Wedding Tips & Articles

Planning your wedding can be stressful. Let the experts and other brides fill you in on some handy hits, checklists and information you may not have thought of.

Choosing your photographer

When you look back at your photos to remember your day, you want your photos to be as perfect as the event that they depict.

Choosing your photographer is one of the most important decisions that you will have to make in your planning process.

There are several points to consider when booking a photographer:

1. Choose on style - The one thing that a photographer can’t change is their photographic style. Look at lots of pictures, magazines, and websites. Decide if you like traditional (posed photography), or a more natural, laid-back style of photographs. Only meet with photographic studios that produce the style of photographs that you like.
2. Connection with photographer - Make sure that both you and your partner are happy with the photographer or photographers that will actually be photographing your wedding. If you don’t ‘connect’ with your photographer on a personal level, it will come across in your photographs. Make sure that you meet with the actual photographer who will be photographing your wedding, and that you see an album from a wedding that they have photographed – check that it is actually their work, and not the work of the ‘main’ photographer or a photographer who no longer works for the studio.
3. Presentation - There is nothing worse than having beautiful photographs presented poorly. There are a wide range of photographic presentations available, from obtaining hi-res images on DVD or film negatives, to creatively designed albums. When interviewing photographers, make sure you see a complete album. Not only does this ensure that you view a product similar to what you will be getting at the end, it will also allow you to ensure that you are seeing a complete day, and not just the best photographs from select weddings. This will give you confidence that your chosen photographer is able to photograph both the fast moving ceremony and reception, as well as the more laid-back and interactive location shoots.
4. Coverage - Decide how much of your day you would like covered. Are photographs of both the bride and groom getting ready important, or would you prefer just the bride, or none at all? Would you like to cover your entire reception so that you can capture fun moments of your guests enjoying themselves, or would you prefer a ‘mock’ first dance and cake cut? Selecting the right amount of coverage is a very personal choice, and both you and your partner should be happy with your decision – you only get once chance at it. Booking your photographer is a very important decision, and should be done as early as possible in your planning process so that you don’t miss out on your dream photographer. If you choose based on style, you will never be disappointed with your wedding photographs, and looking back at the memories captured on this precious day will always bring a smile to your face.