But that’s a bit too blatant for me and it’s already been done by virtually every wedding photographer I know, so I’m not going to do that.
In addition, if you can’t afford me or don’t like my style or the chemistry isn’t right, it’s not going to work.
Instead, I’d rather suggest a process for choosing a wedding photographer that leads to a more useful outcome. And hopefully, that’s what you’ll find in the bullet points I’ve created below. So here goes.
How to choose a wedding photographer in the UK – a blog that may not result in a booking for me
Decide which parts of the day you want photographed.
Very few couples think about which parts of the day they’d liked photographed until they’re actually speaking to a wedding photographer but it’s something that has a direct impact on the cost so important to consider. The basic parts of a wedding are bride or groom prep, ceremony, wedding breakfast, first dance and evening entertainment.
If you want getting-ready photos of both of you, you’ll either need to be getting ready at the same venue or you’ll need a second photographer. Again, these considerations will affect cost.
Decide which parts you could do without if you needed to compromise.
As I mentioned on the last point, the more parts of the day you have photographed, the more it’s going to cost. No one likes to compromise but it’s worth thinking about which photos are most important to you, in case you have to sacrifice some of the coverage once you know the price. My personal recommendation will always be to go for the photography you like best, i.e., compromise on the amount of coverage not the photographer. Obviously, that’s up to you.
Work out what you can afford to spend on wedding photography.
Just to be clear, this doesn’t mean picking a random number out of the air. Look at what it actually costs to hire a wedding photographer.
In 2022, the average cost of a wedding photographer in the UK was between £1300-£1500 (source: Bridebook). And before you say, “I’m not spending £1300 for 8-hours’ work”, understand that it’s not just 8-hours work. It’s 8-hours on the day and at least another 24 hours of editing after the event. More if you had a pre-wedding meeting at your venue.
If the average price sounds too rich for your budget, think about a short day or half day option instead. Not every photographer will offer a half-day package at the weekend but it’s always worth asking.
Start with a personal recommendation.
If you’ve been to a friend’s wedding and you loved the photos that were taken, what could be better than a personal recommendation.
But seriously, don’t ask for recommendations from strangers on Facebook or any other social media platform. They don’t know what you want or what you like and you don’t know if they have a vested interest in recommending a photographer to you.
Create a shortlist of wedding photographers on Google.
We all have friends that would give us recommendations but we don’t always share their taste; if that’s the case for you, Google is still the next best option.
Choosing a simple search like ‘Buckinghamshire wedding photographer’ or ‘Oxford wedding photographer’ or whatever your area is (+wedding photographer), will bring up the largest selection of wedding photographers in your location.
Of course, it’ll also bring up all the Google advertisers offering £400-500 wedding photography as well. Just bear in mind that not only are we talking about 36 hours work in the average wedding, there’s also around £16,000 worth of professional camera and lighting equipment involved, along with public liability insurance, computer equipment for editing and everything else that goes with running a business.
In short, if someone offers you full-day coverage for £400, they’re working below the living wage so they’re not going to be a professional photographer and they’re unlikely to have professional gear or any liability insurance – the latter being a pre-requisite for many wedding venues.
But I digress. Back to that short-list process.
Find five candidate wedding photographers.
Use Google to come up with five wedding photographers, whose wedding photos you really like that are close to or at your budget. A lot of us photographers would consider a little bartering over price but there’s no point in targeting photographers a million miles off your budget.
Contact each photographer on your list to confirm their availability for your wedding date.
Depending on the proximity of your wedding date, this may reduce the size of your list. If so, top it up with another photographer or two.
Look for reasons to book the photographers on your shortlist.
Next have a good rummage around their websites to find reasons to book them or remove them from your shortlist. Read their blogs, look at their ‘about’ pages, visit their social media pages, see if you like what they say.
Reduce the short list to three photographers.
Based on what you discover in the rummage, reduce the short list to three and arrange a separate call with each photographer – either phone or zoom is fine. You’ll know if you get on with them.
Let the photographer lead the call.
On the day of each call, get any questions answered that you have but let them drive the call. It’ll give you an idea of how they’d lead the photography at your wedding. It’s also worth asking to see a couple of full wedding galleries so you know you haven’t just seen their best work.
Ask for a copy of their contract.
Even if you’ve got a favourite, it’s always worth checking the small print.
Make a decision and choose a wedding photographer.
Hopefully, you’ll prefer one photographer over the rest. Just be sure you give priority to the photography. We all want to be friendly but it’s only the photos you’ll have left after your wedding day.
If you’ve found this article useful and you haven’t booked your wedding photographer yet, I’d love to be considered, please check my availability for your date.
You can find lots of examples of my work in my portfolio and on my blog and location pages for Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.