How to Find a Wedding Photographer and other Helpful Tips in Planning Your Wedding
This article discussing ten tips for brides to ensure a smooth and stress-free wedding day! Being in the industry we can provide you with helpful insight in planning a wedding a wedding.
1. Start early: Begin planning as soon as possible to give yourself enough time to prepare for the big day. You will be surprised how many small details there are to plan, and as the wedding day approaches, you’ll realize that many vendors lose availability rapidly. It is better to focus on finding the vendors that have limited availability first, our recommendation is begin with the venue as that will set your date in stone. After the venue, find the photographer and videographer, catering, and supporting staff such as florist, musicians, and add on services.
Most couples want to get married on a Saturday, and it ranges from spring to fall, but some weekends are naturally more sought after than others. As you find photographers and videographers you love, and begin to narrow down the list, it’s important to remember that the best photographers will be the first to lose availability. We find that some of our clients book weddings as much as 1 and even as much as 2 years out! Others book a few months before their big day. But the sooner you focus on finding the right vendors that meet your needs, the quicker you will be able to start focusing on planning the actual wedding.
2. Set a budget, and understand that most couples go over budget, so allow for some wiggle room: Determine your budget early on and prioritize your spending on the most important aspects of your wedding. Just because other people have a traditional wedding, doesn’t mean that you have to. It’s your wedding, so you get to plan it the way that makes sense for you. We’ve seen everything from cupcakes for cake, backyard tent weddings, to extravagant events that require several photographers. Allocating funds for each aspect of the wedding will prevent overspending and allow you to see the big picture. Some vendors allow for financing, others will require payment before the event, so plan out the spending, because while the total cost of a wedding is in fact large, it is doable if planned over a longer period.
Keep in mind that some expenses are spent for only the day of the event, such as decorations, while costs for things like a wedding photographer, or wedding videographer, are spread out over the cost of a lifetime. We’re not saying that florists are not important! The images we take have a setting, and that setting is based off both decorations, and the venue, so every part of a wedding is important, but there are high yield and lower yielding expenses. You will be surprised what a professional photographer can do with various settings, and some expenses may not make a big difference in your final images, while others will have an impact. Keep in mind that you ultimately keep your images and videos and can enjoy them time and time again, while certain costs occur the day of the wedding and are never enjoyed beyond that day. We’re not saying we don’t love ice sculptures with your name! But we are saying it’s important to take time to create a budget for the various aspects of your wedding, so that you can see the big picture. After spending all this time and effort creating a beautiful wedding, be sure it’s photographed and documented for you to enjoy time and time again, and place value on photography services.
3. Make a detailed checklist of all the tasks that need to be completed leading up to the wedding. Just focus on creating the list at first. The more exhaustive the better. Breaking it down into smaller, manageable steps will help you stay organized and track your progress. If you focus on one small task per day, wedding planning will be stress free. If you spend 15 minutes a day, every single day, then in 1 year you’ll have spent 91 hours planning your wedding. In 15 minutes, you can do a lot! You could do more, but you’re better off being consistent every day, and then you’ll make rapid progress. You can do something as simple as sending an email one day and calling a vendor to ask a basic question the next. It doesn’t have to be a full 15 minutes.
To help limit calls and work, create a Gmail for your wedding and use that as a point of contact while reaching out to vendors. You can also create a google voice phone number so that you know when someone is reaching out for your wedding. By doing this you won’t feel like you’re being chased by vendors, and you can listen to messages and read emails during your allotted time. Once a vendor is booked, then you can share your contact information with them so that they can reach you for urgent matters.
The last thing you want is for your nana to not be able to leave you a birthday voicemail because your voicemails are filled with photography, catering, venue, florist, DJ, musician, bartender, or any other vendor I forgot to mention. Plus, when you book one of the vendors, the other vendors will keep reaching out, and for you to notify every vendor that you’ve forgotten about that you are no longer in the market is not reasonable. The best part is after your wedding you can just close out the email and phone number. You can also have the google voice number ring on both you and your fiancé’s phone so you both can manage the calls if you are available and willing.
