The people you invite into your wedding day as vendors is arguably one of the most important components of your wedding. Your vendors are the people who help bring your dream day to life, from your florist to the bakery to your wedding planner… these are the people you get to hand select to hear your vision and make it a reality!
Throughout your wedding day, there are a few vendors who you will spend quite a bit more time with than others. For most couples, these vendors include your wedding planner or day of coordinator, photographer, and videographer. These are the people who are making sure the day runs smoothly and the people who document each and every special moment. Oftentimes, if you choose to forgo a wedding planner or day of coordinator, your photographer takes on that role as well, making sure everyone is on time and that you get to the ceremony right on time! For most brides, your wedding photographer is the one person who will be closely following you throughout your entire day, helping carry your dress as you walk, fixing your hair for each photo, and cheering you on every step of the way. For most couples, your wedding photographer pretty much becomes a third wheel on your wedding day. Because of this, we encourage couples to make sure they really love their photographer. If you’re inviting someone to spend the most important day of your life with you, you should enjoy their company and feel confident and comfortable around them! To help you in your search for a wedding photographer, we’ve put together a list of questions we would encourage you to ask prior to booking. We hope this will help you in your planning!
5 Questions to ask your Wedding Photographer Before Booking:
1.) Are we able to meet with you either in person or via video call?
The first thing we do when we receive a wedding inquiry is schedule a time to meet with the couple. This is helpful for a multitude of reasons! First, it helps you learn if the two of you are a good fit for each other's personalities. You want to be sure you feel comfortable with your photographer, and having a chance to meet face-to-face helps to figure that out. Another reason we love meeting with potential couples is to give you a space to ask the questions you have. We know choosing a photographer can feel overwhelming and it can be difficult to feel like you have all the information needed to make the best decision for you; we want to help make that process easier by allowing you space and time to ask all the necessary questions.
2.) What packages do you offer?
Logistically, this is a necessary question to ask very early in the process of speaking with a potential photographer. You want to be sure the packages they offer fit what you are looking for. For example, if you are only looking for coverage for 6 hours but a particular photographer’s packages begin at 10 hours with no smaller options available, then they may not be the best fit because you would be paying for many more hours of coverage than you need. This also helps you determine if a particular photographer is within your budget. At another time we’ll share a blog about wedding budgets because we are huge fans of having and sticking to a budget! Your wedding photos are extremely precious, and if you splurge on anything, we recommend splurging on your photographer, but we also encourage you to know and stick to a budget that you and your fiancé are comfortable with. Planning a wedding can be stressful, but having a plan for your budget is one way to help eliminate some of the stress.
A behind the scenes photo from a wedding we photographed last August
3.) Is an engagement session included with our wedding package?
In each of our standard wedding photography packages, we include one complimentary engagement session. This is something we have absolutely loved including! An engagement session allows us the opportunity to form a friendship with our couples! We love getting to know our couples and the goal is to feel like old friends by the time your wedding is over. It is an honor and a privilege to get to spend a wedding day with someone, and we value making our couples feel known and loved throughout every step of the process. Additionally, if you are someone who maybe isn’t always the most comfortable in front of a camera, this is a great chance to warm up in a lower-stakes environment. Engagement sessions are meant to be fun! Treat it like a mini date, just with someone following you around with a camera :) If an engagement session is not included in your wedding package with the photographer you are meeting with, ask about what it would look like to add one on. It’s worth it, I promise!
4.) Are you able to provide assistance with scheduling the wedding day if needed?
Most photographers will work with you to build the perfect wedding day timeline. It’s helpful to have your photographer plan this out with you so that your photographer can hear about what is most important to you throughout the day and plan time for your photos accordingly.
5.) What does it look like to have you with us throughout our wedding day?
Ask your photographer to explain what a wedding day with them will look like! Are they more of a behind-the-scenes and quiet photographer? Are they the one who wants to hype you up all day? Are they your go-to person when you realize right before your first look that you actually need to go to the bathroom but need help with your dress? These are the details that help you picture if this is the person you want to spend the most important day of your life alongside you. While these things may not be make-or-break, they’re super helpful in picturing what a day with this photographer will look like. We’ve said it already, but we’ll say it again, you should be comfortable with the photographer you select and these questions will help you determine that a little bit more.
We photographed a wedding in Mississippi in early 2021 and the groom was also a professional photographer! Such a fun moment!
We know firsthand how precious your wedding photos are, and we hope this list of questions will help you decide who to invite into your day and capture your most special moments. If you are considering Woods Media Company as your wedding photographer, we would love to set up a time to meet with you! You can submit an inquiry through the Contact Us tab above. Ultimately, whether you choose WMC or another incredible photographer, we know your photos will be stunning!
Happy wedding planning!
