You just got engaged. You are probably already overwhelmed. Here is everything you actually need to know about GSquared Weddings – how we work, what we bring, what to expect from booking through gallery delivery, and a few things most photographers would not tell you.
No fluff. No fine print surprises. We believe you deserve the full picture.
WHO WE ARE
We are Kate and Josh Gansneder.
Married. Based in Snohomish, WA. 640 weddings together since 2011. Two people who show up to your wedding day in full tactical gear and leave only after your sparkler exit – or your last dance, or whatever your night calls for.
Kate has been behind a camera since 1997. She is also a certified wedding coordinator, former marketing VP, classically trained singer, and the person who will appear from nowhere with whatever you needed before you knew you needed it. She runs on caramel mochas in winter, cookie crumble frapps in summer, Coca Cola when the migraines hit (they are chronic and she works through them anyway), and an unreasonable number of open browser tabs year-round. Her ADHD is not a liability – it is her operating system. She is also autistic, as is her daughter Braelyn, and they are both right about considering it a superpower.
Josh picked up the camera in 2011 and has been the king of candids ever since. He is a machine shop lead, a former select soccer player who still gets recognized in his hometown, the operator of approximately 12 fish tanks, a grower of 70+ pumpkins annually, and the man whose blood type is Mt Dew. His nicknames at home are Thor and Hulk. Both are accurate. He also, every single spring without being asked, landscapes Kate’s faerie tree to perfection – tiny door, windows, lit mushrooms – because she loves it. That is the whole reason.
Together we have six kids in various stages of adult life, a nephew Andy who lives with us and is as much our son as anything, four dogs, two cats, and 9 acres in Snohomish that Josh tends like it is his full-time job on top of his actual full-time job.
Josh is the reason we do weddings at all. He made a plan behind my back, volunteered me as tribute for a wedding in Oregon, and five minutes in something switched on in my soul. It has not switched off since.
WE SHOW UP
No matter what. We mean that literally.
We tell every couple the same thing: we will be there unless we are dead. This is not a marketing line. It is a pattern of behavior we have earned the hard way.
Kate spent one full season – a season filled with hiking elopements – in a walking boot because she broke her foot at a wedding. She photographed every single one.
Josh spent one season with a torn ACL, torn MCL, torn PCL, and three meniscus tears simultaneously. Not a typo. He did not have surgery until the day after our last wedding of that year. He now has a really cool mesh titanium sling inside his knee to hold it all together. He still rides dirt bikes (yes, that’s how it happened).
Kate is allergic to bees. At one wedding she and Josh were each stung by 18 wasps at once. They finished the wedding (after an an epipen, benadryl and a deal made with some reluctant EMTs).
We have worked weddings the day before Kate’s mom passed away. The day before her grandpa did.
Kate has chronic migraines. If you have seen her at a wedding downing Coca Cola like her life depended on it – it kind of did. She was there.
We have worked through broken bones, torn joints, allergic reactions, grief, and migraines. We will be there for your wedding. We are not being dramatic about this.
We share this not to make you feel bad for us. We share it because when you are handing your wedding day to two people, you deserve to know what kind of people they are. This is who we are.
WHAT WE ACTUALLY BRING
We arrive looking like we’re going into battle.
Because we kind of are.
Both of us wear our gear on our bodies all day. Kate’s setup specifically gets a lot of comments. Here is what she is actually carrying:
The camera rig
Waist camera harness so her hands are free between shots. Multiple lenses on the belt. Flash unit. Everything she needs to photograph an entire wedding day without ever going back to a bag.
The tactical waist belt
This is what clients call the Hermione bag – bigger on the inside than it has any right to be. At any given moment it contains:
Emergency kit – bustle pins, sewing kit, safety pins, fashion tape, stain remover spray
Touch-up kit – blotting tissues, bobby pins, hair ties, breath mints
Sunscreen that is not greasy
Scissors
The family photo list and timeline
The ring – until it is time to walk down the aisle
Speeches – so nobody forgets them at the wrong moment
The garter – so you do not forget to put it on before the reception
Tissues for tears
Water bottles for Kate and for the couple
The bride’s touch-up kit
Sunglasses – yours, if you brought fun ones for the reception
Her phone
Memory cards and batteries
Whatever else you hand her that you do not want to carry
Josh runs a similar setup – camera on a waist harness, tactical bag, everything on his body. Between the two of us we are carrying enough gear that people at venues regularly ask if we are setting up for a military operation. We are not. We are setting up to not miss anything.
We also arrive with a large rolling bag for the lighting setup and a styling bag for flat lay detail photos – and each of us have a full emergency kit bag with everything you didn’t even realize you needed (it’s a lifetime of rodeos and pro-tips in a bag). Once those are set up, everything important is on our bodies and we do not leave to go get things.
