Finding a wedding photographer in the Phoenix area is hard–there are just so many options! While it helps to set your budget before you start your search, we've found that brides are often surprised at the package cost for wedding photography. Therefore, keep in mind that you may need to increase that budget once you've started shopping around.
Now, where do you start?
- Get referrals. Ask your married friends who they used, if they liked their photos, and if they'd actually recommend the photographer. Ask your wedding planning or coordinator, as they've worked with a lot of different people in the area. Talk to your venue, too, as they often have a list of preferred vendors. Photographers often know each other's work, so if one is out of your budget, ask who they might recommend within your price range. This also works if your photographer is already booked on your wedding day.
- Check out their website. Comb through their website, galleries, and especially their blog, where they are most likely to post their more recent weddings. You'll get a good idea for their style of photography (and it's essential to know what style you're looking for).
- View complete weddings. Often you'll see the best photos on their website or in their albums. But what you want to do is ask to see all (not the rejects, just all that they present to the bride and groom) the photos from two or three weddings. Why? Because you want to love a hundred photos, not just ten. You'll get a better feel for their quality and style when you see everything they shoot.
- Meet in person. This may be the most important part–your wedding photographer will be around you for much of your day. You want to be sure your personalities mesh. If you're an outgoing, jokey couple, a quiet or shy type of person might not be the best fit, for example.
Any other tips? Feel free to leave us a comment!
Stay tuned–in support of all of our Phoenix area wedding photographer friends, our next post will give you some tips on how to be a good client.
