Okay, so, you just got engaged, or you are anticipating a Valentine’s Day surprise! Well, first off, congratulations! But now that all of the well wishes are over, you may be left with a mighty large list of To-Do’s. What just happened? You remember there was something romantic, maybe a speech, something shinny and probably a small pool of happy tears, but then there was a “YES!” Maybe there was even an engagement party or maybe you are the process of planing one … wait, what, there should be an engagement party? According to Brides.com, these types of gatherings are totally your choice.
Phew! Now that we’ve dodged that bullet, let’s get back to the planning, Sarah! Ah yes (rubbing my hands together in anticipation), the joyful affair of putting together the wedding of your dreams. Notice the “your” in that previous statement? Yep, it’s your wedding, meaning that of you, and your soon-to-be significant other. ‘Nuf said.
Amidst the seemingly chaotic process of event planning for 10-600,000 guests, you are now in charge of interviews. Relax, my friends, these interviews are the fun ones, the ones where you get to be yourself and just have a conversation and chat about what you love most – you and your honey!
Bringing me to Question Numero Uno: Can you be yourself in front of your wedding photographer? Does the person you are meeting with put you at ease? Do they make you feel relaxed and give you a sense of relief? I’m hoping so. Any great photographer should help you feel comforted simply by chatting with you. You’ll be able to tell if this is their first time on the merry-go-round. Their experience should shine through – not only in their work, but also in their knowledge of what encompasses a wedding day.
Speaking of what happens, Question Numero Dos: Does your photographer have a game plan? Did they come to your meeting prepared? Did they have handouts, samples, a portfolio ready to share? Do they have a map of what your wedding day will look like? Do you get the sense that they threw things together at the last minute, or really thought about their meeting with you? Right down whether or not the look the part and put thought into a first impression.
Wow, things you might not have thought about, right? Well, here’s Question Numero Tres: Does your photographer go out of their way to be helpful? Remember, this is the person you will be spending your entire day glued to – minus your future other half – and you definitely want to make sure that this person is going to go out of their way to make sure your wedding day is stellar.
Wedding days don’t always go according to that fancy itinerary we put out there, surprise. Sometimes it takes 48 minutes to get ready instead of 20 and the DJ doesn’t show up to play dinner music, or you have to take pictures inside instead of out because of the hail, either way, if your photographer is flexible, s/he will be able to adjust and keep truckin’, no problem. Why? Because your wedding day is about you, not your photographer. ๐
So ya, those are my top three tips on what to look for when hiring a wedding photographer – no matter if you are planning a barn wedding in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a mansion gathering overlooking Lake Superior in Duluth, or a beach ceremony in Fiji. Hire your local or destination wedding photographer based on the principles of human nature and intuition, the rest is a piece of wedding cake! ๐
