How To Be The Ideal Wedding Client

Four Ways To Be The Ideal Wedding Client

The relationship between a Wedding Photographer and a Client is REALLY important. In order to have a seamless wedding experience, the Client and Photographer need to be on the same page. And sometimes what the Client is looking for is not in line with what the Photographer offers. And this is OK. Here are four ways you can ensure to be the ideal wedding client 🙂

Make Sure The Photographer’s Style Meets What You Are Looking For

One of the first things I recommend for couples looking for a Wedding Photographer is to thoroughly look through the Photographer’s website. Some Photographers specialize in just wedding photography and other Photographers shoot more than just weddings. Taking a look at the Photographers website will give you an idea of the types of images they will look to capture on your wedding day.

Why is this important?: Hiring a Wedding Photographer whose style is in line with what you are looking for ensures that you’ll be happy with the final images. It is important to understand that while Photographers take pictures and do similar “things,” – they may take a very different approach. For example, some Photographers specialize in capturing a lot of posed and stylized wedding photos and another Photographer may specialize in a more photojornalistic approach. I advise against hiring a Wedding Photographer and trying to get them to fit into a style that you want them to shoot in. This is not ideal for the Photographer or the Client.

Meet With The Photographer And Ask Questions

I also recommend taking the time to meet with the Photographer. Meeting with the Photographer before you make your decision is extremely important. It gives you the opportunity to feel them out to see if they would be someone you want to spend your wedding day with. Are they friendly? Do they seem like someone your friends and family would enjoy being around? During the meeting, I highly recommend coming up with at least 5 questions to ask the Photographer. Having the Photographer explain their approach to weddings and their style is an example of a great place to start. If you walk away from the meeting with a good feeling, this is a great start.

Why is this important?: Asking questions and figuring out if what is important to you is also important to the Wedding Photographer is crucial. And it is better to figure this out before you hire them 🙂 My family and I go to Disneyland several times each year and so we know what to expect from this experience. But can you imagine going to Disneyland for the first time and expecting the experience to be like a ride based amusement park like Six Flags or Great America? While there are ways that Disneyland and Six Flags are similar, they are VERY different.

Thoroughly Read Through Your Contract

Once you’ve had the opportunity to look through the Photographer’s work and meet with them in person, it may be time to sign your contract. The contract explains all of the important elements that matters to your Wedding Photographer. It goes over things like when the final invoice is due, copyright, and other REALLY important things. I advise against just skimming through the contract. If there is something in the contract that you are not comfortable with, it is best to discuss this before the contract is signed. For example, the wedding contract may include wording about posting some of your images on the Photographer’s website. If you are not comfortable with this, it may or may not be something that the Photographer is willing to budge on.

Why is this important?: The ideal wedding client reads through everything 🙂 Your wedding contract is a legally binding document and it outlines important guidelines and policies that the Client can expect from the Photographer and vice versa. If there is something in the contract that does not make sense or you are not comfortable with, mentioning this before the contract is signed is important.

Communicate All of the Important Details In Advance of Your Wedding Day

Last but not least, communicating all of the important details to your Photographer well in advance of the wedding is important. One of the ways I do this is by having the Client fill out a couple of questionnaires. One questionnaire lists out all of the posed family portraits. And the other goes over all of the important elements of your wedding day. Each wedding is different than the next and so going over all of the little details is important. I recommend meeting with your Photographer at least 2 weeks before the wedding day. At this time, you can update the Photographer on any changes to the wedding timeline and go over any questionnaires that were filled out.

Why is this important?: The ideal wedding client is in constant communication with their Photographer. Well maybe not constant – but every so often! Going over the important details is important to stay on the same page. Like I mentioned, every wedding is different. And what matters to one couple may not matter as much to another couple. For example, one couple may want to take table shots (pictures, not alcohol!) with all of their guests. And this may not matter at all to another couple. Coordinating the best time for table shots is something that the Photographer can fit into your timeline and make recommendations. If something like this is missed, it can cause disappointment from the Photographer and the Client.

Being the ideal wedding Client goes hand in hand with being the best Wedding Photographer for the Client. It is definitely a two way street 🙂 The first step is to visit the Photographer’s website to see their style. If this style fits with what you are looking for, schedule an appointment to meet with them. And make sure to ask plenty of questions! Asking relevant questions lets the Photographer know that you are really into the process… when it comes time to sign the contract, make sure to thoroughly read through it. And lastly, meet with the Photographer leading up to the wedding to go over the important details. Thanks!