You’re engaged - congratulations! This is your time to shine, dance those happy dances on repeat, and begin the process of planning your wedding. You’ve already chosen the perfect date and booked your ideal venue. You’re already way ahead of the game, sista!
Next on the list: finding a wedding photographer. But not just any photographer. THE wedding photographer. But you just about want to bang your head against your laptop because there are way too many options out there and you have no idea how to get through those websites you’ve been scouring!
At the end of all this, you only get to do your wedding day once and you’ll want to look back at those memories with fondness and happiness. You deserve to find and choose the perfect wedding photographer to capture those precious moments for you. So, we’ve put our thinking caps on and have come up with our top tips on finding the wedding photographer of your dreams!
1 - Style and approach to wedding photography
Are you interested in a more romantic, dark feel to your images, or a light and airy look? Do you prefer a traditional approach where most images are posed and with the couple looking at the camera, or something more candid and telling a story? The style of wedding photography is the first thing you need to decide upon so that you can narrow down a short-list of photographers that meet your preferred aesthetic. In addition, it’s vital to know how involved/not involved the photographer is once you start planning your wedding day timeline. Will he or she just show up on the day, or will they be involved more closely throughout your wedding planning process, i.e. - providing tips and advice on best lighting situations and such.
2 - Do you click with the photographer?
Beside your new spouse, the photographer you choose will be the only other person with whom you’ll spend the whole wedding day, so you want to make sure that you kind of, sort of LIKE THEM. Besides looking through their portfolios, take some time to get to know them as a person. Read their ‘about’ page or take a look through their social media presence to get an initial feel for who they are. Then, meet them in person or over Skype to see if that connection continues to resonate. It make all the difference when it’s time to finalize your decision.
3 - Look at a full wedding gallery, not just the highlights
As much as the top images in a portfolio can swoon you in one direction or another, it’s a good idea to see a full gallery of images from start to end so that you can get an idea of how the photographer captures an entire day. You’ll know whether they photograph the various actions of the day like a record or if they capture those sweet moments, smiles, hugs and tears that you didn’t even know happened. The in-between moments. If it's not already on their website, ask the photographer for a gallery of a full wedding for you to go through.
4 - What others are saying
What are other couples saying about their experience with this photographer? Its also worth your time to find out what other wedding industry professionals are saying too. Of course you'll want to trust the person who will have the fate of your wedding day memories in their hands. It’s a good sign if you repeatedly hear their name spoken positively by both former brides and other fellow wedding vendors.
5 - Prepare to Budge on Your Budget
Of course we are biased by coming out with a statement like this, but please hear us out. When you’ve found that dream photographer who’s 1) style, 2) approach, 3) vibe, 4) portfolio, AND 5) reputation are up to par, but you realize that their price is not within your allotted budget, it might be worth it to consider rearranging your budget to cover those additional costs. Your wedding photos will only increase in value with the passing of time, so consider it an investment in your memories!
We hope these pointers are useful in helping you to find the perfect photographer for your wedding! If you liked this post, check out additional resources for brides:
