. We wanted to make it easy for couples to plan their weddings by providing multiple wedding services from one central company. The first official wedding we worked as a company was on April Fools Day 2006. What a perfect day to start in the wedding and event industry!

How long has Studio Veil been in business?

DJ FAQ's

DJ FAQ's

The shoe game is a fun way to entertain your guests and see how well your answers line up with your now spouse. We have you sit back-to-back and take off your shoes. You’ll hold one of your shoes in one hand and one of your partner’s in the other hand. Then we’ll ask you a series of questions and you raise the shoe of the person that best answers the question. For example, “who is the better cook?” or “Who starts the most fights?”. As I’m sure you can imagine, it can get pretty entertaining. 


What is the shoe game?

This is a fun activity to consider if you have guests attending that have been married for a long time. There are multiple variations but the one we typically do goes like this…invite all married couples out to the dance floor and start playing a slow dance song. We start calling out time periods and asking couples that have been married for less than that time period to step aside until we are left with the longest married couple out on the dance floor. We once had a couple that had been married 67 years! It’s a fun way to honor that couple. Sometimes we’ll re-invite the newlyweds back to the dance floor for the last 30 seconds or so to dance with that couple.


What is an Anniversary dance?

Yes, but not in a way that affects the music. We may need to step away to grab water or use the restroom, but we’re never away for more than a few minutes and the music will continue regardless.


Does the DJ take breaks?

Out of respect for the clients we are actively working with, we are not able to invite future couples/clients to events where we are DJ’ing. The best way to get a feel for who we are and what we do is through our reviews on Google & The Knot. 


Can we see you in actition? Either at an event of recorded video?

Within your DJ Questionnaire inside your Client Portal, there’s a place where we ask you to give us approximately 20 song requests. That’s usually a good number to give the DJ a direction of what you’re looking for but also gives them freedom to use guest requests and their own selections to fill in the rest. Some couples simply pick their first dance song and leave the rest to us while other couples pick 100 songs and tell us to only play from that list. We prefer the default middle ground but we’ll work with whatever you give us. There’s also a section on the DJ Questionnaire to list any do-not-play requests. 


Can we give a list of music requests or do not playlist?

We accept guest requests by default but have had some couples in the past ask that we not take requests. If that’s you, just let us know.

Can you take guest requests?

Studio Veil maintains several public playlists on Spotify. Simply search for “studioveil” from your Spotify account or copying and pasting the link below into your web browser to check out the song ideas we have in our public playlists.

  • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/studioveil?si=60503c7ecbfe40aa 

Where can I get song ideas? 

We include lighting for the dance floor with all our DJ packages. This lighting will be on a stand next to one of our speakers with the lights shining down on the dance floor. They’ll change colors with the music and help provide a fun atmosphere for dancing. Uplighting is not included but an optional add-on, and it’s for lighting the space or the room at large. They are called uplights because they sit on the floor and point up. We use them to light behind the head table, pillars, walls, drapes, corners, etc. We offer them in different quantities depending on what you want to light.


What is the difference between dance floor lighting and uplights?

We use LED lighting which takes very little energy and puts out very little heat. You won’t burn up from the hot lights as you might from traditional stage lighting. Our lights change colors with the music to create a nice ambiance, but we do not use club or party lighting such as strobes, lasers, and fog machines.

What type of lighting is included? 

Of course! We will handle all announcements and activities as needed. Some couples do have a friend or family member that wants to take on some of those responsibilities and that’s fine with us as well.

Will my DJ act as an emcee?

We consider ourselves more as facilitators then entertainers. Your guests are there to have a good time…not to listen to us talk all night. We’ll facilitate all the events you want (grand march, 1st dances, bouquet/garter tosses, cake cutting) and none of the ones you don’t. Unless there’s an announcement that needs to be made or one of the above events taking place, we let good music decisions do the talking for us. In our experience, if guests don’t want to dance, nothing we do or say will change that. And if they DO want to dance, they will love the music choices we make!

How would you describe your DJ style? 

Our DJ’s vary slightly in their setup time. They will arrive between 1 and 2 hours before guest arrival into the reception space to load-in and set up. Music begins playing when 1st guests arrive. At the end of the night, it’ll take approximately 30-45 minutes to tear down and load out.

How does the setup and teardown work? 

With our Full Day DJ package, we arrive about 90 minutes before the ceremony to load-in and set up. We typically start playing seating music 30 minutes prior to the ceremony, as guests begin arriving. Two handheld wireless microphones are available for the officiant, wedding couple, musicians, and readers to use. Lapel or headset microphones are available upon request and for a small rental fee. We will play any music you would like throughout your ceremony. If you plan to have musicians, they may also plug into our soundboard, but must provide their own cables to go from the instrument to the soundboard.


How does the ceremony add-on work? 

