Wedding Wednesday with Em Series | Lynchburg Wedding Photographer
On this Wedding Wednesday with Em post, I am sharing tips for all the newly engaged couples!! Engagement season is upon us and I know that as a newly engaged couple I would need this to help with planning!! If you are not in the wedding world at all either by a family or friend getting married or a vendor in this industry, then you are probably a little overwhelmed by the all the planning.
I was too when James and I first got engaged! We had no clue where to start or what to do first. Thankfully I had my mom and one of her best friends who was a wedding planner (Shout out to Debbie!!). But if I didn’t have these ladies or Pinterest I would have struggled so much with planning.
Bonus tip: Check out the post: 5 Things You Need To Do After You Get Engaged, to learn which vendors to book first!!
So today I am sharing some helpful questions to ask your wedding photographer during the booking process! James and I have learned a great deal these past 4+ years in the wedding world and have had brides inquire asking questions they found through google searches (I did this too). However, most of the questions are things like:
Have you photographed a wedding at my venue?
- How many years have you photographed weddings?
- Can you shoot the wedding cheaper if I only book 4-6 hours instead of 8?
- Can we skip the engagement session, why is it included?
- How many packages do you offer?
- Or my favorite: what camera equipment do you use?
Most every photographer will have a different answer to these questions. So if you are inquiring with several photographers make sure to ask several questions about the products, services, and their experience.
This is a huge investment for your wedding day
so it’s good to take it seriously and ask if you don’t know.
However, make sure you ask them the questions that mean something to you so that you know you are a good fit! No matter what style of photography you like it is super important that you like the person behind the camera!
If you ask questions like “what camera equipment do you use?”, it may not be helpful information for you. Will it really matter for you to hear “ I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV (edited: we now shoot with the Canon Mirrorless Camera the R6)”?
The gear does help with the quality of the image, yes, but won’t it matter MORE how I work with you guys during your engagement session or throughout your wedding day?
Another question we hear frequently is: “describe your style or what is your style”. Honestly, if you are inquiring with me then I would hope already know the answer to that question. If you don’t then I need to work on my presentation online!!! 🙂
If a photographer does not regularly post updated work on their website, Facebook, Instagram, etc. then I would definitely question them about their style because it may have changed!!
Describing styles like light and airy photographer or natural light photographer are not really answering the question that matters. You should be able to look at their portfolios and see their style of edits. Wouldn’t you rather hear about how I interact with you and your bridal party on the wedding day? I know I would!
So here is a list of questions I would ask if I were a new bride planning a wedding. This is definitely not a complete list by any means but these are some questions that matter to James and I and what we wish couples would ask us!!
- How long have you been photographing weddings?
- How many photographers are included? Who are the photographers?
- What are the roles for each photographer on the wedding day? What is it like to work with you?
- What parts of the wedding day do you pose and what parts of the day are candid?
- How do you incorporate special requests for photos that we have along with the photos you normally include in the gallery?
- Do you have a backup plan for weddings day if the weather is bad?
- How far in advance do you book up?
- What is the booking process? Can it be completed online?
- What is involved with the travel costs?
- How do I receive the images after the wedding day? When do I receive the final gallery?
11. On average how many photos do you deliver in a final gallery?
12. What systems do you have in place to ensure no photos are lost from our wedding?
13. Are the images going to have a watermark on them? Do we have full rights to the JPEG Images?
14. Am I able to purchase albums and canvases?
15. Where can I find reviews for your services?
16. What do you love most about photographing weddings?
17. How well do you know your past clients?
18. What is most important to you when working with your brides?
19. When was the last time you invested in education to improve your skills?
20. Do you have experience with couples that haven’t had their photo taken before?
*Bonus Tip*
Ask to clarify if the photographer uses photo or wedding lingo that you don’t understand. Sometimes wedding vendors forget that not everyone knows what a JPEG or RAW image is or what an unplugged ceremony means.
You want me to answer these questions??
I actually did for you here:
I hope this helps you as you inquire with your potential photographers. If you didn’t see your question in the list, email me, I’d love to answer it!
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Until next time,
Hey there, I’m Emily!
James, and I are a husband and wife wedding photography team based in Lynchburg, Virginia. We specialize in weddings and engagements and serve Virginia, DC Area, South Carolina, and beyond!
