For your dream wedding, you need to find a dream team of wedding vendors. You might hear from married friends, the best in the bridal business are always booked well in advance. So you should start your search as early as possible.
Usually, venues and photographers are the first to be fully booked.
It’s not uncommon for them to be locked in a year or more before the wedding date. I can tell you that 60% of our couples book a year or more out. So researching these in-demand professionals is a great place to start. Photographers can offer great referrals for venues since they work at most of the best places. They can also connect you with many other industry professionals such as florists, DJs, live painters and more.
Another reason to hire your photographer early is that they are really helpful for wedding planning. As one of the few vendors who are there from the hair and make-up to late-night dance moves, they have valuable insight into how wedding days should go at every stage. Don’t be shy to ask for help with the timeline and hints on how to make sure the day runs smoothly. It all means more time for photos with the beautiful couple, so your photographer will be more than happy to help. We have an entire wedding guide we share with our brides and grooms, full of tips and suggestions to help them get the most out of their wedding photography. We are full of fun ideas and love to share them with our couples.
Find vendors that resonate with your style.
As you look for a photographer and other vendors whose styles resonate with you, use a range of platforms. These include Instagram for discovery using hashtags, Pinterest for inspiration, Wedding Wire and Facebook for reviews. Google searches can also turn up some great results. Once you start looking at the many bridal sites, you will see more portfolios. Just keep in mind some companies pay to be on the first page of sites, so being listed first doesn’t necessarily mean the best reviews come with it. So dive deep and check all the portfolios, websites and feedback to make sure you get the right vendors.
Lastly, since I’m a wedding photographer. Let me remind you that your wedding photography is how you will remember your wedding day. Photos are what jog your memory and fill you with the nostalgia of the most important moments of your life. Our goal as wedding photographers is to freeze those moments in the most beautiful way possible. We want to tell your story in a way that matches how you felt on that day.