WHAT WE ACTUALLY DO ALL DAY
The camera is honestly the smallest part of it.
Here is what a wedding day with us actually looks like from the inside.
Getting ready
We separate and head into both getting-ready rooms simultaneously. We build rapport, learn the inside jokes, clock who is spiraling and who is holding it together for someone else. We start documenting the little moments happening everywhere – the details, the first looks at the dress, the quiet moments between people who love each other. This is also when we start absorbing the day’s energy and vibe-checking the room. By the time the couple is dressed, we already know their people.
The headsets
We wear earpiece headsets so we can communicate in real time all day – coordinating coverage, calling out moments, game planning portraits on the fly. This is how we move through your day as a unit without you ever seeing us coordinate. You will not notice. That is the point.
It is less useful when Josh says something absolutely unhinged into Kate’s ear during a silent ceremony and she has to hold it together in front of 150 people. She will not share what he said. It was about the officiant. It was accurate.
The details
We do flat lay detail photos together – rings, flowers, invitations, shoes, the little things that make your day yours. Kate is too short to hang a wedding gown, so that one is on Josh.
The ceremony
We cover both sides simultaneously. Kate is typically on the couple’s side catching expressions, tears, and the moment. Josh is covering the guests – the parents, the grandparents, the flower girl losing it in the corner, the best man who is trying not to cry. You will get the whole story, not just your perspective of it.
The halftime huddle
At dinner break we sit down, eat actual food (Josh eats everything Kate’s eyes thought she could eat), and run an internal game plan. Vibe check on the couple, the family, the energy of the day. What we want to get to before the night is over. Where we want to be for sunset. What is coming next. Then we go back in. We eat when you do so that when you’re ready to chat it up with your guests, we’re ready to be there for those moments.
Portraits
We use guided posing – not stiff direction but real prompts and movement that make you look natural instead of like you are waiting for a bus. Kate is also a personal cheerleader during portraits. She compliments people constantly without realizing it – it is a brain thing, she cannot help it – until someone giggles and she realizes she has been doing it for ten minutes. Fair warning. You do not need to respond. Just keep rocking your photos.
We also use prompts during wedding party photos because the goal is for people to actually have fun, not stand in a line and smile at the camera like statues.
Kate will check your hair, your jewelry, how you are holding your bouquet (she has a really easy way to help you remember), whether your tie is straight. She would rather get it right in camera than fix it in editing.
The little things nobody else does
Hot and cannot get to your chair? We have got you. Bustle ripped? We have a kit. Suit pants? Also a kit. Shoes becoming unbearable? We will switch you out and back into the heels for the first dance and back out again for the rest of the night if that is what you need. Forget socks for your tennis shoes? I have a brand new pair in the bag. Sweaty from the heat during portraits? Blotting tissues. Worried about sunburn? Non-greasy sunscreen in the bag.
We hold your dinner plate while you dish up so you do not spill on yourself while you are talking to people. We bring your drinks to you wherever you are in the reception. We carry your food to your table so you can hug your guests without worrying about your dress.
Overwhelmed and need a minute? We will be the bad guy and take you away for photos – which is actually code for a few minutes to regroup and re-center, no photos involved. Have an obnoxious uncle or an overbearing aunt? We have jobs for them that make them feel important and keep them from affecting your experience.
We become the brain so you no longer have to think. You do not have to manage anything. We have already thought of it.
The reception
We separate again to cover different angles. Kate is usually on the dance floor energy. Josh is catching the guests – the grandparents who stayed later than anyone expected, the belly laugh nobody staged, the moment that turns out to be everything. He finds these at exactly the right second and Kate finds the good stuff when she is editing his photos. It is still the best surprise every time.
We direct your sparkler exit so nothing and no one catches on fire. We have done this hundreds of times. The system works.
ON POSING
I SUCK at being in photos if no one tells me how to move.
This is Kate, in case it’s not obvious. Josh is the king of selfies, but I need help. Normal people need guidance when a camera is pointed at them. We know this. We plan for it.
We do a little show-and-tell. Kate will demonstrate what she is looking for – even if it means she looks ridiculous doing it – so you know where to stand, what to do with your hands, and what movement she is after. Then she guides from there.
We prefer posing that looks authentic and includes movement. We also really love connection. When Kate says ‘all hands on deck’ during portraits she means both of you touching each other with both hands – because when you are not, it reads as disconnected in photos even when it does not feel that way in person.
We use prompts during wedding party photos too, because the point is to have fun, not smile at the camera like statues. Your wedding party photos will look like your people actually like each other. Because they do. We just help it show.
OUR PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE
Documentary, Story-First wedding photography.
We are not here to make your wedding look like a magazine spread. We are here to document it the way it actually happened – the laughter that bent you backwards, the tear your dad tried to hide, the moment you looked at each other when you thought nobody was watching.
