5 Reasons You Should Book Your Wedding Photographer First

There are a lot of people you will have to work with to plan your wedding day, and deciding who to hire can be very difficult. So do yourself a favor, and hire your photographer first.

1. We're de facto wedding planners

On your wedding day, you will have your picture taken with a lot of people in a relatively small timeframe. How early should you do hair and makeup? When should the florist arrive? When will the light be best for the wedding party photos? How much time should you budget between the beginning of formals and the ceremony? What if a groomsman spills coffee on shirt? These are questions for which a wedding photographer can give you a really good answer. 

I once had a groom receive his tux three hours late, and all pictures were scheduled for BEFORE the ceremony. Because I knew how much time to add for padding, we did not skip a beat, and all the pictures got taken. 

2. We can help you choose between venues

A venue is one of the biggest decisions you'll have to make, and often brides already know where to have the reception and ceremony. However, if you have two places to decide between, a photographer can tell you what the light will be like at that time of year. Most people don't realize this, but days don't just get shorter in the winter; the sun also sets in a different part of the sky! Does the reception venue have tall trees or a hill to the southwest (where the sun sets in winter) to filter the sun's direct light? That looks great when you are planning, but the sun will set in the northwest in the summer, and you could have glaring sunlight instead of nicely filtered soft light. A photographer will be able to look at the two venues and tell you what to expect.

3. We get booked up

There are 52 weeks in a year, so there are 52 Saturdays. Wedding season in Alabama is roughly March through June, which is 18 Saturdays. Now think of all the Saturdays you'll have to rule out due to graduations, other weddings, exams, work, and your families' availability. You might have fewer Saturdays for which your ideal photographer, venue, florist, caterer, and officiant are available! So the sooner you start, the more likely you are to get exactly what you want.

See what a simple string of lights can do?

4. We can help you make things pretty in a way Pinterest can't

There are often some very low-budget things you can do that would greatly impact the look of your photos, but it takes a photographer to 'see' these opportunities. Are you having your reception outside? Hanging strings of lights is very inexpensive, (some venues will do this for you) and they look AMAZING in the background of your photos. You can even have your photographer work it out with the venue, so you don't have to do any work! Also, sometimes a dingy venue only needs a professional lighting company to turn it into something special (this cost is usually less than upgrading to a more expensive venue). Your photographer will help you figure this out.

5. Don't you want an engagement shoot?

You just got engaged, and you've got a really pretty ring. Don't you want a photoshoot dedicated to telling the world that you are getting hitched? These pictures are great for save-the-dates, newspaper announcements, guest books, and generally living in the excitement about your wedding!

6. We have a vested interested in making your wedding beautiful. (Yeah, I know I said 5 reasons, whoops)

There's no point in trying to hide this: we want your wedding to be beautiful because it makes our websites beautiful. So we will do everything we can to help you make it beautiful. Don't get me wrong: it's your wedding and you can completely ignore every piece of advice I offer (and I try not to offer unsolicited advice). But keep in mind that after signing that contract, the photographer wants to help you!