How to choose the right wedding photographer part 1

The importance of wedding photography

Are you getting married? Yes! Well first, let’s start with congratulations.

Now, let us move onto the serious talk of planning. 

These blog posts are here to help you with a few of the questions and tasks that you may be faced with, on the run up to your wedding day. 

We will be starting with wedding photography, and how to choose the right wedding photographer. 

How to choose a wedding photographer is an important part of the planning for your big day. And only one, in a long list of many important tasks that you will face together as a couple, in preparation for the wedding day ahead. 

Photography is important and, to my confusion, an often overlooked part of the wedding day experience. Although I am glad to see that this trend is slowly changing as people start to see the value in the art of photography. 

If your choice of wedding photographer is not treated as a priority, the effects can be very long lasting and, as a result, turns into a regret. And no one wants a regret on their wedding day! However, finding the right wedding photographer for you can be a very rewarding experience - one that can be the icing on the wedding cake. So it is worth taking the time to get it right. And this doesn't mean throwing vast sums of money at the problem. It is all about finding the right photographer for you. And it could be some of the best money you ever spend. 

This could be a decision that stays with you and your family for a very long time. Maybe your wedding photographer also photographs families and children! They could be with you, as your own family documentarian throughout the years ahead. An important job role to be sure. And a privileged position to hold and be entrusted with. 

This is the person you have hired to artistically reflect and capture one of the most memorable days of your life. Let us hope they are up to the task. It is how your photographer views your wedding day, through their eyes and with their artistic interpretation, that will in turn, be how you, your spouse, your friends and family, will come to view your wedding day in the future as you all look back together on the images and remember your big day.

Believe me when I say a huge part of the day, especially the run up to you both exchanging vows, will be one big blur! And after that, there is a huge sense of relief and accomplishment that you both got this far and are still standing upright and, it is, of course, now time for great celebration. Depending on how you celebrate, coupled with all the emotion, anxiety and fatigue you will undoubtably both be experiencing, that next part might be a big blur as well! You might be living the moment and having the time of your life, but there is certain to be so much going on, that you simply won't be able to take it all in. No one could be expected to. So please don’t even try. 

You want to have put in the work before hand, chosen all the right people to help bring your day to fruition, so that you can enjoy all the drinking and dancing and being with loved ones that you can possibly muster. Think of all those months of planning and by the end of the day, I doubt you will remember your own names! Just as long as you remember each other's at the appropriate moment at the beginning of the day’s events then all will be fine. No pressure. 

Leave it to your photographer to help you have a more relaxed day. They will guide you through when it all gets a little overwhelming. The right photographer will do so much more for you on the day than take your wedding photos. They will be with your each step of the way. Remember, they have been here before. And they should be there for you. 

You are, of course, going to want a truly wonderful representation of you both, in all your finery. You expect wonderfully composed and natural photos of family, friends and loved ones, being part of, and enjoying this wonderful occasion, as well as all the details saved for prosperity that you have spent months planning and orchestrating. You are going to want all those details documented, and you are going to want to look back and see yourselves looking blissfully happy and caught up in the moment having a whale of a time. After all, this is a defining time in your life together. And what better way to remember it all, than by having all of this captured artistically and creatively by someone who understands what you need. 

So, in order to get all these things right, where do you start? 

I believe it boils down to a couple of simple things, on how you feel!

1) How much do you value photography? 

2) How much value do you put into having those memories of your wedding day captured, for you, your family and even future generations to look back on?

After reading the above text, maybe I have given you some food for thought on this matter as you ask yourself these things.

Now take a moment to reflect on these two questions! If they are important, then read on for some great advice, and how to avoid some of the associated pitfalls. 

If these two questions didn’t illicit much of a response, then maybe still take the time to read on, as I may be able to point out a few valuable tips. Better to read now, and get the facts, then regret it later on, like so many of us often do!