With all the new couples getting engaged, the search for a wedding photographer is high on most people’s list. After the wedding, 10, 20, 50, 100 years from now; the photographs will be the only thing left from the wedding. The photographs are your memories, your kids memories, their kids memories. They are part of your family’s legacy, so who wants to leave that to chance?
That is your first question.
How important are your wedding photos to you? How important are they to the people you love most?
If wedding photographs are super important then put that on the top of your list. Book the photographer right after you have a wedding date. Some couples even call the photographer when they are considering a couple dates to make sure one of those dates work with their faves. This way you have not blown your whole budget on less important things, you get the photographer you want (they are available and you also have some wiggle room if they are over your “photo budget”) and you have more time to spend with them and really get to know them.
This comes to my next idea.
Choosing your photographer can be a lot like dating and finding your spouse.
That sounds crazypants! or does it? Think of it this way. You are most likely going to spend at least 2 years of your life with this photographer. You are inviting them to capture one of your most important and intimate moments of your life. They are going to interact with your friends, your family, your work colleagues etc. In this day and age, you will probably be facebook friends, follow each other on twitter, instagram and pinterest and basically they will learn almost everything there is to learn about you. So, do you want to spend the day with a perfect stranger or someone you can trust and feels more like a friend?
Let’s go with this dating concept:
Your friends will probably know a photographer and you will also probably discover a few from your own research. Sounds kind of like when your friends fixed you up with some dude or your own dallying with match.com and ok cupid. Maybe you even went the scientific suggestions route of e-harmony.
So, did you just go out on the date or did you email or talk on the phone maybe even a little google research? You should do the same when looking for your wedding photographer. Ask around, search for reviews, check out a ton of their work on their website and blog, watch their facebook page. Do you like what you see? This is usually a gut reaction, a feeling you get when you look at their work. Then talk to them, email them, learn more about them before you jump in.
Finally, you can’t change them so make sure you like what you see, can live with what you don’t like and trust them to know what to do.
Yes, it is true when getting married you have to realize that you can’t change the other person. Plus you have to trust your spouse. When finding your photographer, these concepts apply. If you do not like what you see but they are offering a great deal or seem nice, you can’t change them. They are not automatically going to change their style or approach to the day just because you hope they will. When you do find the one photographer that you love, that you connect with and shows you work you love then you have to trust them. You can’t micromanage or try to control things. If they have the experience and what you like then you have to trust that they will do their job well and will have the artistic vision to get the moments you want.
Next week, I’ll post some questions you can ask your potential photographers.
What were some things you loved about searching for your photographer? Did it feel like dating? What would you have changed in your search for your photographer?
Please share with family and friends especially if they are unsure of where to start with their wedding planning.
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