Planning a wedding is stressful! Ask these questions when hiring your wedding photographer to make the wedding photo experience a seamless one! 

Style

You will want to ask your wedding photographer what style of photography in which they specialize. Many different photography styles exist in the wedding photography industry. You need to know what type of style you prefer so that you can ensure that your wedding photographer can provide you the style you want for your photos. At Forever Memories, we specialize in Traditional and Photojournalistic photography. Traditional portraits are more formal with the classic posing and images that stand the test of time. The Photojournalistic style is much more candid images that capture more of the feel of the event. We recommend a combination of styles to achieve the perfect mix of photos for a well-rounded wedding album. 

Experience

Another critical question to ask your photographer before booking is in regards to their experience. You’ll want to know how long they’ve been shooting weddings and how many weddings they’ve shot. You should also ask if they have shot weddings of a similar size and style as your own, and you can even ask if they have ever shot weddings at your venue. Another good question to ask is if they can provide you sample images of other weddings they’ve shot.

Availability

One of the first questions you should ask your prospective photographer is if they are available for your event. This question is a bit of a no-brainer. But one question that clients sometimes overlook is if you are available, will you be the photographer on-site, or will you be sending an associate? I’ve heard horror stories from brides who forgot to ask this question and were surprised when on their big day. The photographer who showed up to shoot the event was not the one they thought they would get!  It’s best to avoid unnecessary stress and make sure that the person you have your heart set on will be the one available to you on your big day. 

Booking

When it comes to booking, you should be asking your photographer how many weddings they typically book for a single weekend, how long the booking for your event will be, and what you can expect from their booking process and procedures.  You want to ask how many events the photographer books on a weekend because if your photographer is shooting an afternoon wedding before your evening event, you’ll want to have a plan in place if the first event runs into overtime. You’ll also want to make sure that you know how long your booking will be for and the policy and cost of running over.  Finally, you’ll want to make sure that you know what the booking process looks like for your photographer (payment plans, deposits, contract information, etc.).

Cost

You may be thinking, “Duh, of course, I’ll ask how much it costs!” However, aside from the obvious, you’ll need to know what services are included in that price.  Ask if they offer any add-ons or custom packages, and if they provide any pre-wedding photography services, such as engagement photos and rehearsal dinner photos. Finally, you’ll want to ask if they have an additional fee for travel and what distance is included in their standard wedding packages. 

Medium

Definitely ask your photographer what mediums they use when they’re shooting a wedding. While the most common medium is digital photography, print photography is making a comeback, and some photography companies also offer videography services for an added fee.  If you’re looking for something other than the standard digital photography style, then you’ll want to look for a photographer that offers that particular medium.

Retouching

You’ll need to ask your prospective photographer what their retouching policy is. You’ll need to know if retouching is included in their wedding photography package or if it is an additional service with its own fee.  Some photographers will color correct and retouch all of your photos, while others prefer to show you the raw images and only retouch the ones that you choose. 

Backup

Life happens, and sometimes that means that unforeseen circumstances could cause a bump on the day of your event. To avoid a potential nightmare situation on your special day, you need to make sure that your photographer has a backup plan in the rare case that something goes wrong. Ask if your photographer has an assistant that will be there to help them on the day of your wedding.  Also, ask if they have a backup photographer that can take their place if something prevents them from working your event and if they have backup equipment that they’ll be bringing along if something breaks or malfunctions. 

How Long

One thing that most brides (and grooms) don’t realize is just how much they’ll want to see their beautiful photos and how impatient you can feel when you’re waiting for them to be completed. To avoid feeling unnecessary anxiety while you wait for your photos, it’s better to be prepared by asking your prospective photographer how long they typically take to complete your photographs after the event and how they will be delivered. If you know ahead of time how long you’ll be waiting, it makes the wait a lot less miserable.

Prints

Finally, you’ll want to ask your photographer what their print packages look like and what they’ll cost. You should ask if prints are included in the package cost and if so, what size. If you are interested in other products such as albums and wall art, then you’ll need to know if your photographer offers them and what the cost would be for these products. You should also ask if you’ll have online access to your photos and for how long, if you’ll have the rights to the images, and how much it costs to purchase photo rights.

These questions are a great start to ensure the best experience and photos for your wedding day!