In our previous blog series, we shared details of securing your Wedding Planner and Wedding Venue. Now that you have taken those initial steps, it is time to continue advancing the most important aspects of wedding planning: building your wedding pro dream team! Having a top-tier team of wedding professionals will bring your vision to life with precision, and in glorious ways you would have never imagined.

So, who should be on your wedding professionals dream team? We are going to walk you through this 6-part blog series.

My advice is to “start” with our suggested (5) essential wedding pros to book “first” as your starting lineup; each bringing their own specialized skills, specifically tasked to ensure your day runs smoothly.  It takes an entire creative team to create your dream wedding that ranges from 10-20 wedding businesses working in unison; these are our suggested wedding pros to hire first! PART 3 in our wedding pro discussion, THE PHOTOGRAPHER.

#3 THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Whether you are hosting an elaborate soiree with 50 guests or a more intimate affair with just your immediate family, your wedding day is a momentous occasion that you will want to admire always, and in all ways. Hiring an experienced professional will guarantee every memory captured is frame worthy.

Think quality and value over expense when making your decision.  Your photographer should be someone whose experience will anticipate special moments with ease. Their creative eye should showcase your story through a mix of candid, documentary, and portraiture styles. 

I recommend engaging a photographer in the wedding planning process as soon as the venue is secured.  Skilled & talented photographers are booked sometimes 12 months in advance. 

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A PHOTOGRAPHER?

  • Experience: How many years have they been in the business?
  • Body of Work:  Do they have a current portfolio of their work that is easily accessible for you to view? Their body of work represents a balance of portraits, details, and action shots.
  • Validation: Is their company a legally registered business; certificate of State registration and Employee Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service?
  • Film Style:  Do they shoot digitally, with film, or both?
  • Validation: Is their company a legally registered business; certificate of State registration and Employee Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service?
  • Lighting:  Are they versed in transitioning in various types of lighting scenarios; outdoor sunny, outdoor gray skies, indoor, dark-room lighting, etc.
  • Skin Tones:  Are they suitable to photograph various types of skin-tones?
  • Reputation: Read customer reviews and checked references. A great resource for reviews, WeddingWire, the Knot, Google Reviews, other wedding professionals.
  • Safeguards: How do they backup their work?
  • The Event Day Team: How many Photographers will be at your wedding? Who will be the lead photographer? How many hours will they be available on your wedding day?
  • Appropriateness: Be sure to view their style of work. Does their style suit you?
  • Compatibility/Personality: Does your Photographer have the personality you are seeking…remember they will be in close proximity with you for the entire day?
  • Turn-around time: What is the expected post-production time to view your photographs, receive final photos, and receive your wedding album?
  • Insurance:  Does your Photographer have liability insurance? All wedding professionals you hire should have business liability insurance.
  • Knowledge/Education: What does their professional development plan entail? How do they stay in-the-know of the industry’s best practices and latest innovations? Are they well-networked? What types of high impact educational seminars or conferences do they attend?

Above all else, when choosing your wedding pro dream team, make sound, informed decisions. With the above list, ensure they are all licensed professionals, have liability insurance, are willing to be interviewed face-to-face, and have stellar reviews or referrals.

My recommended resources to locate your wedding professional team include:

…just to name a few.

And, as always, the best part is you do not have to go about the process of hiring a dream team of wedding professionals alone. Perfect Planning Events is willing to serve as the star player on your team! It would be my honor to walk alongside you during your planning process; guiding you every step of the way along the journey that leads to the aisle.

(photos are Real Weddings by Perfect Planning Events | Photography Credit (in order shown) – Nat Wongsaroj Photography; Judah Avenue Photography; Procopio Photography; Joshua Dwain Photography)