Assembling your dream team of wedding vendors is one of the first things you’ll be doing when you commence your wedding planning. I recommend starting with the Vendors who will need to be with you on the day – the ones who can’t really be involved in another wedding (unless they have a big team) – like your Wedding Photographer. When drawing up your short list of Photographers, be on the lookout for someone who’s style fits with the vision you have for your wedding – checking out their website and Instagram feed will help you with this. You might also want to look for Photographers who’ve recently worked at your venue – Instagram will help with this too. Once you have your short list, it’s time to dig a bit deeper, to be sure the person you choose is the right fit for you – you will spend most of your day with your photographer, which makes it important to feel comfortable with them.

To help you with the job of choosing a Photographer who is not only going to shoot your wedding day in the way you want them to, but who you also feel 100% comfortable working with, we’ve put together a list of ‘interview’ questions you can put to your candidates in your initial meeting.

Availability

• Are you available on our date? 
• Will you be the photographer shooting our wedding?
• Will you have a second-shooter with you?
• How many weddings do you do in a weekend?
• Will you attend our wedding rehearsal?
• Will you be available on the morning of our wedding to photograph us getting ready?

Expertise

• How long have you been shooting weddings?
• How many weddings have you photographed?
• Have you ever shot at our venue/location? 
• Have you ever worked with any of our other vendors?
• Can we view albums/galleries of recent weddings you have shot?   
• Can you share some recent testimonials? 

Style

• How would you describe your photography style? 
• What’s your approach to shooting weddings – do you like to work in the background or be more involved and visible?
• What’s your approach to working with a Videographer?
• How do you dress when shooting a wedding?  How do your assistants dress?

Packages & Pricing

• What packages do you offer? 
• Do you include an engagement session with any of your packages? 
• How much time does the package include? 
• What are the options and costs for extending on the day if required? 
• What happens if we’re running over time on the day – is there some grace time before we’re charged an additional fee?
• Do you shoot in digital, film, or both? 
• What type of album designs do you offer? 
• Is editing (re-touching) included within your pricing?
• How long after the wedding will we get the proofs? 
• What is the ordering process and how long does it take? 
• Will you give us the negatives or digital images/is there a fee for that
• Do you charge travel fees?
• Will you require meals during the day?

Procedures & Policy

• Who owns the copyright of the photographs? 
• What is your social media policy? 
• Will you be submitting our photos to magazines or blogs?
• How much of a deposit do you require? When is it due?
• Do you offer payment plans
• What is your refund or cancellation policy?
• Do you have liability insurance?
• Are you assistants insured?
• Do you carry backup equipment?
• What is the backup plan if you are unable to shoot my wedding for an unexpected reason?
• We have a Wedding Day Manager, what is your approach to collaborating with someone on the day to ensure we stay on schedule?

You Might Also Enjoy These Wedding Planning Articles:

• Should you do a first look at your wedding?
• A Wedding Coordinator can help you with…

Need help assembling your wedding day dream team?

We now offer Partial Planning alongside our signature service – Wedding Coordination (Wedding Day Management). Save yourself time finding the right vendors and let us help you by presenting you with a short-list of vetted vendors based on your vision and priorities for your wedding day. We’ll even cast our expert eyes over their services agreement for you and highlight anything we think you should be clarifying before you sign on the dotted line and hand over your deposit. Contact us to find out more about the ways we can help you plan your wedding.