By Sarah Mitchell with Sarah & Dave Photography

Finding your wedding dream team can be daunting, but it’s really worth it to take the time to find wedding professionals that you’ll love working with. One, in particular, is your photographer. Your pictures will be a tangible way to capture every moment and detail of your big day. So, how do you find a photographer that is not only talented but you also personally mesh with? Here’s some do’s and don’ts to follow while on the hunt.

DO look at different styles of photography and decide what style resonates the most with you. Do you want film-like images, dramatic images, fashion inspired images, or bright and airy images?

DON’T just choose your photographer based on price and then ask if they can change their editing style to fit what you want. It takes years to perfect editing style, so to ask your photographer to change their editing style at the drop of the hat will do you and your photographer a disservice.

DO take into account reviews when choosing your photographer. Especially from a site like Richmond Weddings™ where the reviews are verified to be from real wedding customers.

DON’T base your decision solely on reviews. Unfortunately, fake reviews are just a part of life these days. There are both good fake reviews and bad fake reviews.

DO be honest about your budget. If your dream photographer is slightly beyond what you can afford, have an honest conversation with them about possible payment plans, or even ask them if they can recommend different custom options that would fit closer to your budget. Don’t automatically skip over a photographer whose style you love just because you think you can’t quite afford them.

DON’T ask for a discount just because. You wouldn’t ask the Apple store to give you a computer for half price because it’s not in your budget. You would save up over time because it’s an investment. If your photographer is a professional, they have to calculate liability insurance, sales tax, self-employment tax, income tax, equipment insurance upkeep, their business license, and day to day costs of running a business into their price. Most wedding professionals are not trying to price gouge you or take advantage of you, they are just trying to make sure they cover their costs and run a sustainable and reliable business.

DO ask to see REAL wedding galleries from wedding photographers. You want to make sure your photographer is able to handle various lighting scenarios. All wedding photographers will showcase beautiful naturally lit outdoor portraits, but you’ll want to make sure they can also take beautiful getting ready photos and well-lit reception photos.

DON’T get hung up on whether a wedding photographer has photographed a wedding at your specific venue. Many times, photographers are more creative when photographing at a new location anyway. If it helps calm your nerves, ask if your wedding photographer would be willing to do a walk through with you at your venue.

DO feel free to ask wedding photographers to tell you more about their back up systems, liability insurance, and how they prepare for a wedding day. It’s important to know that your investment is going to be treated with care.

DON’T go into a consultation with a wedding photographer with a copy and pasted “List of 50 Questions to Ask your Photographer.” We’ve all seen these lists, and while there may be a few helpful questions that you wouldn’t have thought to ask, your photographer will most likely answer them all through their proposal.

DO get to know your photographer’s personality, and let that play a part in choosing the wedding photographer that’s just right for you. Your wedding photographer will be with you almost your entire wedding day, so make sure your personalities mesh, and that they have a desire to get to know you and make you feel comfortable.

DON’T judge a photographer by their personal style. Try not to care if a photographer is too young, too old, too big, too short, not trendy enough, not fancy enough, etc. While these are easy traits to notice right away, none of these things are really going to impact your final product or your experience with them, so make sure to focus on their personality and quality of work instead.

DO look at different styles of photography and decide what style resonates the most with you. Do you want film-like images, dramatic images, fashion inspired images or bright and airy images?

DON’T just choose your photographer based on price and then ask if they can change their editing style to fit what you want. It takes years to perfect editing style, so to ask your photographer to change their editing style at the drop of the hat will do you and your photographer a disservice.

DO take into account reviews when choosing your photographer. Especially from a site like Richmond Weddings™ where the reviews are verified to be from real wedding customers.

DON’T base your decision solely on reviews. Unfortunately, fake reviews are just a part of life these days. There are both good fake reviews and bad fake reviews.

DO be honest about your budget. If your dream photographer is slightly beyond what you can afford, have an honest conversation with them about possible payment plans, or even ask them if they can recommend different custom options that would fit closer to your budget. Don’t automatically skip over a photographer whose style you love just because you think you can’t quite afford them.

Sarah & Dave are a husband and wife wedding photography team capturing love stories through bright, joy-filled authentic images. While their photography takes them all over the east coast, they’re based right in the heart of the city they adore- in Richmond, Virginia. All Photos belong to Sarah & Dave Photography.