Absolutely! It’s your day, not ours. Some couples leave it totally up to us, and others pick every song. Most fall somewhere in the middle. This is where we combine our experience with guest requests to play music that everyone will enjoy. You’ll communicate song requests, do-not-play lists and other details via your DJ Questionnaire in your Client Portal after booking.

Can I help pick the music? 

Unless you are booking the Full Day DJ package by Ryan Veil, DJ scheduling is based on individual availability. We are a smaller company with a roster of only 10 DJ’s so we are able to maintain a pretty consistent style across our DJ’s plus we have extremely low turnover. Our DJ’s are experienced and amazing which allows us to schedule based on availability rather than trying to play matchmaker. Our online Client Portal makes it SUPER easy to communicate details of your wedding with us beforehand and then we finalize those details directly with you a few weeks prior to your wedding.

Do I get to pick my DJ? 

Photo Booth FAQ's

PHOTO BOOTH FAQ's

Because holiday parties are common for us year-to-year, we do maintain a set of holiday themed props. Additional themed props are available on request but please note there is additional cost for us to source new themed props.

Do you have holiday props or other custom props?

Yes! Files are uploaded directly to an online gallery from the booth. As we finalize and process everything from your event, usually 1-2 business days later, you will also receive a link to download all the media at once.


Do we have access to the photos after our event?

Guests can text, email, and airdrop files to themselves as soon as their session is completed. You also have the option of adding printing to any photo booth booking. If you added the photo booth print package, guests will also recieve a printed copy. Please note, however, that GIFs and boomerangs are digital-only files that cannot be printed.



How do guests receive their photos, GIFs and boomerangs?

There are several options to customize your photo booth experience. We offer a wide variety of backdrops to choose from for your event. Some clients will spice up the backdrop with balloon creations or neon signs. We also offer a wide variety of print templates and overlays for the images your guests create. If you don’t see a print design & overlay you like, we can make a new one from scratch for a small design fee. You can even customize the physical booth itself. This is popular with corporate clients who wish to have a branded experience. The poles and the head unit of the booth can be wrapped in printed vinyl to become fully customized. 

  • Templates: https://studioveil.com/photo-booth-design-templates
  • Backdrops: https://studioveil.com/photo-booth-backdrops



Can I customize my photo booth to fit my event decor?

A boomerang is a short video file that plays forward then backwards several times…going back and forth like a boomerang. People get super creative and these are usually pretty fun to look through.


What is a boomerang?

A GIF is an animated image that is a BLAST to create! Guests will be prompted to take 4 photos that play back in a short video.



What is a GIF?

The Glam upgrade creates black/white photos with a touch of skin softening. It gives your photos more of a high fashion look.


What is glam?

Photo booth attendants arrive about 1 hour prior to the booth opening to load in and set up. Teardown will begin promptly at the conclusion of the rental time. Early setup and late teardown is billed at $40/hr if needed.

How does setup and teardown work?

The venue must have an outlet that is:
  • NOT on a dimmer
  • A minimum of 15amp circuit, which is a standard outlet
  • Not bogged down with other devices with high power draw

What are the power requirements for the photo booth?

Props are always included with our photo booth rentals. We bring glasses, signs, mustaches, headbands, and other great props. Clients are also welcome to provide their own props as well.

What type of props do you provide?

So glad you asked! Ryan (Studio Veil owner) is picky about photo booths. They must be beautiful and look like they belong as high end events, they must be reliable/dependable so as to minimize down time, and they must be high quality and create stunning images. Our booth does all those things while offering guests photos, GIFs, boomerangs, glam, email, text, airdrop, video, and more! When you compare Studio Veil booths to some of the others out there that are either eye-sores, lower quality images, or less feature-rich, it’s clear that Studio Veil photo booths are the way to go.

What sets your photo booth out apart from others?

Photography FAQ's

Photography FAQ's

Every family is different and so it’s important for you to think about the various groupings you want photographed prior to your wedding to ensure no groupings are missed. This is key for a smooth and stress free photo time. You don't wan to be thinking of ideas on the fly. It's also helpful if you assign someone to help the photographer go fetch missing people as needed. While we realize each family is unique, this list should help get you started.

