Choosing a UK wedding photographer is like choosing the perfect dress to a special event. The right photographer will make you feel like Cinderella at the ball and the wrong one? More like Cinder-Ella after midnight!
There are a million wedding photographers out there and trying to make a decision and find the right one for you can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. So as a former bride and a professional photographer with 10+ wedding photography experience, I thought I would share my 5 top tips for selecting your UK based wedding photographer.
The following will help you find the perfect photographer for you whether you are getting married in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, London, the wider UK or even Europe. Let’s dive in:
1) PERSONALITY
This is super important for two reason. First of all, you need someone you get on with as you will be spending 6 to 12 hours with this individual on your wedding day.
You also need someone who is confident enough to guide and direct your guests on the wedding day. This is especially true for bigger weddings and during key parts of the day including the family portraits after the ceremony. An easy going yet confident wedding photographer can help put everyone at ease, which will always give you better pictures. So go with your gut on this one. 🙂
2) WEDDING COVERAGE
You need to be clear about what is important to you to ensure you get the right coverage from your UK wedding photographer. Coverage for UK weddings can start at 6 hours for a small wedding and go up all the way to about 12 hours for a longer wedding day. It really depends on what you have planned.
Most brides prefer to have wedding coverage start in the morning as the bridal party and immediate family is getting ready. It’s an enjoyable sneak peek to catch up on what you missed on your wedding morning.
A note of caution though – some wedding photographers are not always upfront about their full costs. They keep costs initially low by including only a few hours of coverage. And then you realise you need to buy a lot more to get the coverage you need. So when comparing UK wedding photographers, be sure to ask about the number of hours of coverage included.
Cost saving tip: If anyone offers “All day coverage”, I would recommend clarifying exactly how many hours that is. This could end up saving you money.
3) WEDDING ALBUMS
I believe every couple deserves a beautiful heirloom album as a keepsake from your wedding day.
Tell me, when was the last time you printed your images? We’ve all seen how quickly technology has evolved – most new laptops don’teven have USB drives anymore.
And remember CDs? Yeah me neither! I keep wondering what happened to the couples who had their images handed to them on a CD, never got round to printing any of them and now have lost the CD or have no easy way of accessing their images. It’s such a shame and I would never want that to happen to any of my lovely couples.
Pictures become more important the older we get and I want all my couples to be able to share your treasured memories with your loved ones. Your beautifully crafted wedding album becomes one of your first family heirlooms that can be passed on from generation to generation.
Most UK wedding photographers offer a decent range of professional wedding albums. You just need to decide what type of album represents you best as a couple.
Questions to ask your potential UK based wedding photographer include: i) How many pages come in the wedding album? ii) How many images will be included? iii) What cover options are available for my wedding album?
Cost saving tip: Ask about the album at your pre wedding consultation. Some wedding photographers offer a discount for ordering your album upfront.
4) NUMBER OF PHOTOGRAPHERS
The number of wedding photographers you will need on your wedding day depends on i) the number of guests you are expecting and ii) if you would like both the bride and groom preparation in the morning covered.
If you have over 100 guests or a cocktail hour, I would usually recommend having 2 photographers. During cocktail hour, one photographer can focus on your couple and bridal train portraits while the second focuses on the guests having fun.
Again discuss any concerns about your wedding day flow with your potential wedding photographer and see what they recommend.
5) PRICE
Budgets are important but if your wedding photography is important to you, then it should not be the only deciding factor for picking your UK wedding photographer.
Head over to Buzzfeed and there are endless horror stories from brides who chose their wedding photographer because he was the cheapest and now don’t have wedding pictures they love! #verysad
Once your wedding day is over – the yummy food, endless drinks and gorgeous cake will be gone. Your beautiful flowers will be dead and your designer dress will be packed away carefully. All you will have left are your wedding pictures to help you remember and share with your loved ones just how wonderful your day was.
I love it when my brides tell me that viewing their images is like reliving their beautiful day all over again. Photography is a learned skill and like so many other things in life, you get what you pay for, so please choose wisely.
Ok, so that’s about it. These tips should help you choose the perfect wedding photographer for your UK wedding.
If you are a fun and relaxed bride totally in love with her best friend and planning to have an amazing time with friends and family, I’d love to hear you and find out how I can help create some beautiful memories for you.
Get in touch right here or via wani@waniolatunde.com, so we can chat some more about your fabulous day. In the meantime, happy wedding planning. 🙂
