Things To Do Before You Book Your Wedding Photographer

So hopefully you have seen our previous post about choosing a wedding photographer and now you have done your research and shortlisted one or a couple of potential photographers to capture your wedding day. Whether you are going with a local student or a high-end wedding photographer you need to know what you are getting and make sure the wedding photographer is going to provide you with what you want. You don’t necessarily have to meet your wedding photographer face to face, but we do recommend it as it gives you a good insight into who they are and often a better chance to see samples of their work. How and where you meet your photographer will likely vary, some may have a studio, some may come to your home or meet you at the venue you’ve booked.

Five things to do before you arrange to meet your potential wedding photographer.

Check their portfolio on their website and/or Facebook page – You should know what sort of photos you want but consider your venue to keep your expectations realistic. If you’re looking at photographers who photograph castles and expensive venues that look nothing like what you have booked, are you setting your expectations to high.? It’s not unheard of to have a £10,000 wedding with a £5000 photographer but chances are you are not going to get the photos in that wedding photographer’s portfolio without the right setting.
Really check their portfolio – Is there a good variety of brides and grooms in the photos? Are their photos consistent? Is there a variety of different venues? You need to be sure you know what you are getting. Some photographers will outsource their work to a less qualified photographer, some will be using lots of work they have got from training courses others may even be using work that isn’t their own! If you don't feel confident with their portfolio be sure to question them about it.
Check their packages and prices if available – some photographers will require you to get in touch with them for these details. But you should know what you want to receive after your wedding. Digital images that you and your guests can download, a USB, an Album, Parent Albums, a slideshow video, the list goes on.
Have a list of questions ready to ask – How long have they been doing it? What happens if they can’t make the day? How much is the deposit? When’s the final balance due? What happens if we need to cancel? Have you done a same-sex wedding before? Can you retouch images to remove a tattoo? etc.
This one might seem strange but have your whole wedding planned – we are not saying save the photographer until last (they should really be one of the earlier things you book) but you need to have a good idea of how much everything is likely to cost so you know what you can afford when booking your wedding photographer. If you meet with your photographer and he or she has something available that you really want, you need to know you can afford it. Chances are you may also be able to afford more than you initially thought