Most of your day we are working without you looking at our cameras. This day is not about us. It is about you, enjoying each other, and being married.
We seek out images that are unexpected – dancing flower girls, quick hugs across a crowded room, a smile that nobody directed. We get to know the important people in your life and document their experience of your day as well as your own. The family and friends you have chosen to be there are incredibly important people. We love on them as much as we love on you.
We also care deeply and somewhat aggressively that your photos look like you. Your skin looks like your actual skin. Your flowers look like your actual flowers. Color Integrity is not a brand phrase. It is a personal conviction. We will not make you look like a filter.
The result: your gallery is heavily candid with guided portrait work woven in. You will get the whole story of your day – not just the posed moments but the moments happening around them that you did not even know were there.
HOW THIS ACTUALLY WORKS
From inquiry to gallery – the full process.
Step 1 – Inquire
You fill out the form on the calendar page or the contact page. Kate reads it personally – no assistant, no auto-filter. She gets back to you within 48 hours, usually faster. If your date is available, she will suggest a Zoom or phone call.
Step 2 – The consultation
A real conversation. Not a sales pitch. We want to make sure we are the right fit for each other as much as you do. Most couples know pretty quickly. We do too. If we are not the right fit, we will tell you honestly and point you somewhere better.
Step 3 – Booking
If it feels right, we send a contract and invoice. You sign, pay the retainer, and the date is yours. You get immediate access to the Wedding Planning Concierge Portal – guides, checklists, vendor recommendations, planning resources, and forms to fill out at your own pace.
One thing worth knowing: our contract is only with you, not your parents. If a parent is paying, you can forward the invoice to them – it will send you an email receipt you can pass along. We will not send contracts or payment requests directly to parents.
We do not pass credit card processing fees on to clients. What we quoted you is what you pay.
Step 4 – Between booking and the wedding
We send resources through your portal on a schedule that matches where you are in the planning process. You do not need to read everything at once. Kate is also available for questions throughout – she has 20 years of marketing and business management experience and 15 years of coordination knowledge, and she uses all of it to help couples navigate the planning process.
About two weeks before your wedding, Josh and I go over your Final Details questionnaire and family photo list together. This is how Josh learns everything he needs to know about your day – Kate manages planning, but the Final Details form is important for both of us to show up fully prepared.
Step 5 – The wedding day
We show up approximately 90 minutes before you get dressed. We are there until your exit (if you have one – otherwise til the dance floor has been open for 30-45 minutes after the last big thing). Everything in between is covered in the sections above.
Step 6 – After the wedding
Sneak peeks within 48 hours of your wedding day. We post a selection on social media and send them directly to you. You can share, download, and print immediately.
Full gallery delivery is contracted at 16 weeks. In practice we deliver significantly faster than that – but we put 16 weeks in the contract because we had a season where Kate was stung by 18 wasps at once at a wedding and spent weeks unable to sit upright enough to edit. We would rather promise what we can guarantee than overpromise and stress you out. We will communicate throughout if anything affects timing.
Your gallery comes through a digital delivery platform. Full resolution files with print rights. Social media sizes included. You can download everything, favorites only, or share directly. We keep your gallery online for 10 years.
INVESTMENT
Straightforward pricing. No surprises.
Three packages. Investment from $4,500 to $7,000 plus tax. Payment plans and Afterpay available. Full payment at booking receives a discount.
Journey – $4,500 + tax
9 hours of continuous coverage. Kate and Josh – both of us, at every wedding, always. All digital images with full print rights. Wedding Planning Concierge Portal access.
Adventure – $5,000 + tax
Everything in Journey plus an engagement session within 70 miles of Snohomish with all digital images. Engagement sessions are optional – we will never guilt you into one. But if you want time with us before the wedding, this gives you that without paying extra for it.
Expedition – $7,000 + tax
11 hours of coverage. Engagement session within 140 miles. Everything in Journey. Plus a $500 session credit that never expires – because we expect to still be your people next year. Use it for a one-year session, a maternity shoot, a family session when your family is ready. No expiration because we are not in a hurry.
Partner venue discount: $1,000 off at 33 partner venues across the Pacific Northwest. Full list at gsquaredweddings.com/wedding-venue-discounts/
All love. All bodies. All stories. Always welcome here.
WHAT YOU ACTUALLY GET
Beyond the photos.
Here is what is included in every package that does not appear in the package description because we do not know how to itemize it separately. It is just part of how we work.
The halftime huddle. At dinner break we run an internal game plan on your day. You will never see this happen. It happens anyway.
The headset coordination. We communicate in real time so you never see us coordinate. Nothing falls through.
The emergency kit. Bustle breaks. Wardrobe malfunctions. Stains. Whatever happens, we have a kit for it.
The vendor buffer. If someone on your vendor team is having an off day that is affecting your experience, we handle it quietly so you never have to know it happened.
