Wedding planning is hard work! And because I love my job and all of my CSP Couples, I want to do everything I can to make the planning process as easy as possible! That’s why I’ll be writing periodic blog posts that give you concrete advice to make sure your wedding day is everything you hoped — and more! Today on the blog we’re tackling five tips for picking your perfect wedding photographer! Wedding photography is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for your big day and you want to be sure to pick someone who relieves stress and helps you feel confident and excited!

So, without further ado, you want to make sure that you…

1. Love Their Style!

You have so many photographers to choose from for your big day, but one thing that can help narrow the field of contenders is their style! Take the time to check out images from different wedding inspiration blogs or Pinterest to determine what styles you like! Do dark, moody images catch your interest? What about bright, golden, joyful images? Do you prefer black and white to color? Are you looking for gorgeous landscape shots, detail-focused shots, or a mix?

Every photographers portfolio is going to look a little different, but it’s important that you pick a photographer who’s style you know you’ll love even 50 years from now! If you’re having trouble figuring out what specific things you like in particular images, take a look through the candidates portfolio and see if you can imagine yourself in the photos. If you can, there’s a pretty good chance they might be a style match!

2. Invest in a Pro.

Wedding photography can be a big investment but I always recommend splurging to make sure you’re hiring a pro! You want your wedding day to be as stress-free as possible, you won’t want to expend valuable energy worrying if you’re going to receive quality images that you’ll love! Don’t forget that these photos will be your first family heirloom. There aren’t any opportunities for redos, so you want to make sure you hire someone you know can get the job done well.

3. Ask Them to Grab Coffee.

I always ask my couples if they’d be willing to grab coffee with me before they book, because if they choose me, I’m likely to spend more time with them on their wedding day than their future spouse! Meeting in person is a great chance to hear your photographer talk about what their wedding experience looks like. It’s also an opportunity to gage their work ethic and enthusiasm. Do they seem excited about the potential of capturing your wedding? This is an important day, perhaps the most important thus far. You want to hire someone who’s as excited and willing to to jump in and help as your family and friends! I love to help relieve any and all stress on the wedding day! From fluffing trains to pinning boutonnieres, I like to consider myself as the “personal attendant” with the camera and rad personality!

The wedding consultation is also a great opportunity to get any lingering questions you have answered quickly. Meeting in person allows you to make an assessment on whether they seem organized and are able to effectively answer you questions or address your concerns.

If you leave your consultation knowing you can trust this photographer to capture some of the most important memories of your life, they just might be the one for you!

4. Ask About the Experience.

Wedding photography is a big investment! Therefore, I believe that when you invest in a photographer, you aren’t just investing in gorgeous wedding images, but a stellar experience as well!

Ask if they offer an engagement session as a part of their packages. I love offering complimentary engagement sessions to my CSP Couples because they’re a great opportunity for my clients to get comfortable in front of my camera before their big day! Plus, they provide an awesome chance for us to get to know each other a little more.

You’ll also want to find out if they have an easy booking process. Wedding planning is a lot of work and you have enough to worry about! make sure you book with someone who gives you simple choices and a straightforward booking procedure. On that note, do they have a clear timeline on what you can expect? When will you receive your images? Will they post social media sneak peaks? What about a blog post documenting the day? A clear timeline helps set expectations and puts your mind at ease. When it comes to your wedding you’ll always want to say yes to less stress!

5. Make Sure it’s a Personality Match!

As I mentioned before, you’re going to be spending A LOT of time with whoever you decide to hire! And let’s be real, on one of the most important days of your life you want to make sure you feel comfortable being yourself! So, make sure it’s a personality match made in heaven!

This is a service to yourself AND your photographer! I love to form real relationships with my couples and I always have the biggest smile when my clients write me a review where they say I felt like an old friend!

The wedding consultation can be a good time to gage this, but also check out the contenders ‘about me’ page on their website! Picking a photographer who you genuinely like will be one of the best decisions you make!