As a recent bride, I know how overwhelming it can be to plan your wedding. With that being said, I want to start offering tips and tricks for brides and grooms to help smoothly plan your wedding. Now, I can’t promise your wedding day will go perfectly, because I guarantee something won’t go exactly as planned, but I want to help in any way possible.

When picking your wedding photographer, there are lots of things to consider. The first thing I would consider is your budget. Every couple has a different wedding budget, and that’s completely fine! Photographers range in price from $800 to $7,000+. Location has a huge impact on price, so keep that in mind as well. A photographer in L.A. will cost significantly more than a photographer in Northwest Ohio, a big reason being because their cost of living is so much higher. Once you establish a budget, you can go from there! If you find your dream photographer, and they are little bit above your budget, consider spending that extra bit. Trust me, it will be worth it! No, I’m not just saying that because I’m a photographer, I’m telling you this as a recent bride.

The next thing you should consider is the style of photography you like. Take a look on Instagram and see what style of photography you like. Whether it is dark and moody or light and airy, every photographer has their own style. When you hire a photographer, you are hiring them for their look and style. Photographers spend years finding their style, so keep that in mind when finding your photographer! You are getting the photographers editing and shooting style along with them.

Make sure you mesh with your photographer well!! I cannot stress this enough! You will spend more time with your photographer on your wedding day than you will your significant other. Your photographer is there from start to finish most days, so you have to get along. When I meet with brides and grooms, I make sure to stress this to them. I don’t want to go in to a wedding day not feeling like we are friends. I want to make sure that you feel like you can talk to me about anything, whether it’s texting me about wedding planning or you need help cleaning off your face after your husband smashes cake in your face. Regularly I help with veils, bobby pin stray hairs, touch up makeup, pin boutonnieres, and straighten dresses on wedding days. Find a photographer that you are comfortable helping you with all of the little things!

There are a few things I want to add before leaving you this information. Don’t be afraid to ask questions; your photographer should be more than willing to answer them for you! If you don’t see someone locally who’s style and personality speaks to you, look outside your area. Most photographers are willing to travel, and if they aren’t, they might know someone who has a similar style. Make sure to book well in advance! Good photographers book a year or more in advance and you don’t want to lose out on your dream photographer.

If any bride or groom has any questions at all about picking your dream wedding photographer, please reach out to me! I have been in your situation just 2 year ago, so I know how overwhelming it can be! Also, if there are any tips and tricks that you would like me to cover in the future, please let me know! I hope this helped at least one couple pick their photographer!