Wedding Ideas

What To Know Before You Go—Photographers

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Allison Dupree

This is your dream day. You’ve picked the venue, the date, your dress and obviously you have your amazing fiancé—but now it’s time to figure out who can immortalize your wedding day forever. That’s where the photographer steps in!

Jillian and Kyle at Hamilton Farm Golf Club

What to do beforehand:

  • Research wedding photo styles: Do you like light and airy, simple journalistic or darker with more contrast? Look into many examples before narrowing down your photographer list
  • Budget: Determine what you’re comfortable spending for a photographer. Photo packages can range drastically, so decide what you’d be comfortable with from the start
  • Reviews: Read reviews of your photographer, look at their website and social media, ask family and friends. Chances are, someone you know or are connected to has used them before and will be able to give them first hand opinion
Cynthia and Ricky at The Westmount

What to bring:

  • Examples: If there’s a photo on Pinterest you’ve saved about 1,000 times, bring it with you! The more examples you have, the better the photographer will be able to figure out if they are the right fit for you.
  • Writing implements: Get ready to take notes and figure out more questions. Always make sure to have something you can look back on after the conversation is done
  • Money: If you’ve been dreaming about this photographer forever and know they’re the one, bring a checkbook/money and put the deposit down then and there. One thing done off your checklist!
Michelle and Ryan at Park Chateau

What to ask:

  • How many hours do you typically offer for weddings?
  • Is a second shooter included? If not, is there the option to add them?
  • Do you shoot on digital, film or both?
  • When will we get sneak peek of our photos and how many will we get?
  • When will we have all of the photos?
  • Is there a travel fee?
  • Are engagement photos included in the package? Is it possible to alter the package?
  • When receiving the photos, will they be all in color or will they have edited colors (black and white, sepia, etc)?
  • When is the full payment due? Do you offer payment plans?
  • Approximately how many photos will we receive of our entire wedding?

After your appointment:

  • Keep searching: Take a look at their social media and website again now knowing all of the information and see if everything is still just as you imagined!
  • Make a list: Reflect back on the important things they discussed (second shooter, time allotted, etc) and decide if what they offer matches your vision!
  • We know, these are big decisions for a very important life event. But just like everything else with wedding planning, this will all fall together and make your day absolutely perfect!

Still looking for a photographer? Click here for some great options!

Need more help on what to “know before you go”— venue shopping and dress shopping are here!

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