Alright, so I might be somewhat biased here as a wedding photographer myself, but one of the most important decisions you’ll make when planning your wedding day is choosing the photographer who will document it! Think about it, when your wedding day is all said and done the only thing you’ll have left aside from your memories of one of the BEST days ever are your photos!! Because of this, and how much time you spend with your wedding photographer throughout the day, making this decision isn’t something you should take lightly. So take your time, do your research, and keep these 5 points in mind throughout your search!

How to Choose a Wedding Photographer

Before reaching out to potential photographers, I recommend sitting down with your partner and thinking about what's important to you both. Discuss what you want your wedding day to look and feel like. What do you want your photos to look like? Do posed portraits appeal more to you, or do you want an album that tells the complete story of your day? Having a clear picture in mind of what’s important to you when it comes to your photographer and the photos you’ll receive is arguably the most important step in this process!!

1. Their Photography Style

The first thing you and your partner will want to consider when choosing a photographer to document your wedding day is their unique photography style! There are a LOT of different photography styles out there such as documentary, posed, editorial, and many many more. It’s important to find the style, or combination of styles, that appeal most to you so that you actually enjoy looking through your wedding album! Personally, I think a good mixture of the different styles of photography helps to tell the full, cohesive story of your wedding day, which is how I document my couples weddings!! For a more in depth explanation of my photography philosophy check out this Instagram post of mine.

2. Their Editing Style

Almost just as influential as the photography style, editing styles also vary greatly from photographer to photographer. This may seem like a minor detail to some, but you’d be surprised with how different editing styles can make you feel! A dark and moody style as an example is going to look and feel wildly different than a light and airy editing style!! This is another area that is completely subjective with what you like, so talk with one another and determine which style you enjoy the most, as a photographer won’t change their style for you. I consider my editing style to be true to life, true to color, and timeless. This means I lean more into the natural colors of the wedding day and won’t change your tones much, which helps me to further tell the story of your day!

3. Their Personality

It’s SO important that you actually enjoy your wedding photographer’s personality! You’re going to be spending a LOT of time with your them on your wedding day, likely more than even your partner, so it’s important that you like their company! To learn a bit more about my personality, as well as my approach to documenting a wedding day, check out this article!! Of course you can only get to know someone so much through things like their blog or social media presence, so it’s important that you hop on a call and talk with your photographer before booking them for your day.

4. Their Additional Services

Something many photographers do, myself included, is offer additional services to go along with their wedding photography coverage! This can be an important deciding factor for some couples when choosing which wedding photographer will document their day. Take note of these add-ons, and whether the photographer includes them in your package or as paid add-ons. I offer a variety of add-ons for all of my packages, which you can also read more about in the article above!

5. And Ask Questions!

Last but not least, be sure to ask some questions to your potential wedding photographer before choosing them! More than practically every other tip in this article, this is probably the best way to confirm if a photographer is right for you. Ask any question that comes to mind during your discovery call, about their approach to photography, what their priorities are, what a typical day with them looks like, and more. If you need some inspiration for questions to ask here are 15 to get you started!!

Those are 5 key things to consider before you choose your wedding photographer! Again, this is one of the most important decisions you’ll be making when planning your day. Start your search early so that you can take your time and ensure that the photographer you choose is right for YOU! For more wedding planning tips check out some of my other articles, and if you think I might be the right fit for documenting your wedding day set up a discovery call with me today!!