Privacy Policy | Secure Your Privacy Today

Effective Date: October 19, 2026

Last Updated: October 19, 2026

At Stafford Films ("we," "us," or "our"), we specialize in cinematic wedding videography, preserving life's most meaningful moments with artistry, discretion, and technical precision. We value the trust you place in us when inviting us to capture your wedding day and when browsing our website.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, protect, and retain personal information when you visit stafford-films.com (the "Website"), submit an inquiry, book our videography services, or interact with our client galleries, promotional reels, and communication channels.

Please read this policy carefully. By accessing our Website, completing an inquiry form, or contracting our videography services, you acknowledge the data practices described herein.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information directly from you, automatically through your interaction with our Website, and in the field during the production of our videography services.

A. Information You Provide Directly

Inquiry & Contact Details: When you submit an inquiry through our contact form, schedule a consultation, or email us, we collect your first and last name, email address, phone number, mailing address, partner's name, planned wedding date, ceremony and reception venue locations, estimated budget, timeline details, and creative preferences.

Client Onboarding & Contract Information: When booking our services, we collect formal billing details, emergency contact numbers, event schedules, wedding planner/coordinator contact info, vendor lists (photographer, DJ/band, officiant), and specific requests regarding family dynamics or filming restrictions.

Payment Information: When paying retainers, booking deposits, or package balances, payments are processed directly by our third-party, PCI-DSS compliant payment processors (e.g., Stripe, Square, HoneyBook, or Dubsado). We never store or directly access your full credit card number, debit card number, or bank account authentication credentials.

Testimonials & Feedback: If you submit a review, testimonial, or survey response, we collect your written feedback, wedding date, venue name, and any still photos or video clips you authorize us to feature.

B. Visual and Audio Data Collected During Videography Services

Event Footage & Audio Recordings: In the course of fulfilling our wedding videography agreements, we capture high-definition and 4K digital video footage, aerial/drone footage, still frames, and professional audio recordings (including vows, toasts, speeches, readings, musical performances, and ambient sound).

Likeness and Voice: This footage necessarily captures the visual likeness, voice, physical appearance, and actions of the marrying couple, wedding party members, officiants, invited guests, vendors, and venue staff present within the filming perimeter.

C. Information Collected Automatically

When you navigate our Website, we and our third-party service providers collect standard technical and browsing information:

Log and Device Data: Your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, operating system, device make and model, internet service provider (ISP), referring and exit pages, date/time stamps, and clickstream data.

Usage & Interaction Data: Pages viewed, duration of visit, scroll depth, video playback statistics (such as play, pause, and watch time on embedded video players), link clicks, and navigation paths.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies: Small data files stored on your device that help our Website function efficiently, remember your preferences, and provide analytical insights (detailed in Section 6 below).

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following specific commercial and operational purposes:

Delivering Videography Services: Capturing, editing, color grading, sound mixing, proofing, and delivering your custom wedding highlight films, documentary edits, ceremony cuts, speech reels, and raw footage archives in accordance with our Client Agreement.

Managing Client Relationships & Communications: Responding to inquiries, scheduling pre-wedding consultations, sending production questionnaires, coordinating wedding-day timelines with your planner, and providing post-production status updates.

Billing and Financial Administration: Issuing invoices, processing retainer deposits and milestone payments, maintaining accurate accounting records, and managing contractual obligations.

Marketing, Portfolio, and Promotional Showcases: Displaying cinematic wedding trailers, highlight films, teaser reels, and still screengrabs on our Website, social media channels (e.g., Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, Facebook), and industry submissions (e.g., wedding blogs, bridal magazines, videography competitions), strictly in compliance with the model release terms outlined in our signed Client Agreement.

Website Optimization and Analytics: Monitoring site traffic, diagnosing server errors, evaluating the performance of embedded video players, improving user interface layout, and testing page load speeds.

Legal, Security, and Fraud Prevention: Protecting our intellectual property rights, preventing fraudulent transactions, resolving contractual disputes, complying with tax and business licensing laws, and cooperating with lawful government or regulatory requests.

3. Legal Bases for Processing (EEA/UK and International Visitors)

For individuals located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or jurisdictions with similar data protection frameworks (e.g., GDPR / UK GDPR), we process personal data under the following legal bases:

Performance of a Contract: Processing is necessary to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract (e.g., quoting a package) and to perform our contractual obligations (e.g., filming and editing your wedding film).

