Whoo Hooo! You’re engaged! If you’re anything like me, you’ve been dreaming of and planning your big day for a long time. I remember playing wedding with my cousins in my parents basement, dressing up in all of my mother’s old bridesmaids dresses! You’ve probably been spending time drooling over Pinterest wedding pictures or checking out photographers on Instagram. Maybe have a favorite photographer picked out and you’re drooling over their dreamy and romantic photos and you’re excitedly picturing you in those photos! When being neck deep in wedding planning, I just imagine how overwhelmed you could be feeling and not knowing what to do next. It’s normal to feel unsure and have questions…you don’t book your dream wedding photographer every day! But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!
I have 10 VERY important questions that you will want to ask your wedding photographer prior to booking and I will answer them the way I would if someone were inquiring with me!
1. What is your photography style?
It’s so important that you select a photographer that you LOVE their style!, My photography style is a combination of posed and candid. Capturing your genuine emotions and unique love story is my biggest goal! My editing style is light and bright and true to color as you see throughout my portfolio! When your wedding day is over, you will be left with the tangible and digital memories of the day, so make sure that you truly love your photographer’s shooting and editing style. These will be your wedding photos that you hang in your home for years!
2. Will you be the one we work with?
Some photography businesses have multiple photographers on staff. You’re going to be hanging out with your photographer ALL day, so it’s important that you know exactly who you’ll be with and make sure you’re a good fit for each other. I am the sole owner and photographer of this company, so you would be working directly with me the entire time! I only take a limited number of weddings per year so that I’m able to give my clients my time, attention to detail and personal touch that you deserve!
3. Do you have any helpful tips for planning a wedding?
I don’t know if other photographers have resources, but I sure do! I provide all of my booked clients with a complimentary wedding planning timeline, custom wedding day timeline, and a magazine full of information and resources to help prepare them for their best day ever! I am continuously writing blog posts all about wedding planning tips, and I’m always here to help my Brides! Whether that’s grabbing margaritas and having a vent sesh about how stressful wedding planning has been for you, or hopping on a zoom call to comb through your wedding day timeline just one more time to relieve any last minute jitters. I’m here for YOU!
4. How many images can I expect?
This is such a great question, because every photographer’s image delivery process is so different. Every engagement session is slightly different, and it highly depends on the hours of coverage on your wedding day. For my clients, I typically deliver between 75 images per hour of coverage. For an eight hour wedding day, you can expect to receive 600 images. I truly believe in quality over quantity and will always deliver the best images possible over the most images.
5. What is the turnaround time for receiving my images?
This is an important question to ask, because there is nothing worse than a miscommunication on turnaround time. For my clients, I have a 3 week turnaround time for Engagement Photos. Wedding Galleries have a turnaround time of 4-6 weeks. Obviously, that’s quite a wait, so I always send over some Sneak Peeks within one week of your wedding date to tie you over! Once your full gallery is complete, you will receive an email from me with a link to your private online gallery as well as a print release. From there you can view, download and order prints of all your favorite images!
6. If I have a destination wedding would you travel for it?
Yes, absolutely! The best part about this job is how portable it is! I love destination weddings and destination engagement sessions! I have been lucky enough to travel to many states (and countries) for sessions and weddings. Send me more information on your travel plans, and we will create a custom wedding collection to suit your needs!
7. Do I have to order prints and products through you?
I highly recommend ordering prints through my professional lab, but it is not required at all! The color and quality are vastly different when using a professional grade photo lab instead of a big box store photo department (I’m looking at you, Walmart). I have personally tried ordering through multiple big box stores and the photos all look different, and even some of them turn out blurred! In order to keep the integrity and coloring of your images as you see online, I recommend printing through a professional lab! All of my client’s galleries are linked to my photo lab, and you are able to order prints and canvases directly through the online gallery, and they are delivered to your front door! I also offer custom handcrafted albums as well! I’d love to walk you through the process if you have any questions!
8. I’ve never been photographed before! Do I have to know how to pose?
I promise, you way more of a model than you think you are! No need to worry! This is all about you and your fiancé just having fun and being yourselves (with a third wheel and a camera tagging along!) I’ll gently coach you into poses or give you general prompts, making it super easy, comfortable and fun for you! The best photos are the ones of you just being you!
9. How do I know if this photographer is a good fit for me?
It is so important that you find a photographer that is a good fit for you; both in their photography style and in who they are as a person and wedding professional! Like I mentioned above, you will be spending ALL day with them on your wedding day, so it’s important that you feel comfortable and excited to work with them. I encourage you to spend 5-10 minutes browsing their ‘About’ page on their website to get to know them a little better. There’s nothing better than on your wedding day, having a photographer that feels like a trusted friend walk through those doors rather than a random wedding vendor. When a potential client inquires with me, I love to schedule a zoom call with them! This allows us to get to know each other better and hear all about their wedding plans and make sure we are a good fit for each other.
10. How do we proceed forward and reserve our wedding date?
Every photographer has a different approach and will handle the booking process different. My goal is to make it super easy for you! I provide you with an online invoice with a non-refundable retainer and a photography contract via email. It’s completely online and they only take a few minutes. Once they are taken care of, your date is reserved and you are OFFICIALLY a #BethanyLaneCouple and get a little shoutout on my insta!
There are many more questions you can ask your wedding photographer to make sure it’s a perfect fit. The list that I have provided are just the most common questions I have been asked! Happy Photographer Hunting! And if it sounds like I could be the photographer for you, shoot me an email! I’d love to be able to work with you!
Number 10 is my favorite!
🙂