When planning your wedding, there will be many difficult decisions you will need to make when it comes to choosing the right vendors. Personally, I think choosing the venue and your photographer are the two most important choices. Today, I will review 5 quick tips to prevent you from regretting the photographer you hire.

Tip 1 – Response Times

How long is it taking for your potential photographer to respond to your emails? Days? Weeks? A good photographer or any business owner should be responding promptly to their potential clients. When we receive an email you can expect a response within 24-48 hours at the very most; however most replies are received within a few hours. If they are taking their time to answer your questions, how long do you think it will take for you to see your pictures?

Tip 2 – Turnaround Times

Staying on the subject of time, be sure to ask your photographer how long it takes to see your images after the wedding is over. All of our clients see a preview of their wedding images (10-20 images) the day after their wedding! The rest of the images will be ready for clients to view within 2-3 weeks in an online password protected gallery.

Tip 3 – Cost

There is no doubt that cost is important, everyone has a budget.; however, cost shouldn’t be the reason you miss out on a great photographer. We’ve all heard the stories from brides that end up with sub-par imagery if any imagery at all. Studies have shown that the number one thing brides reget when looking back at their wedding is “I wish I spent more money on photography.” It’s the only memories you will retain once your wedding day is over, not the flowers, not the favors, and not the table linens.

Tip 4 – Two Wedding Photographers?

With all the moments occurring throughout your wedding day, having two photographers will allow for more of those moments to be captured. Before moving forward with a photographer, be sure to ask if there will be two shooters or one shooter with an assistant, there is a huge difference. Having two shooters will allow your photographer to direct all of his/her attention on you while the second shooter can capture all of the guest.  The collaborative partnerships ensures all of your needs will be met and nothing will be missed on your special day.

Tip 5 – Wedding Albums

How will you display all of your amazing imagery? A handcrafted wedding album is hands down the best way to showcase your wedding story.From many unique leathers to a variety of sizes and cover options, your photographer should be able to provide you with the specializations your wedding memories deserve. If your photographer does not have a wide selection of heirloom quality albums for you to choose from, move on. Many photographers will tell you they can order whatever you want, but unless they have samples to show you, I recommend continuing your search. In addition, your wedding photographer should be able to create an album that tells your wedding story like the day it happened.