Choosing your wedding photographer can be overwhelming—ok, planning a wedding today in general can be overwhelming, so I am at least going to walk you through the process and some of the terms you’re likely to encounter when looking for a wedding photographer.
Budget
Narrowing the scope of your photography options will likely start with your overall budget amount. DO NOT let all the blog posts on wedding sites dictate what you’re budget should be; the budget for your wedding day should align with what you personally value and prioritize. If you place a significant value on photography, it is only natural that the proportion of your photography budget will be higher than others. You could absolutely have a total budget of $20,000 and spend half on a wedding photographer–I’ve seen it done, and I’ve also been at multiple weddings where I am the most expensive aspect of the day, and the couple is completely happy with that!
2 Things you need to know when choosing your photographer:
Do you like their work? Do you like the brightness of their editing style or do you wish it was darker and moodier? Do you want those fine art, magazine quality-level portraits or do you want nothing but documentary/candid images? It’s important to pay attention to a photographer’s portfolio, because they are going to feature stylistic aspects that they love and clients know them for (example: we’re known for our flying veils shots, so a lot of my brides purchase cathedral length veils–even just for portrait time!)
Do you like them? Photographers see everything on a wedding day–This means you need a wedding photographer who puts you at ease rather than adding to your stress. A key aspect of my job is paying attention to how people are acting and adjusting accordingly to maintain the best experience for my couple, so any family dynamics or drama, we will notice. Since your wedding photographer is with you more than anyone on the day, you really need to like having them around! Plus, it doesn’t matter how much you love their photos, if you don’t enjoy working with them, you won’t like your photos!
Terms you may encounter
Investment
Quality wedding photography is luxury high item, with a high cost but with a high value (we are talking about once-in-a-lifetime memories that cannot be redone!), so often photographers will list the cost of their services as “investment” rather than pricing or sessions fees, etc.
Best Fit
Remember us talking about the two things you need in your wedding photographer earlier? The photographer, given their expertise, will often have a better grasp than you in what you need for your wedding day; so often, during the booking process, they will ask to have some sort of consultation–phone, zoom, in person–to get to know you and determine if you are both a “good fit” AKA if they are the right photographer for you and your wedding.
The Booking Process
The actually process with is going to vary by photographer, but generally you’re going to fall in something like this:
You inquire (ideally through the photographer’s website), providing details such as your wedding date and venue
The photographer, if available, will send you their wedding information guide or schedule a consultation call.
During that exchange, if they conclude you’re all a good fit then you’ll need pay a deposit (also called a retainer or initial payment)–this nonrefundable and essentially is paying the photographer to reserve your date.
You’ll also need to sign a contract, which is a good thing because it protects both you and the photographer, while laying out clear agreement on what you both expect from each other.
And now you’re booked and have a major aspect of your wedding day taken care of!