Legitimate Interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, including marketing our portfolio, securing our digital assets, improving our website, and maintaining business records, provided these interests are not overridden by your fundamental rights and freedoms.

Consent: Where required by law, we rely on your clear affirmative consent (e.g., for non-essential tracking cookies, subscription to promotional newsletters, or explicit model releases for commercial third-party licensing). You may withdraw consent at any time.

Legal Obligation: Processing is necessary to comply with applicable statutory obligations, such as financial recordkeeping, tax audits, or valid court orders.

4. How We Share and Disclose Information

We do not sell, rent, trade, or monetize your personal information to data brokers or third-party marketers. We only disclose personal information under the following limited circumstances:

A. Third-Party Service Providers

We share information with trusted third-party vendors who provide essential infrastructure and administrative support under strict confidentiality and data protection terms:

Client Management & CRM Platforms: Cloud-based studio management tools (e.g., HoneyBook, Dubsado, Studio Ninja) used to manage contracts, questionnaires, invoices, and client communication.

Video Hosting, Streaming & Proofing Services: High-performance video streaming platforms (e.g., Vimeo, YouTube, Frame.io) used to embed video teasers on our Website and provide private review links for revision drafts.

Cloud Storage & Digital Delivery Galleries: Secure cloud platforms (e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive, Vidflow, Pixieset, Mediazilla) used to store production assets, backup raw video files, and deliver finished 4K/HD films to clients.

Payment Processors: Gateways such as Stripe, Square, or PayPal that process electronic payments securely under PCI-DSS compliance.

Web Hosting & Infrastructure: Web hosting servers, content delivery networks (CDNs), and SSL encryption providers that maintain the uptime and security of stafford-films.com.

Analytics Providers: Services such as Google Analytics to help us evaluate Website traffic patterns and aggregate user behavior.

B. Second Shooters and Production Assistants

We may engage vetted independent contractors (such as second camera operators, drone pilots, sound recordists, or assistant video editors). These professionals receive only the event information strictly necessary to perform their filming or editing duties and are bound by strict non-disclosure, confidentiality, and data security agreements.

C. Vendor Collaboration

With your prior consent or at your request, we may share finalized wedding film links or teaser clips with your venue, wedding planner, photographer, floral designer, or other creative vendors for shared portfolio attribution.

D. Legal Compliance and Protection of Rights

We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, warrant, or court order, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to investigate potential fraud, enforce our Client Agreement, protect the safety of our crew or others, or defend against legal claims.

E. Business Transfers

If Stafford Films undergoes a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of business assets, client records and active contracts may be transferred to the acquiring entity, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Policy.

5. Wedding Footage, Guest Privacy & Model Releases

Wedding videography uniquely involves capturing candid and documentary footage in social event settings where multiple individuals gather:

Private Event Filming: Weddings are private social events. When a client hires Stafford Films, the client acts as the host of the event and represents that they have informed their guests, wedding party, officiants, and venue staff that professional video and audio recording will occur throughout the event.

Contractual Model Release: Our Client Agreement contains an explicit model and media release specifying the scope of our rights to use captured footage for Stafford Films' marketing, website portfolio, demo reels, social media showcases, and professional awards. Clients have the option during contract execution to discuss privacy requests or customized non-disclosure terms.

Guest Likeness and Opt-Out Requests: If an attendee, wedding guest, or vendor prefers that their recognizable face or voice not appear in public promotional materials or online portfolio trailers, they or the contracting couple may submit a written request to privacy@stafford-films.com identifying the relevant film and timestamp. We will make reasonable, good-faith efforts to edit, trim, or blur the identifiable individual in public promotional assets.

Children's Likeness at Weddings: We do not knowingly film children for commercial marketing purposes. Footage of minors captured during weddings is processed solely as part of the client's family wedding film. We will never tag, identify, or publicly exploit minor children by name. If a parent or guardian requests the removal of their minor child's likeness from a publicly accessible promotional clip, we will promptly honor that request.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Website utilizes cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to enhance browsing performance, remember your settings, and evaluate marketing campaigns:

Strictly Necessary Cookies: Essential for the basic operation of our Website, security verification, and form submissions. These cannot be disabled without impairing site functionality.

