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The Wedding Photographer

So, your fiancé has finally managed to get around to popping the question! You have had your engagement party, you have been staring in dress shop windows and looking at bridal magazines for what seems like ever! You have set your date, booked your wedding venue, you have even started looking for table decorations and personal invitations, but have you missed something?

....The Wedding photographer!

Lets think about the Human race for a second... We take the mic' out of goldfish for their six second memory, but are we much better? Sure, some of us are blessed with a 'photographic' memory, or even just a really good one, and we can remember infinite details spanning years back. If you are one of those people then you are indeed the lucky one! Statistics show that around 76% of us struggle to remember important details from days in their past as far back as only a few months, let alone stretching years-back! So what reference does this have to your wedding? Well, your wedding is probably the most important day of your life, next only to the day(s) that your children are born! We all want to be able to remember these dates of great importance with clarity, remembering every detail like it was yesterday, but will you, in years to come, if all you have to remember your wedding by is your memory and some tattered photos in a shoe box taken by your half-drunken guests with a thumb over the lens!

In these cash-hard times, now, more than ever, people are struggling to find the cash to pay for the wedding of their dreams. They are, understandably being forced to compromise on some details that that they would otherwise have wished for. We see it every day.

Compromise is not your enemy, it is there to give you options, and choices, but you need to make sure that your choices reflect long-term goals as well as those for just the wedding day.

For example, spending a lot of money on wonderful chair covers, table decorations and lavish invitations will make your wedding venue look wonderful and help you to enjoy your wedding day tremendously, but if you are asking 'uncle Bob' to take your photos for you, you may end up with hardly any lasting memories of your day.

A quality photographer and / or videographer, who is experienced in weddings, and who is comfortable with the style that you are looking to achieve will be worth their weight in gold. The amount of times that you, your family, friends and guests will look at your wall canvases', prints and your fantastic album and remember your wedding day will far outweigh the initial investment.

There are so many photographers available at the moment, how do you choose yours?

Your simple guide to choosing your photographer in 5 easy steps;

1. Get recommendations from your friends first. If they liked their photographer then it will be a good bet that you will like them too. Your wedding planner or venue may also recommend someone. However, also do some research on your own, visit wedding fairs and look on the internet for photographers in your area. Do not look too much for price at this stage, look for images that will inspire you.

2. Make a short list and visit with them to view their work. Make sure that their work is exactly what you want. You can discuss price but don't get too hung-up on this, remember that it is a lifetime investment, not just for one day. Many photographers may also offer buy now pay later or interest free credit to help with the payments. Don't be afraid to ask for promotional discounts, like early-booking discounts or out-of season discounts.

3. Make sure they are full-time and have insurance. The market is saturated at the moment with part-timers photographing weddings at the weekend for a little extra cash. Most of them don't carry insurance which is an absolute recipe for disaster! They use inadequate equipment and often don't have back-ups. Price is their driving-factor to get business but the quality is often lacking!

4. Check their diary. Some photographers like to try to shoe-horn in two events in a day, this can be very dangerous and you should steer clear of them!

5. If all of the parts of the puzzle come together, book them, book them now! Photographers, especially good ones, often get booked up well in advance - up to more than two years. It is unlikely that they will offer discounts for late bookings, so there is no advantage to waiting, it just means that someone else will get them! Photographers do have late availability, but don't count on it, you may well be disappointed!

Article by Lee Gannon,

Ideal Photos

www.ideal-photos.co.uk