The inside jokes. We learn them in the getting-ready room and use them during formals. Your wedding party photos will look like people who actually like each other.
The food service. We carry your plate to the table. We bring your drinks. You should be able to talk to your guests without worrying about spilling on your dress.
The cheerleader. Kate compliments people during portraits without realizing it. Fair warning. It is a brain thing.
The easter egg. Since our very first wedding together, Josh has hidden something nerdy in his photos for Kate to find during editing. Something he knows she will love. 640 weddings later he is still doing it. This one is not for you. But it is proof of who is showing up at your wedding.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
The things that actually drive how we work.
This day is about your relationship with each other, not your relationship with our cameras. We spend the majority of your portrait time without you looking at us.
You have the right to a wedding that reflects who you actually are. Traditions are not mandatory. Do not invite anyone you would not invite to your house for dinner.
Love is for everyone. LGBTQ+ affirming, always. All love. All bodies. All stories.
You deserve real information. Authentically and transparently. We have been doing this for 15 years and we know how the industry sometimes withholds information that would actually help couples. We do not do that.
The people you have chosen to be there matter. We build relationships with your guests and vendors because their experience affects your day too. We love on them as much as we love on you.
The wedding is just how we meet. Your love story continues past your wedding day. Past couples fly in from other states for their family sessions with us. One family drives six hours from Spokane every Christmas. The door at 9 acres in Snohomish is open.
ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS
Engagement sessions – the honest take.
Kate’s personal opinion: you do not need one to have a great wedding day. She means that and she will never guilt you into one. If you are camera shy or want time with us before the wedding, an engagement session is genuinely useful. If you just want save-the-date photos, also useful. If you would rather skip it entirely, that is completely fine too.
Adventure and Expedition packages include an engagement session. Journey does not.
ENGAGEMENT SESSION FLIPBOOK We have a dedicated engagement session guide with locations, outfit tips, and how to prepare. Available here. |
FAQ
The questions people actually ask.
How do we get our photos?
Digital gallery. Full resolution files with print rights and social media sizes. You can select favorites and download that list, or download your entire gallery. Save to your computer, phone, tablet, backup system. Share with whoever you want. We keep the gallery online for 10 years.
How many photos will we get?
We do not artificially cap our galleries. You will get every image that tells your story. In practice this typically works out to somewhere between 75 and 100 images per hour of coverage – but we do not chase a number. We chase the story.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. If your venue needs proof of insurance or to be added to our coverage for your event, just let us know and we will send it directly to them.
What is your photography style?
Documentary, Story-First. We follow the story your day is already telling instead of directing you into someone else’s version of it. Heavily candid with guided portrait work. Real moments, honest color, no filters that will feel dated in five years.
Do you travel?
Yes. Most Washington State weddings do not have travel fees – ferry crossings and overnight stays are the exception. We travel throughout the United States and internationally. Put your location in the inquiry and we will tell you exactly what travel looks like.
Do you do video?
We do not offer video ourselves. We recommend hiring separate vendors who specialize in photo and video individually rather than hybrid shooters – you get better quality from specialists. We have videographers we love working with and will happily send you names.
Do you offer prints or albums?
Yes. You can order prints, canvasses, and cards through your gallery. For albums and photo books we have a separate system with options from simple to genuinely luxurious, including Tiny Books which are exactly what they sound like and extremely good.
Are there discounts?
Partner venue discount of $1,000 at 33 venues across the Pacific Northwest. Full payment at booking receives a discount. Most discounts cannot be combined – we will tell you if that is the case for your situation.
How far in advance should we book?
18 to 24 months is comfortable for peak season weekend dates. We sometimes have closer-in availability, especially mid-week and off-season. Do not assume your date is gone before you ask.
What if you are booked on our date?
We will tell you honestly and point you toward photographers we actually trust. Yes, there is a real list. We have high standards for who we recommend because your day matters even if we are not the ones there for it.
How does payment work?
We invoice through a professional system. You pay via credit card. We do not pass processing fees on to clients – what we quoted you is what you pay. You are not officially on the books until both the contract is signed and the invoice is paid.
If you have read this far –
You are probably our people. The couples who skim to the price and leave were not the right fit anyway. The ones who read everything, feel something, and reach out are the ones we end up at the 4th of July party with five years later.
Check your date. Reach out. Tell us about your people and your day and the things you most want to exist in photographs forever.
We will show up like it is an honor.
Because it is.
SNOHOMISH COUNTY WASHINGTON
OVER 380 5-STAR REVIEWS
640+ WEDDINGS PHOTOGRAPHED
OPEN TO TRAVEL WITHIN THE UNITED STATES
© 2026 All Rights Reserved GSquared Weddings Photography.
All love. All bodies. All stories. Always welcome here.
