Guide to Choosing the Perfect Wedding Photographer
Choosing the perfect wedding photographer can be stressful. All photographers offer different services with the addition of add-ons and other frills, it’s hard to decide.
Picking the right photographer for YOU is really important. Many people don’t realize but it’s often the photographer that spends the most time with both the bride and groom. We’re often one of the first people to see you in the morning, we stay with you while getting ready, all the way through the day, the ceremony, and often late into the evening too. So it’s important you get it right!
This blog is to help you find the perfect photographer to match your wants and needs.

Step 1: Plan Your Wedding!
We know this is stating the obvious but it is so important. It’s best to approach a photographer with as much information about both yourselves and your big day as possible. At the very least, its good to know the following: your venue location, ceremony time and how long you’d like the photographer to be there. From there, the photographers you contact will be able to let you know if they are available to shoot your wedding.

Step 2: Find a Style You LOVE!
There’s many different styles in wedding photography. The style of the photo can be influenced by the equipment used to shoot it, shooting style, editing style and many more aspects.
Look through sites like Pinterest and Instagram and find a style that appeals to you. Make note of what style jumps out to you – if you like a more candid style, or a posed for ‘intentional’ shots as aspects like this are most important when deciding your photographer. Some photographers are more adaptable, and this can come down to experience and even the ability to interact with you and your guests.
We have made a guide to some photographic styles, if you want to find out more about photographic styles check out our blog post “Wedding Photography Styles: Which One is Best Suited to Your Big Day?”.

Step 3: Talk to Friends and Family
There’s nothing better than a personal recommendation. It’s great seeing a laundry list of 5-star reviews but there’s nothing like good ol’ fashioned word of mouth. The photographer that’s recommended to you through a personal recommendation has either worked directly with, or been seen working by a friend of family member.
It’s hard to hide how good you are at your job if someone has seen you working for 12 hours. You get to KNOW someone in that time.
This step also includes asking your wedding planner, venue manager etc. they will also have a great idea of who’s great and sometimes they’ll inform you on who is best to avoid all together.

Step 4: Set a Budget
A step that’s easy to overlook when looking for a wedding photographer. Its an exciting time and you want to get the most out of the day. However, its important to know your budget. A lot of photographers have ‘bolt-ons’ that can rack up a sizeable bill.
When booking a photographer, make sure you know exactly what you get in the set price and find out how much it costs to add on anything you are missing.
Weddings are expensive and although we’re bias, we’d always suggest saving money on other things on your wedding to to get the most out of your photographs. These photos will be seen for years to come and its important they are what YOU want. At the end of the day you get to take only a hand full of things away from a wedding day: The rings, your dress and of course, the photos!

Step 5: Arrange a Meeting
It’s great once you’ve found a photographer that’s both in your price range, available, and has a body of work that you like but there’s nothing more important than chemistry. Because of this, we’d always recommend meeting your photographer or photographers (at LEAST once) before the big day!
As previously mentioned you are going to spend A LOT of time with your wedding photographer, make sure the vibe is right!

Step 6: Book an Engagement Shoot
You wouldn’t buy a new car without test-driving it first. Similar concept with less of a new car smells.
As previously mentioned, chemistry is really important. An engagement shoot is a great way to find out if you and the photographer gel well together. Even if you find that they’re not the wedding photographer for you, you will still have some lovely photos that will be perfect for invites!

Step 7: Trim Your List Down - Go With Your Gut!
Probably the hardest step of them all – trimming your list down and finally picking your photographer. Weighing up all of the previous steps will help you come to the right decision for you.
Most of the time, much like picking your dress or venue, you will KNOW almost straight away if a photographer is a good match or not. As the title of this steps says, always go with your gut!

If you’re looking for a wedding photographer in Brighton to capture the special moments on your big day, we could be the perfect choice for you. Get in touch to find out more about our wedding packages.
If you like the photos in this blog post and have found our advice helpful, you can check out our Wedding Photography page to find details on packages and prices.
As this guide suggests, a meeting is one of the best ways to make a connection so don’t hesitate to fill out the form and we can get a date in the diary for a chat.