How to Book A Wedding Photographer

This guide will help you find the right photographer for you.

Finding Your Photographer

Google

If you’re reading this article, you are likely to be using Google. So first of all, here are some suggestions on what to ask to start looking for your wedding photographer:

• Wedding Photographers—This will work because, like it or not, Google knows who you are and where you are. This simple query will generate a list of photographers near you. Take a look at a few of the suggestions and note which ones you like.
•  Another query could be: [Your Venue] Wedding Photographers – This will list photographers who have previously worked at your chosen venue.

It would help if you thought about whether that matters to you. I can happily work at a new venue and do a great job. If it is somewhere new to me, I do a bit of Googling myself, arrive a little early, and wonder about the venue.

While you are on Google, this is also an excellent time to check those Google reviews. They are hard to fake and something you must look at when making your choice. You can find my Google reviews here.

Word of Mouth

Friends

Asking around your friends’ group is another excellent way to find a photographer. You might know someone who has just gotten married, or maybe a friend has been a bridesmaid. They’ll be able to tell you who the wedding photographer was and what it was like to be around on the day. They may also give you an idea of who to avoid.

Other Suppliers

You may already have a dress picked out or have talked to a few florists. You may also have a hairdresser or MUA who you already use. They will all have worked with wedding photographers. They can let you know who they rate and probably have their contact details for you.

The Venue

One of the first things that couples book is the venue they want. Your venue will likely have a list of recommended suppliers for you to contact. I’m now on these lists for a few venues, and getting recommended is always lovely. Some venues may push you to choose their favourites, but the choice is yours. A slight warning: whilst this is uncommon, some venues will charge a referral fee, which might then be passed onto you as a couple. If that bothers you, then make sure you ask if they do this. The venues I work with do not charge a referral fee.

Social media

You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Other photographers also use TikTok, but I’m not that cool, lol. There are Facebook groups for couples looking for their wedding photographer, so you can always ask in those. You will be mobbed with replies, but some great photographers only use social media and don’t have their own website. You can also ask local area groups for recommendations.

Instagram is great for seeing many photographers’ work, and careful use of Hashtags can help you sort through it all. You can look again at your chosen venue or area, but now you can also look at different styles.

Wedding Websites

Some companies charge suppliers to be listed with them and can help you find all the suppliers you want in one place—companies such as Bark, The Knot, Bridebook, Hitched and others. I don’t feel they offer much more than Google does. There are, however, websites which provide more Niche collections of photographers that are worth looking at:

• Flashmasters – This is a community of creative photographers who love creating beautiful portraits alongside their regular coverage.
• Fearless Photographers—This collection includes creative and experienced photographers worldwide. It is heavily documentary, but there is also plenty of posed portraiture.
• Rock My Wedding is slightly more quirky and fun. It is a collection of all types of suppliers.

Style of Wedding Photographer

You may not be sure what style of photographer you want, so before you begin your search, it might be a good idea to log onto Instagram or Pinterest and see what is out there.

Here is a bit of a guide:

• Fly on the wall – Captures your day without any direction. You may even wonder if you had a photographer there.
•  Strict Documentary – As above
•  Documentary – As above, but with a bit of interaction and probably the group shots
•  Candid—This is often used in the same way as documentary, though it really just means a photo created without a posed feel.
•  Posed – You may be asked to look lovingly into one another’s eyes, tilt your chin up a bit, put your left hand down, look at the camera, smile a bit more, and so on. Posing can get you some beautiful shots, but it can feel awkward if you prefer to avoid posing.
•  Directed – For me, this is posing but a lot more fluid. I may ask you to look at each other or the camera, but on the whole, you are micro-managed and free to enjoy the moment instead.
•  Natural – Your photos will be less posed and easier, which can apply to both the editing and the poses.
•  Involved/staged—This is the opposite of what I do. Shots are set up and managed, sometimes even reshot to get it just right. To me, this feels more like it’s about the photographer than the couple. I don’t even like the staged shot of the signing of the register.

Truth be told, most wedding photographers fall under several of these headings. Personally, I describe myself as primarily documentary with a strong creative portraiture element. I love making beautiful portraits for you, but I don’t want it to take over your day.

Some Important Questions to Ask Yourself

• How Long Do You Want to Spend on Photos? – As a rule of thumb, the less documentary the photographer is, the more time you will have to spend on photos.
•  Which photos are essential to you? Think about what you want from the photographer. Do you want loads of group shots, beautiful wall art, a document of the day, albums, or some photos, but you don’t really care? These are all important questions to ask yourself before you start looking. One big question is cost.
•  How much do you want to spend? – I have written about what you are paying for when hiring a wedding photographer. The main thing for now is to work out how much you can afford to budget for your photography and use that as a filter. If there is someone you love who is slightly above what you can afford, it’s always worth asking if they can take you on. The average cost is still around £1500.
•  How little can you afford to spend? – You might find a fantastic deal that tempts you, but sometimes, if it seems too good to be true, you set yourself up for disappointment.
•  Which parts of your wedding do you want covered? The main parts of the day are wedding prep, the ceremony, group and couple portraits, speeches, cake cutting, the first dance, and partying.