Performance and Analytics Cookies: Collect aggregated, anonymous data regarding how visitors navigate stafford-films.com, popular pages, and referral sources (e.g., Google Analytics 4).

Functionality Cookies: Enable video players (e.g., Vimeo, YouTube) to remember volume preferences, video quality settings, and playback position.

Targeting / Marketing Cookies: May be used to measure the effectiveness of our social media marketing campaigns (such as Meta / Instagram pixels) and present relevant videography portfolio showcases to users who have expressed interest in our services.

Managing Your Cookie Preferences: You can instruct your web browser to refuse all cookies or notify you when a cookie is being sent. Most browsers provide cookie management settings in their "Options" or "Preferences" menus. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the performance of video streaming elements on our Website.

7. Data Retention and Archival Policy

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy:

Prospective Client Inquiries: Contact form submissions and consultation notes from leads who do not ultimately book our services are retained for up to twenty-four (24) months for business forecasting and follow-up, after which they are deleted or anonymized.

Client Financial & Contract Records: Signed Client Agreements, invoices, payment records, and tax-related documentation are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years to comply with federal, state, and local accounting and tax laws.

Edited Master Films: Final high-resolution edited wedding films (highlight films, feature films, speech cuts) are archived on secure redundant storage for a period specified in your Client Agreement (typically a minimum of two (2) years from the wedding date) as a courtesy backup for our clients.

Raw Video Footage: Unedited, raw camera and audio files require immense storage capacity. Unless an extended raw footage archival package is purchased, raw production files are typically retained for ninety (90) to one hundred eighty (180) days following final film delivery to accommodate requested revisions, after which raw files may be permanently purged.

8. Data Security and Storage

We implement robust administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal data from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure:

Transmission Security: All traffic to and from stafford-films.com is encrypted using industry-standard Transport Layer Security (TLS / HTTPS) protocols.

Storage Protection: Production files, client records, and backups are stored on enterprise-grade, encrypted cloud storage systems protected by multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strict role-based access controls.

Hardware Redundancy: Wedding footage is backed up immediately following each event across dual memory cards, local solid-state drives (SSDs), and off-site cloud repositories to guard against physical hardware loss.

While we take rigorous measures to safeguard your information, no electronic transmission over the internet or method of digital storage can be guaranteed 100% secure. You acknowledge that you provide your personal information at your own risk.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your state or country of residence (including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Texas, the EEA, and the UK), you may have statutory rights regarding your personal information:

Right to Know / Access: The right to request details regarding the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources, the commercial purposes for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom we share data.

Right to Correction / Rectification: The right to request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information we maintain about you.

Right to Deletion / Erasure: The right to request the deletion of your personal information, subject to statutory exceptions (such as our need to maintain tax records, defend legal claims, or fulfill existing contractual duties).

Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing: We do not sell your personal information for monetary consideration or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Right to Non-Discrimination: We will never deny you goods or services, charge different prices, or provide a different quality of service because you exercised any of your privacy rights.

How to Exercise Your Rights:

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at privacy@stafford-films.com with the subject line "Privacy Rights Request". Please provide sufficient information to allow us to verify your identity and locate your records. We will review and respond to verifiable requests within the timeframe mandated by applicable law (typically 30 to 45 days).

10. Third-Party Links & External Platforms

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites, social media platforms (e.g., Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo, Pinterest, TikTok, Facebook), wedding blogs, and partner vendor sites. We do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or policies of these external services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

11. Children's Online Privacy Protection (COPPA)

Our Website is directed to adult couples, wedding professionals, and individuals planning weddings. We do not knowingly solicit, collect, or maintain personal information online from children under the age of 13 (or 16 where required by regional law). If we discover that a child under 13 has provided personal information through our Website without verified parental consent, we will delete that information immediately.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our operational practices, video delivery technologies, legal requirements, or industry standards. When we make revisions, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. Any modifications become effective immediately upon posting to the Website. Your continued use of our Website or services following the posting of an updated policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.

13. Contact Information and Inquiries

If you have questions, comments, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, our data handling practices, or our wedding footage management, please contact us at:

Stafford Films

Attention: Data Privacy Officer

Website: stafford-films.com

Email: nick@stafford-films.com

Mailing Address: 211 South Clark Street, Auburn, IN. 46706

Phone: (260) 553-1997