Austin · Texas Hill Country · Worldwide
Austin Wedding Photographer
We are Nick and Allie Friesen. We photograph weddings in Austin, the Hill Country, and wherever our couples take us. Editorial, unhurried work. Collections from $8,000.
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What kind of wedding photographer is Friesen Co?
Friesen Co is a luxury editorial wedding photography studio in Austin, run by Nick and Allie Friesen, a married team who photograph every wedding together. Before weddings they photographed more than 2,000 portrait clients over eight years. Collections begin at $8,000, and the calendar stays small each year on purpose.
How much does a wedding photographer cost in Austin?
Established Austin wedding photographers charge between $4,000 and $15,000 for full wedding coverage. Our collections begin at $8,000. Most couples invest between $9,000 and $14,000 for eight hours, two photographers, and a complete edited gallery. Proposals and elopements begin at $2,500. Destination and multi-day weddings are custom, typically $18,000 and up.
The number moves with four things: hours of coverage, a second photographer, albums, and travel. Every wedding collection includes both of us and a finished gallery, so with Friesen Co the variables are really hours and print work. Collection details are on the pricing page. For market context across the whole city, we published a plain-numbers guide to what wedding photographers cost in Austin, and a guide to how to choose a luxury wedding photographer.
What are the best months to get married in Austin?
March through May and September through November are the best months for an Austin wedding. October and April book first, often 12 to 18 months out. We steer couples away from August, when afternoon highs run past 100 degrees and outdoor portraits shrink to the last hour of light.
A few specifics from shooting here year round. Bluebonnets run late March through mid April. May is the wettest month of the Austin calendar, near five inches of rain, so May dates need a real covered backup. September opens hot and cools by month's end. November stays warm into Thanksgiving most years, and its low afternoon sun is the most forgiving light of the season. Winter works too. The oaks keep their leaves, and a 5:30 pm December sunset makes for an early, relaxed timeline.
What time is golden hour in Austin?
Golden hour in Austin is roughly the last 60 to 75 minutes before sunset. Sunset lands near 8:30 pm in June and 5:30 pm in December. We build the portrait window back from that line, then set the ceremony start so dinner does not swallow the best light.
In practice: an October wedding has sunset near 6:50 pm. We would place the ceremony at 5:00, cocktails at 5:30, and step out with the two of you at 6:10 for forty minutes of portraits while everyone else finds their table. Nobody misses you. The full logic, with sample schedules, is in our wedding day photography timeline guide.
Where do luxury weddings happen in Austin?
Most of the Austin luxury wedding market runs through a short list: Commodore Perry Estate in Hyde Park, Mattie's at Green Pastures in Bouldin, Barr Mansion in northeast Austin, and the Dripping Springs corridor, home to Prospect House, Camp Lucy, Addison Grove, and Vista West Ranch.
Each shoots differently, which matters more than any amenity sheet. Commodore Perry Estate is a 1928 Italianate mansion on ten walled acres, formal gardens and long interior sightlines. Mattie's keeps peacocks on the lawn of an 1890s Victorian house five minutes south of downtown. Barr Mansion dates to 1898 and pairs a white ballroom with organic gardens. West of town, Prospect House is poured concrete and glass, the cleanest modern canvas in the region. Camp Lucy's chapel was salvaged in Vietnam and rebuilt beam by beam. Addison Grove sits inside a live oak grove off Fitzhugh Road, and Vista West Ranch trades polish for a working-ranch feel. Wimberley, forty minutes southwest, is where we photographed Jasmin and Grant's wedding on a limestone hillside.
We plan portraits around how each property meets the sun, not from a preset list of spots. How that works on a wedding day is on the weddings page, and the full photographer's notes on each property are in our guide to the best luxury wedding venues near Austin.
Recent work in Austin
A proposal in a weathered greenhouse, engagement sessions on Lake Austin and in bar booths, a wedding morning in Wimberley. This is how we see the city.
Do you photograph weddings outside Austin?
Yes. About a third of our work leaves the city. The Hill Country first, Wimberley and Dripping Springs most often, then the rest of Texas, then farther: recent weddings and sessions in Costa Rica, San Francisco, Fort Worth, and Charlotte. Travel is quoted flat, so an out-of-town date carries no surprise line items.
Common questions
How far in advance should we book an Austin wedding photographer?
Twelve to eighteen months ahead for October and April dates. Six to nine months is often workable for summer and winter. We take a limited number of weddings each year, so the calendar, not the season, is the real constraint.
Do you bring a second photographer?
Yes. Wedding collections include both of us. Nick leads, Allie holds the second angle, so getting ready, the processional, and both of your faces during the vows all exist in the final gallery.
How many photographs do we receive?
A full wedding day runs 600 to 900 finished photographs. Every one is edited by us. No watermarks, and printing rights are included.
Do you photograph proposals and engagements in Austin?
Yes. Proposals and engagement sessions are a large part of our Austin work. Proposals begin at $2,500 and include location scouting, a hiding plan, and the first portraits of you engaged.
We take a limited number of weddings each year and reply to every inquiry within 48 hours. If your date is open, you will know quickly.
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