I know that it is no easy task to find the perfect wedding photographer for your wedding. As a recent bride myself and being in the industry, I can seen first hand the amount of choices that the industry has to offer. It really is so hard to narrow it down. Finding your wedding photographer is so much more than simply finding a photographer that will do it the cheapest and fast.
The couples that book with me are looking for a high level of service, someone who invests their time into them, value quality, not only a photographer but a friend, and want to create a personal experience during their planning process and on their wedding day.
Personality
I think the biggest factor that goes into finding a wedding photographer is personality. You want to make sure that you get along and understand how the photographer communicates. On my end, this is number 1 as well. I always make sure that the couple and I will be the best match and they understand my communication style and humor.
Why is this so important? Think about it this way. If your personalities don’t click, understand the humor, or simply just don’t feel comfortable with the photographer, how can you expect to feel comfortable in front of the photographer with his or her camera? My goal is to make my couples feel 100% comfortable so that they can feel relaxed during our sessions. This is important so I am able to naturally capture their emotion and love for each other rather than having to make the session feel too”posed”.
Trust
When your wedding day comes, I want my couples to feel completely at ease. The last thing I want is for my bride to feel as if she has to be on top of the photographer to ensure that she is getting every photo that she wants for the day. On my wedding day, I was able to sit back and enjoy the day rather than feeling like I had to check in on my photographer to make sure to get every shot (she had a lot of pressure, I am sure). I felt comfortable to be the bride and not the photographer because I had my full trust in my photographer and her team.
Having trust in your photographer team is crucial and should be one of your top concerns when choosing a wedding photographer. What couples may not realize until the day of, is that they will spend the majority of their wedding day with their photographer. This is why trust is such a big factor in choosing your wedding photographer.
Budget
Yes, budget is important when choosing your wedding photographer; however, it should not be the number 1 reason why couples choose a photographer. As you have read above, there are so many important factors that should be higher on the list than budget. If you find a photographer that you love, get along with, and fully trust, see what you can do to make that a reality. I am not saying to completely blow out your budget to hire the photographer, but find ways to maybe save in other areas. Remember, after the wedding is done, all you will have are your wedding photos to remember the day.
I will be 100% honest with you, our wedding photographer was out of our initial budget. But I knew that I loved her work, I understood her personality, and I trusted her fully, so I did what we had to do to have her with us on our wedding day. It didn’t mean blowing our budget, but it did mean adjusting our budget on other vendors to ensure we had quality work.
Next Steps
So what’s next? Schedule a consultation whether it’s over the phone, video call, or in person. Choosing your wedding photographer is a personal experience and you cannot get that just by email. Get to know the photographer to ensure that you are making the best decision.
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