How to Find the Best Wedding Photographer
Wedding photos will probably become your most cherished possessions after your wedding day, just as cherished as the memories that were created as well. Because of this you need to make sure that you choose the right wedding photographer so that you can look back on your wedding photos with pride.
It is not just about organising the after wedding ceremony photos and getting everyone standing in the right position, the photographer must be in the right place at the right time so that the whole day is caught on camera.
When looking for a wedding photographer, be sure to ask for a list of references and testimonials. All good photographers will have a portfolio of clients and examples of their work. But don’t just take their word for it, get in touch with previous clients to find out how the day went with the photographer. Remember that this will be the happiest day of your life and you only have one chance to catch them special memories on camera.
If possible choose a wedding photographer who has been recommended to you by a close friend of a relative. If you have attended the weddings of friends or relatives, get in touch with them and ask if they were happy with their photos. If they were ask for contact details and if you can take a look at the wedding photos yourself.
Aside from the technical abilities of the photographer, try to find out about their attitude and reliability. You want them to take total control of the photography in a courteous manner and not cause you any additional stress or problems by being pushy or rude to guests.
In terms of price, be sure to find out what is included in the price and what will cost extra. You need to find out how many prints the wedding photographer will include for the price and what sizes they will be. Also see if you get the original negatives from all of the days photos so that you can make reprints if you wish. These may be supplied on a CD after the wedding.
Do not think that choosing a wedding photographer is a small part of the organisation of your wedding day. The photos will live on for years to come and become part of your family history particularly for your children and grandchildren. You will only have one chance to catch those special moments on film, there will be no replays or second chances. So take the time and effort to make sure that you choose the right photographer who you can trust to do a fantastic job for you.
How to Find The Best Wedding Planner
At the same time that your wedding will probably be the happiest day of your life, the days leading up to it can be some of the most stressful. It is for this reason that more and more couples are hiring the services of a wedding planner to help with the proceedings. Obviously there are some big advantages to hiring a wedding planner but you must take care to hire the right person. There has been an influx of people into this industry who may not be experienced or qualified enough to cope with your needs.
When choosing your wedding planner, try to look past their experience and qualifications and see what type of person they are. You should feel as if you can trust them totally and feel like you can be totally honest with them in what your needs and expectations are. Communication is another factor, do you feel confident talking to them? Does the wedding planner take on board your ideas or drown them out with their own? The personality of the wedding planner is just as important as their qualifications, as long as you feel comfortable talking to them and can leave them to do their job, then you are in a good position to establish a good working relationship.
The next step will be to look into the background of the wedding planner, check out their references personally. Get in touch with previous clients to find out if they were satisfied with the service they received. Write down a list of questions that are important to you both in terms of their professional qualities as well as their personal ones. If possible find out if the wedding planner has worked on weddings of a similar scale to your own or even bigger. If they have done so then you can be more confident that they can cope with your wedding.
When you are speaking to potential wedding planners, find out if they work alone or as part of a team. This will prove most useful to know because if they work as a team, you are more covered if something goes wrong such as the wedding planner becoming ill. Whereas if they work on their own then you will have major problems of the wedding planner becomes ill days before your wedding. If they do work alone do they have a backup plan for such events?
Try and test the wedding planner’s problem solving skills and ask them a number of questions relating to problems with your wedding that may occur. By doing this you will see how they act under pressure and also see how much experience they have of problem situations and their ability to get out of it. Unfortunately there are many things that can go wrong leading up to your wedding day so if something does happen, you need to have the confidence to leave it in the hands of your wedding planner.
Wedding First Dance Goes all Wrong ;)
See the shock on this brides face when everything goes terribly wrong!