Top 5 Mistakes Couples Make When Booking Their Wedding Photographer
Let’s face a simple truth together: People really love to over-complicated wedding planning. Truth.
I’m here to tell you there’s a simpler way, I’m here to say you don’t have to make the same mistakes everyone else does.
If I had a dollar for every time we asked someone their budget for photography for their upcoming wedding and was told that it was about 1/4 of what they’re spending on alcohol, I wouldn’t have to shoot weddings at all. I’d be retired, and napping somewhere in the Caribbean.
We firmly believe hiring your wedding photographer is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Your images become the legacy of your love, and choosing anything less than someone that will give you heirloom quality photographs is a big, big mistake.
Here are our top 5 mistakes we see couples making when booking their wedding photographers:
Waiting Too Long To Book - Wedding photographers (and definitely destination elopement photographers!) often book up 12-18 months in advance. While this has slowed down some, you still want to make the photographer the first booking after choosing a venue. Do NOT sleep on this.
Choosing (or Not) Based On Price Alone - You have two choices when it comes to wedding photographers: You can go cheap and save money, or you can invest in heirloom quality images that will last a lifetime. We have seen so many heartbroken couples try to save money and end up with absolutely un-usable images that they are devastated with. Please, please make the budget for photography one of your first priorities, it’s the ONLY thing you get to keep when the day is over.
Not Connecting On A Personal Level - Let’s be honest, with the exception of your partner, you’ll spend more time on your wedding day with your photographers than literally anyone else. Yes, even your wedding party. We’re there for every single moment, even you getting ready, and if you don’t feel comfortable with them, you’ll feel awkward all day. We literally become best friends with you before the day even gets to begin. You’ll see.
Ignoring The Fine Print (Print Rights + Digital Files) - Another thing we’ve seen far too many couples come to us filled with regret for: Not reading the fine print of the photographers they thought they were saving money with, only to end up paying almost $2000 more than we would have charged just to actually receive their photos after the wedding or elopement was over. They had to pay for digital files, they had to pay for print rights, they had to pay for even full editing of all their images. The ol’ “Bait and Switch” has screwed over so many people. Don’t be them.
Believing The Highlight Reels - It’s easy to take 3 or 4 great photos of a wedding, and post them again and again on Instagram or TikTok. It’s much harder to beautifully capture an entire event, an entire adventure elopement, an entire wedding day. Make sure you see examples of full weddings, full elopements, full galleries, to get a sense of how your photographers use their skills. Trust us, this one matters.
You only get one shot at this, and you only keep one thing besides your wedding clothes when the day comes and goes: Your timeless wedding photographs that tell the story of YOUR love.
Book someone who sees you, book someone who will tell your love story truthfully, authentically, and beautifully.
Basically, just book us haha.
Reach out today to book a consultation and we’ll sort you out.
