8 Things You NEED to Know Before You

Hire A Wedding Photographer!

Hello, Brides! We carefully hand-picked 6 of our favorite wedding planning videos to help you keep your sanity while you plan the perfect day. This is 3rd in the series and some are newer and some are older but the useful information we believe is timeless!

Watch the video but save this website because we transcribed the video to reference later.

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Transcript and Notes

Hey guys, welcome back to live your style, I am Sharra and this is Susie. She is my wedding photographer.
Wow, we really are in sync. Um.. today's video is a little bit different than most because I want to take some time and give some future brides, current brides, anybody that's interested in some really awesome valuable tips on how to pick your wedding photographer for the most beautiful wonderful day life.

Communication

Sharra: Okay, so the very first thing that lovely Susie over here recommends when you guys are looking for a wedding photographer is to make sure you when you go into that first consultation with that person that you are communicating what's important to you about your special day in photography. Do you want to have those sweetheart moments? Do you want to have all of your bridal party there? Communicate those exact scenes that way your photographer knows what's important and they know what to focus on, because you only have a limited amount of time right?

Susie: Completely.

Style Matching

Make sure that you're selecting someone that has the same type of style is what you're looking for. So it's really important to identify what you like about the style of photography and then find photos on that person's website that they did that has that matched style to make sure that you're going to love those images at the end of the day.

Good Chemistry with Wedding Photographer and Videographer

Get someone that you get along with someone that you are willing that along with the coordinator and videographer are very important!

LIGHTMASTER NOTE: THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT - The Photographer typically will be with you from "Getting ready Shots" to the "Last Dance " So it is SO CRITICAL that you find someone with good energy and vibes with you especially when things don't go right!

Prioritize

Susie : Identify your priority shots. I know what you want your photographer and videographer to highlight and I say that together because they typically are shooting the same thing. I know what you want your photographer and videographer to highlight and I say that together because they typically are shooting the same thing.

Sharra: I think some people really do want to focus on big families are so different for every bride and groom. So make sure that you communicate those priority shots and make sure everyone's on the same page. Simple as that!

Schedule

Sharra: What is the most important thing that you wish every bride was able to give to you?

Susie: The Schedule......

Sharra: Ahhh..the schedule. Now, why is the schedule important?

Susie: You could be using natural light...

Sharra: Which is what I love. Actually, I'm a big natural light person.

Susie: Include your photographer in making your schedule. It's almost as important as important as including the wedding coordinator...

Sharra: planner, coordinator that makes sense.

Variety in Engagement and Wedding photgraphy

Sharra: From what you've shared with me for the engagement session, it's really important for us to look at the kind of shots we want to get for the engagement and make sure we have variety.

Susie: That is very, very true. In other locations you want to just adventure I feel like with engagement sessions, this is a time when you're able to be just completely candid and just to love on each other without the distraction of your wedding day and everything that goes along with it.

Inspiration

You can make one Pinterest board if you want. And depending on the photographer, they will look at specific poses or angles, anything that you wanted to incorporate and they'll do their own take on it.

Sharra: But it is really helpful for the bride for me. I'm terrible at describing or communicating with words the type of style of photography that I like I'm much more visual. So I'd rather say Hey, I like this and rather than saying I like that one post where you know the arms around here and that just would get very confusing and to me I'm not very good at that.

Unplugged

Sharra: Unplugged weddings are weddings where you ask your guests not to have their phones out filming or snapping or taking photos. Don't ask Aunt Marge to have her big phone case open and flailing in the wind in the middle of the aisle because it makes it very hard for you.

Susie: Right it's it's distracting to your guests or distracting to you.

Sharra: What's the best way to communicate that because I was I think we'll do an unplugged wedding but I was a little worried about it because I didn't want to be rude and be like please keep your phones it's not like it's a movie theater right?

Susie: Yeah, you kinda have to go that way.

Sharra:What if you put it on their seat?

Susie: Um, yeah, you put it their seat... that's a great idea. Okay, use her idea. Okay, so she's gonna be a coordinator now.

Sharra: What am I here see put a little picture or have the you in the couple and say we'll be sure to send or maybe maybe they put their email on the piece of paper and drop it in a box somewhere and then they'll get photos to them because everyone wants photos.

Susie: That's a great idea.

Sharra: That way they don't feel like they missed!

Outro

Alright guys they are our eight wonderful tips just there for you guys. I will write them all below in case you guys wanted to refer back to them and read them real quick in the drop down box below. Thank you Susie for doing this video with me. This is so fun to have you here and if you guys want to see our episode, where we just had lunch with my Madre, I'm going to link that right over here or over here or somewhere like that. You guys can check out that awesome Wedding Wednesday's episode. There will be a lot of other videos over there linked as well. Either about weddings or DIY or something fabulous. If you guys haven't already, click down here and subscribe.