Wedding Party:
  • Bride & Groom
  • Groom & Groom Individually
  • Bride & Groom w/ Personal Attendants & Ushers
  • Bride & Groom w / Flower Girl & Ring Bearer
  • Groom w/ Groomsmen
  • Bride w/ Groomsmen
  • Groom w/ Each Groomsmen Individually
  • Bride w/ Bridesmaids
  • Groom w/ Bridesmaids
  • Bride w/ Each Bridesmaids Individually
  • Bride & Groom w/ Entire Wedding party

Family:
  •  Bride w/ Parents
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Brides Parents
  •  Bride w/ Grandparents
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Brides Grandparents
  •  Bride w/ Brides Immediate Family
  •  Bride w/ Brides Siblings
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Brides Immediate Family
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Brides Siblings
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Brides Extended Family
  •  Groom w/ Parents
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Grooms Parents
  •  Grooms w/ Grandparents
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Grooms Grandparents
  •  Groom w/ Grooms Immediate Family
  •  Groom w/ Grooms Siblings
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Grooms Immediate Family
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Grooms Siblings
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Grooms Extended Family
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Both sets of Parents
  •  Bride & Groom w/ Both Immediate Families

Bonus points if you list the names of each person in parentheses. Example: Bride & Groom w/ Brides Parents (Jim & Lisa)



What does a good list of group photos look like?

Wedding Reception games are trending - We have the Shoe Game, Wedding Mad Libs, Demonstrate a Kiss, etc. They’re fun, entertaining and make for great photographs. The Photo Dash is a wedding game with a photography twist. The result? The couple gets a photo with every guest who attended their wedding. The goal is to visit every table for a photo, in the duration of one to two average-length songs. (You could probably make it three if you have a HUGE guest list). The Keys to Success:
  • Couples should work with their DJ or emcee in advance so that announcements can be made and guests are prepped and ready to go. The best advice here is to make sure whoever announces and explains the game works to ensure they’re heard and understood. If guests don’t hear the announcement, they won’t know what’s happening!
  • Timing is important - We recommend playing the Photo Dash immediately after the Grand Entrance. Your tables are clean (no half-eaten food), you’re not interrupting the meal, and you have a better guarantee everyone is at their seats!
  • Make it fun for your guests! Sure, smiling photos are great — but, if you’re the kind of people who love a fun photo, make it a contest. Who can have the best-posed group? Who has the best “themed” pose? How many times can your mom sneak into a table for a photo? 
  • Don’t forget the head table, but save it for last. That way, you’ll be there when dinner starts! 
  • Song Ideas: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qCXVAa4viVIDY0UHcpSS2?si=605da0251d1f4e20


What is a photo dash? 

When it comes to photography and your wedding day, we stress the importance of not rushing the photographer or yourselves. It’s difficult to produce high-quality images when we’re constantly behind schedule and all the family/wedding party are just trying to “get to the reception.” Additionally, you don’t want memories of your wedding day to consist of being stressed out due to time! 

We recommend you allow 2 ½ hours for couple, wedding party & family portraits. (If any of the photos are happening off-site, please keep travel times in mind as well.) For ease of flow in this schedule, we highly recommend doing photos before the ceremony. Setting up a pre-ceremony “first look” not only gives the two of you an intimate moment together, but it’s also a wise time-conscious decision. Capturing the images of the two of you together before the ceremony will make for the most smooth transition to the reception afterward (and no waiting around for hours for your guests.)

A typical wedding day example…
12:15 – First Look
12:30 - Couple & Wedding Party Photos
2:30 - Family Photos
3:00 - Photos done...reset for ceremony
3:30 – Ceremony
4:15 – Cocktail Hour/Photo Time
5:30 – Grand March
6:00 – Dinner
7:00 – Toasts/Speeches
7:30 – Dessert
8:00 – First Dance

What is a good wedding day timeline? 

They are the way to go…hands down. If you wait to see each other until the ceremony, you don’t get to have a personal moment just the two of you for several hours. It also tends to add unnecessary stress to that moment where you are standing in front of 100-250 of your closest family & friends. You can’t even give each other a hug and kiss until the end of the ceremony! It isn’t just a benefit for you though…if you skip doing a first look but want great photos of your wedding day, your guests will be stuck waiting for 2-3 hours post ceremony before you are ready to walk into your reception. Doing a first look is better for your timeline, your guests, and your stress going into the ceremony. 

What is your hot take on first looks?

A digital download will be made available to you after editing is complete. While Studio Veil still maintains ownership of the images and all copyright laws are still in effect, you are granted printing rights for personal use. Images may not be published for commercial use without Studio Veil’s permission. You may also share on social media.

How may I use the images? 

Editing takes approximately 1 month from time of your wedding until the gallery is ready for viewing online.

How long until we see our photo gallery? 

  • Pick a location that is pretty this time of year or holds special meaning to you and your fiancé. Your photographer can also help with location ideas and ideal time of day for the best lighting.
  • Plan to wear something nice while avoiding graphic tees and wild patterns. Most often couples will choose to have one casual outfit and one dressier outfit. This will bring variety to your session and give your photos two totally different looks.
  • If you bring a pet or child to be part of engagement session, bring an extra adult to help for the times when they are not in the photo with you.
  • If you have a summer wedding, consider a winter engagement session for variety. Or a spring engagement session for fall wedding.
  • Your photographer will help you along the way. This is a time to get to know your photographer and get comfortable with posing in front of the camera. Enjoy this time together, and make a date out of it! Plan dinner afterwards and celebrate!


