Wedding Advice - 002: Virtual Weddings

Helpful Tip: Talk to your suppliers, don't just email!

When I started in wedding photography (back in 2000, not so long ago), a photographer with a website was considered 'cutting edge'. On-line galleries were just a twinkle in a developers eye and if couples wanted to find out more it really was a case of getting up close & personal - calling in to a high street studio, meeting at a wedding fair or calling in response to an advert. But one way or another, there was a personal contact that is missing now. Clients look on line, send 'copy & paste' emails to lots of suppliers and generally avoid anything other than 'virtual' contact to the last minute.

I understand the reasons why but once you have used the web to create a short list of three possibles, pick up the phone. We always advise clients to ignore the 'questions to ask' lists in the wedding magazines. Selecting your photographer comes down to just three issues: style (if you don't like what you see on the web its unlikely that's the photographer for you); personality and budget (in that order). This posting is focused on personality. A professional, experienced photographer will have a host of questions about your day before they can get to the prices. Yes, we have standard packages that set a framework, but most photographers can tweak their offer (I was going to say 'tweak their packages' but that may be open to misinterpretation...) to match your day - if we know what your day looks like. But don't view the call as waste of your time: how friendly the photographer sounds, how interested they are in your day (if they are not asking lots of questions how interested are they in your day - and if not interested, how creative will they be when the time comes?) and whether you come away from the conversation thinking "he sounded friendly" is all useful research. Our longest wedding shoot was about 14 hours, with a lot of that time spent with the bride - if we didn't hit it off it would have been a nightmare on both sides (fortunately we did and it was great fun but that's not the point!). So be brave, pick up the phone and talk to us. Yes, its kind of old fashioned but it is SO the best way!