Pasadena Wedding Photographer {How to Choose a Photographer at a Wedding Show}

How to Choose your Wedding Photographer at a Bridal or Wedding Show

You’ve made the investment to go to a wedding show and you are bringing your BFF with you. What are you looking for? There are going to be so many great vendors there, and most importantly there are going to be some amazing deals that you really shouldn’t pass on. Most vendors, including myself, have specials that are only available at the show, and include anything from a free slideshow to a free dozen cupcakes with your order from a bakery. Mmmm…. Cupcakes! Anyway, knowing what you are looking for, and having a plan is essential. It’s great to window shop, but let’s get real, we are all out for a deal, and knowing that you want to book your wedding photographer and florist from the show means you need to go in knowing what you are looking for and how much you want to spend.

Finding your wedding photographer is one of the most personal and important decisions for you wedding day, and yes, I am biased! From my experience over the last 6 years of wedding photography there are a few very important things that you need to look for at the show, from your photographer.

• You have to see the photographer’s work and LOVE IT. Simple as that. You need to see the images and imagine you are there, that you are the bride or groom, that it is your wedding and that you connect with the images. Settling for OK is the last thing to do when it comes to your photographer. After all a great photographer can make a small wedding look grand, whereas an OK photographer can make a grand wedding look…not so grand.

• You need to make sure that you like the photographer as a person. Do you feel a connection to them? Could they be a new friend? Listen, besides your groom or bride, the person you spend the most time with on your wedding day is most likely your photographer. We are right next to you capturing the whole day, helping you relax, averting any crisis’ that may arise, wiping a sweaty forehead, reapplying lip gloss and making those special moment happen. If we have totally opposite personalities, it just makes this process a little harder.

• Do they fit in your budget? But more importantly, do they offer the services and products that you really want to have included? Do you like their style of wedding albums, canvases, and other products? Do they offer an engagement session, certain hours of coverage, two photographers, etc?

• And lastly, what special are they offering at the show? A 10% savings can be a huge deal on a four or five figure wedding collection, so make sure to get the best deal you can that combines all the above factors. (We offer 10% off at the show only, ask for a deposit to secure you date, and then meet with you in the next few weeks to help you choose a collection that really fits you.)

I am sure that as soon as you got engaged you started buying wedding magazines, and looking online, and of course every brides favorite site, Pinterest. Use what you see online and in magazines to form your idea of your dream wedding photography and make sure that your photographer can give you this.

Some extra tips from an expert…me! If you love, love, love the images of the bride in a garden setting with the roses, and you absolutely want something like that from your wedding, but you are getting married in a modern downtown hotel, at night, you may need alter your expectations. You will either have the to talk with your photographer about having a first look session during the day at a location where you can get these much loved images, or find an alternative look that will work better with your downtown evening wedding.

 

Going in with a plan and knowing what you are looking for is key to having a fun and stress free day at the wedding show. We look forward to seeing you all at our booth at the Wedding Salon on Monday March 25th at the SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills from 4pm to 8pm.