Engagement session tips?

Our engagement sessions are 45-60 minutes in length and on location in the Twin Cities metro area. Except in rare occasions where schedules aren’t able to align, your engagement photographer will be one of your wedding day photographers. These sessions are a great opportunity for you to get to know your photographer and for the photographer to learn about you and how to capture your natural personality in photos. Once editing is complete, you will receive an email with a link to your online gallery as well as an email with a link to download the digital files.

How does the engagement session work?

Yes, click on “photo galleries” link in the footer of the website, or click the link below to see recent galleries.





Can we see a full gallery of your work?

I would say we are fun, creative, and natural. We give direction for posing but try not to let it get to up-tight. We try to get you to laugh and bring out natural emotions during our time together. We bring off-camera lighting for creative opportunities and dark situations that require it. However, we like to keep colors pretty true to what you see with your eye. Popularity of various filters and “looks” come and go so we try to shoot and edit in a way that your photos will be enjoyable the rest of your life.


How would you describe your photography style?

When your photos are fully edited and ready for sharing, we’ll put them in an online gallery and send you details for logging in to view them. You can also share the gallery with family & friends. This will be the best way for them to view all the photos. Through this gallery, anyone can place orders for prints or other products as they wish and the couple doesn’t have to be the middle man to get prints to those who want them. The couple alone will have the ability to download the digital files from the gallery if included in your photo package. If you are receiving an album with your package, the gallery is also where you select images to be included in the album.


How is the final product delivered?

Each of our photos is hand touch by our editor. We do not use AI.

Do you use AI for editting?

When it comes to photography, we definitely subscribe to the philosophy that “two are better than one.” We have a few reasons for using a second photographer: Multiple angles of coverage during the main events. Extra set of eyes to make sure posing is just right in group photos Improved creativity as our photographers work off each others’ ideas and keep things fresh throughout your wedding day. Having 2 photographers built into our packages puts our best foot forward and promises to deliver you the best product we can.

Why do we need a 2nd photographer?

On the photo page of our website, there’s a link to view our photo team. When you’re ready to move forward, check out the short bios and portfolios to pick the 2 or 3 photographers you most want to work with. If they are available, we’ll assign them to your wedding! It’s worth noting, however, that all our photographers shoot in the Studio Veil style & brand and we only bring photographers on board that meet Ryan’s expectations for how they work with clients. You’re in great hands with any of our photographers. 



Do I get to pick my photographer?

Videography FAQ's

VIDEOGRAPHY FAQ's

First looks are a must…they reduce stress going into the ceremony and provide a much more friendly timeline for the day, for the couple, vendors and guests alike. It’s also a great opportunity for us to capture video of that moment when you see each other for the first time that is very challenging to do during a ceremony when people are standing and you are 100 feet away from one another. If you are going with our Video #1 package that includes a cinematic edit of your wedding day, we highly recommend that you write your own vows and/or write letters to each other. We’ll have you read them aloud before the ceremony while we record it so that we have audio of your story to weave into the final edit.

What is your hot take on first looks and writing letters to each other? 

It is part of our craft to match music to your wedding video in a way that creates a perfect pairing. Our skilled editors carefully select songs from our library that can be coupled with the right portion of your wedding video and that match your wedding’s overall style. 

How is music selected for the final video? 

The ceremony is always included in its entirety. We use 2 camera angles and we edit between the angles throughout the ceremony to give the best shot possible and keep the flow dynamic. We also include a reception highlights edit that has the grand march, speeches, cake cutting and some shots of guests and details. Then there’s a dance video that has the first dances; if you get our higher end video package, you’ll also have guest dancing footage included in this edit. With that higher end package, we’ll also create a cinematic wedding film for you that is typically 6-10 minutes long. 

How do you edit my wedding video? 

We use a platform called Vidflow to create an online gallery for your wedding video to be viewed. This gallery can be shared with family & friends and it even has native apps for smart TVs that make it incredibly easy to view your wedding video any time. The gallery will be available for 10 years. You can also download the MP4 files from the gallery for your own safekeeping offline.

How is the final product delivered?

Studio Veil’s style of videography leans toward that of a documentary. For the most part, the photographer gives direction throughout the day, and the videographer captures moments as they happen. Occasionally, our videographer will give direction but only if time allows. When working with photographers not from Studio Veil, we always introduce ourselves to the photographer and keep open communication throughout the day to ensure no one’s shot is interfered with.

How do videographers work with the photographers? 

Mostly documentary style…capturing events as they unfold. We aren’t interjecting ourselves or giving a ton of direction though we may ask you to “look here” or “hold hands and walk that way” or similar on occasion.

How would you describe your videography style?