Vetting A Wedding Photographer

Now that you know what you want to look for, you can draw up a list of potential photographers. Before you contact them, do some due diligence and check them out as much as you can.

Reviews

• Read those Google reviews I mentioned earlier.
•  Have a look at their Facebook reviews as well.
•  You can also look for them on listing sites like the ones mentioned above; they may have some reviews there.

A lack of reviews is not a bad thing if they are fairly new, but it should be considered. You can always ask if they have any reviews, and if they do, then check those out. Facebook reviews are great because you can contact the person who left the review.

Most wedding photographers likely won’t use Trust Pilot, as the volumes we deal with aren’t worth it.

Where can you find them?

Do they appear on Instagram, Facebook, Google, and TikTok and have their own website, and if so, are they active on these platforms? We all have our favourite places to post to, but you should see some engagement with their couples. Of course, some of us are older and may not use some of the newer platforms.

View a Full Wedding

This may have to wait until you have spoken to the photographer, but I recommend asking to see a complete gallery. You can access one from my Packages and Pricing page, and I can share more if you’d like to see them.

Viewing a full wedding is vital as it will give you a much clearer idea of what to expect from your photographer. It’s very easy to only show the best photos, but a full gallery shows it all.

Talk to Previous Couples

You’re about to spend a large sum of money on something that cannot be recreated. Take the time to message a few of the previous couples and ask them about their experience.

Meet Your Potential Photographers

This doesn’t have to be in person and it’s better for the environment that you don’t. If the photographer isn’t local, arrange a Zoom call, have a good chat, and don’t make it just about your wedding.

You will be spending the day with this person, so it’s important that you get along with them and that you communicate well. They should be able to answer all your questions and probably help you with your timeline a bit, too.

When you talk to your photographer, make sure you let them know if you are talking to others and when they can expect to hear back from you.

Booking a Wedding Photographer

Yep, we’re at that stage. You’ve decided what you want and how much you can afford, have a list of potential photographers, and checked that they are legit; what next?

• Use the contact form on the Contact page. Provide the photographer with as much information as possible, especially the date and location. You can also let them know how you’d like to be contacted. If their prices aren’t on their website, ask for them and let them know what budget you’re working with.
•  Arrange a time for a chat in person, via Zoom, or over the phone. Do this with your partner present, as this should involve you both.
•  Next, they will send you a quote, a contract and a questionnaire.
•  If the quote is acceptable, you will have to accept it and pay a deposit. This is sometimes called a booking fee, but really, it’s the same thing. The booking fee is normally non-refundable, but it should also be a fair amount.
•  At this point, you should also sign the contract. Please read the contract carefully; it should be fair to all parties and cover everything you agree on. If you are unsure about anything in the contract, clarify the meaning before signing.
•  Get all offers and agreements in writing. If the photographer offers extra coverage or an album, have them add it to the quote. Later, if you want anything changed, do this via email rather than a phone call.
•  Fill out the questionnaire—give as much detail as you can, but don’t worry too much if it’s a couple of years away and you aren’t sure if the ceremony will be at 1:30 p.m. or 2 p.m. The main thing your wedding photographer needs to know is the location, date, and how to get in touch with you.
•  The final payment standard is around four weeks before the wedding date.

After Booking Your Wedding Photographer

Here are some things to expect and some things to do between booking and your big day:

• Follow us on Instagram – it’s a great way to keep up to date on what we are doing, and it really helps us.
•  Don’t expect a lot of communication. There will be a set time, for me, around four weeks before the wedding, when we will check in, go over all the details, and make sure we are all on the same page.
•  Around this time, pay the final balance. We love what we do, but we also need to do boring things like pay the mortgage, feed the kids, and so on.
•  If you have any questions before the 4-week mark, please get in touch. Even if you just want to check that we still exist and everything is okay, that is fine. Some brides just need that reassurance.
•  Please don’t send us a Pinterest board. If you chose us for our style then go with that, Pinterest is full of staged shoots using models in a perfect location with all day to get those shots. Also, the location may be a tad different. Blackpool in the winter will never look like California in the spring.
•  If there are some shots that you would love to get that are out of the ordinary, please tell us—as long as they aren’t “bride walking down the aisle” or “our first kiss.” If you would like to visit your grandfather in a nursing home, we would love to know about that in advance.

I do hope this article has helped you through the process of booking your wedding photographer, if you do have any questions or would like to book me, then please use my contact page.

Check out my packages, portfolio and contact me.

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