Congratulations!! You’ve just gotten engaged and the wedding planning has begun! One of the first things you’ll want to consider is who is going to capture your special day. Wedding photography is definitely one of those things you want to invest in and really take the time to find the perfect fit. Feeling overwhelmed with figuring out how to book a wedding photographer in general? Then read on friend!

Your wedding day is going to be incredible (no doubt!) so you’ll want to book a wedding photographer who will capture and preserve those memories for you. Your photos are going to be the only things you have to look back and remember your day. So it’s super important to do the research so you find the perfect fit. So here are a few tips on how to find and book your wedding photographer!

1. Research.

You can do a quick internet search to see what photographers are in your area, what their style is like, and also get a good idea about how much you’ll be investing. It’s important to have a flexible budget and really determine what your wedding priorities are.

2. Figure out what photography style you like.

I’m going to define these styles in my own words so don’t take this as gospel, but I feel that most photographers fall into one or more of these styles.

Fine Art– this type of style tends to be a little more posed, artistic, and creative. A fine art photographer tends to create the moment vs being a fly on the wall and capturing the moment as is. These images end up having more of an editorial and artistic look to them. A lot of fine art photographers like to use film because it embodies this style. Film photographers tend to create gorgeous portraiture since they have a finite number of images on their rolls of film.

Journalistic/Documentary– this style focuses more on the candid moments and capturing the emotions. Unlike Fine Art, this style is a little less structured or posed and is more about letting events unfold and capturing them vs creating them.

Bright&Airy Editing Style– these images tend to have a brighter, softer, and more romantic feel to them. The colors are usually a little more muted than other editing styles. In my opinion, this type of editing ends up feeling a more timeless than others.

Dark & Moody Editing Style– these images are usually a bit darker and have richer colors and tones to them. They give a more dramatic and edgy feel to them than other editing styles. The colors aren’t necessarily true to life but are beautiful nonetheless.

A lot of photographers are usually a mix of fine art and documentary but tend to lean more towards one vs the other. Look at a few potential photographers and ask yourself what it is you like about their work: Do you love how epic or artistic their photos look or do you love how they capture the candid emotions? Do you like the soft and romantic images or the high contrast and rich colors that give you an edgier vibe? Once you figure out what types of images you are drawn to, you can be more specific with your search.

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3. Decide on your budget range and then reach out to a few potential photographers.

I definitely recommending meeting in person if possible! It’s so important that you and your photographers personalities mesh well since you’ll be spending your entire wedding day together! Ask all the questions and even to see one or two full galleries when you meet with them to get an idea of what the experience of working with them will be like. (“How many images will I receive?”, “Can I add a second shooter?”, etc)

4. Once you land on a decision, book your photographer and relax! 

Pop the bubbly and celebrate! You have done the work to make sure you’ve found the perfect photographer so now you can trust their judgement on your wedding day and actually ENJOY your celebration!

I hope these tips help you find and book the right photographer for your perfect day! Have any questions? Leave me a comment below!

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