Your wedding day is filled with so many memories. Booking the right wedding photographer to capture all the moments will be one of the most crucial decisions you’ll make in your planning process. Because photos are such a treasured part of weddings, it can be a stressful decision to make when photographer options seem unlimited.

Believe it or not, your wedding photographer has the potential to make or break your wedding day. The statement may seem a little harsh, but it’s the truth. This is why we are sharing five things to consider before booking your wedding photographer. If you follow these tips, you are sure to be headed in the right direction to finding the best wedding photographer for your wedding day!

Consideration #1: Talk about what’s most important to you.

First things first…you and your partner are going to need to talk about what is most important to you, both on the wedding day itself and for years afterward. What’s most important on the wedding day? What will be most important 50 years after the wedding day? Chances are, you’ll have differing opinions. You might rank photography as number 1 because you’ll want to look through your album with your grand-babies in 50 years, while your partner might want to look back on the wedding day and remember how good the filet mignon tasted. Consider each, making a list to rank your priorities and compare notes so you can talk about them.

Consideration #2: Allow what’s most important to influence your budget.

Think about the overall budget for your wedding. To help break that overall budget down to serve your priorities, go back to the things that are most important to you. If it’s the venue, then you will likely want to allot the biggest percentage of your budget on the venue. And if the most important thing is photography, the same rule applies. Talented, experienced, reliable wedding photographers do not come cheap. In fact, depending on demand, location, experience, and your needs, most couples end up spending between $4,000-$7,000 on their wedding imagery when all is said and done.

Most photographers will list a starting price on their website for the photography packages. The important thing is to talk with the photographer to see if your wants and needs for photography line up with your budget.

If you notice that the photographers in your area are all above your photography budget, you’ll need to go back and crunch your numbers. Before you even set a budget, consider going ahead and begin looking at your preferred photographers websites to see if there’s a common investment price. This will help you to not have sticker shock if photography ends up being more than you expected.

Consideration #3: Do you like their work?

Okay, you’ve got an idea for your budget range. Now it’s time to go look at the online galleries the wedding photographers you’re considering have displayed on their website. What feeling do you get when you scroll through each session? Do you like how they pose each couple? Do they do a good job of capturing the small wedding day details? 

What type of photography are you drawn to? Do you like the light and airy approach? Do you prefer dark and moody vibes? Maybe you prefer a more traditional approach to photography. Whatever your preference, knowing your preferred editing style will help you instantly weed out photographers that aren’t the right fit.

The images that photographers post online or on their blogs are a good measurement to the photos they’ll capture on your wedding day. Do you like what you see? 

Consideration #4: Good Vibes

You’ve narrowed down your photographers to two-three options. What’s next? Contact them to see if they are available for your wedding date and then hop on a call with them. When you’re on the phone with them, do you feel relaxed? Or do they make you more stressed? Would you want to hang out with them all day long on your wedding day?

You’ll be spending more time with your photographer than any other wedding vendor on the day-of. You want to make sure your personalities match. We can’t stress this enough! If you hire a photographer who makes you feel uneasy, your pictures will be evident of this. When you vibe well with your photographer, your wedding pictures will be light-hearted, full of joy because being in front of the camera will come naturally.

Consideration #5: Will they go the extra mile?

Let’s be honest. Not every business person is out there to serve. It’s a good idea to consider whether or not the photographer you like the most will go the extra mile for you to make your day special and memorable. We strongly believe that beautiful memories are what make beautiful images (because who wants to look back on a pretty picture and remember a stressful moment?). That means we go above and beyond to make sure the experience you have is going to be absolutely amazing. Your photographer should be able to do their best work while being kind, assertive, helpful, and attentive to you and your guests.

Not only that, but the more the photographer cares about what’s most important to YOU, the better experience you will have, the better your photos will be.

That’s a wrap on five things to consider before booking your wedding photographer!

If you are still in search for that perfect wedding photographer, we’d love to chat with you! We are located in Pennsylvania and we love to travel! Check out our wedding details page here and our wedding galleries here. To contact us, click here.