4. Research and read reviews: Whether it's choosing a venue, caterer, or photographer, take the time to thoroughly research your options. Read reviews, especially the bad ones, visit websites, and ask for recommendations to ensure you make informed decisions. Keep in mind that the likelihood that a business can operate with complete 100% customer satisfaction with every customer indefinitely, is nonexistent. If the company doesn’t have a negative review, it’s likely that the customers were not motivated to speak ill of the business, because overall things went well, or the vendor works hard to resolve issues so that it doesn’t get to the point of a negative review. Read negative reviews and positive ones, and see if there is a trend, or if something seems like an isolated occurrence. Keep in mind that not all customers leave positive reviews, even if they were satisfied completely, while some customers may leave negative reviews based on factors outside vendor control.
Reading reviews can give insight into how the business operates and can give you a good indication of what your experience could be like. Overall if the vendor provided what they promised, then customer will choose to either not leave a review, or leave a positive one. It also means that if something went catastrophically wrong, they were able to find a solution. You can learn a lot about a business by viewing their response to a negative review, was it a growth opportunity leading to policy changes, was the review ignored, or were they able to shed light on a misleading scenario, how would you be treated if you ran into an issue?
Even more important than reading reviews, is speaking directly to the vendor and gauging if they are a right fit.
5. Seek advice from professionals: Don't hesitate to reach out to wedding planners, photographers, or other professionals in the wedding industry, you can even ask their personal opinion on a topic, vendors that care about their customers love hearing from them, so don’t worry about how it might appear and reach out. They have valuable insights and experience that can help with planning and execution. Wedding planners can really assist you in having someone take care of operational needs on your wedding day so that you can enjoy your day rather than being the point of reference for everything not going according to plan. If the budget allows for a wedding planner, and especially if you have a very grand wedding planned, a wedding planner is highly recommended. Some venues sell themselves as being a sort of wedding planner for you, and while any help is going to make your day easier, your own dedicated wedding planner is going to help you disconnect from the minutia.
6. Prioritize self-care: Wedding planning can be stressful, so remember to take care of yourself. Make time for relaxation, exercise, and spend quality time with your loved ones. A healthy mind and body will make the planning process more enjoyable, and remember 15 minutes a day is 91 hours of planning in a year, versus last minute planning will be a source of stress.
7. Delegate tasks: You do not need to do everything on your own. Utilize the support of family and friends by delegating specific tasks, and explain how you want them handled, ask them to reach out, or proactively reach out to see if they need any help. Assigning responsibilities will ease your workload and allow others to feel involved in the planning process. It’s important to delegate tasks with various people, so that any single person doesn’t have to become your unpaid wedding planner. We’ve seen weddings where a guest became an unpaid employee, and not only is their heart not in it, but they won’t even be able to enjoy your wedding, and they are usually someone you care a great deal about.
8. Communicate with your partner: Regularly communicate with your partner throughout the planning process. Discuss your vision, preferences, and concerns to ensure you're on the same page. Remember, it's your special day as a couple, and your future together will have similar plans, whether it’s for a business you start together, children you raise, or homes you build, this is a fun opportunity to work together towards a common goal. Don’t sweat the small stuff, this day is a celebration of your love and future together.
9. Be flexible: Accept that things may not go exactly as planned. Unexpected challenges may arise, but staying flexible and open-minded will help you adapt and find alternative solutions. Have some backup plans in place, and embrace the journey and remember that there are things that are outside of your control, so it should not take away your happiness. There are problems that in 10 years won’t matter, problems that in 1 year, 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day won’t matter, so it’s not worth losing sleep over. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, enjoy a walk-in nature, or exercise even for a few minutes and you’ll gain a new perspective.
10. Enjoy the process: Wedding planning can be stressful, but don't forget to enjoy the process. Soak up the joy and excitement surrounding this special time. Take breaks from planning and focus on the love and celebration that your wedding represents. Remember, your story is unique, and every wedding is different. Embrace your creativity, stay organized, and enjoy the journey as you plan your dream wedding.
Hope this helps your wedding planning journey!