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What questions should you ask your wedding photographer?

As you plan your wedding, it’s likely that you’ll get to know each of your professionals very well. Hair and makeup trials take time, so you’ll probably spend a couple of hours speaking to your hairdresser and makeup tech. You’ll usually have various wedding dress fittings and appointments with your wedding photographer or videographer to make sure you’re on the same page. This is why it’s so important that you get along with each of your suppliers. You should see eye-to-eye and have the same ideas about what you want from them.

When it comes to choosing your photographer, every one has slightly different methods and techniques and their photos can look very different from one another. This is why it’s imperative that you choose a photographer because you love their work. But what kind of questions should you be asking a photographer before you go ahead and book them for your big day?

I’ve included a list of questions that I get asked by brides and grooms all the time to help you choose your photographer when the time comes.

 

Are you free on my wedding date?

How long have you been a wedding photographer for?

Do you have any examples of your work?

  • Every photographer should have a website and a couple of social media channels. You should look at all of these to see some examples of their work. You could also ask the photographer to send you some additional examples when you’re making the decision.

How many weddings do you do a year?

Have you shot a wedding at [X] venue?

Will you visit our venue before the wedding day?

Have you shot a wedding similar in size to ours before?

How would you describe your photography style?

What packages do you offer?

How much do you charge?

Do you have a contract that we need to sign?

What information do you need from us before the day?

  • There’s quite a lot of information that your wedding photographer will require. They may need to know what formal shots you want (e.g. which groups of people), what photos you absolutely want from the day, where you’re getting married and where the reception venue is and what the schedule of the day is.

Do you have any reviews from previous couples?

Do we need to cover your travel costs or are these included?

What’s the farthest distance you’ll travel for a wedding?

  • If you’re getting married 100 miles away from your hometown or even abroad, you need to make sure that the photographer is willing to travel this distance. For this reason, it’s also important to ask the question above this one to check what the additional costs are for this. Remember, an abroad wedding could take up more of the photographer’s time, meaning they have to turn down other couples.

What time do you start photographing on the day?

What time will you finish for the day?

If we want you to stay longer, is there an additional cost?

Can we have a secondary photographer and can you provide one?

Do you need to meet the videographer before the day to discuss anything?

What happens if you’re ill and can’t work on the day?

What will you wear on the day?

Are guests okay to take photos while you are?

  • Guests can sometimes get in the way and some photographers may prefer that guests don’t try to take photos while they are, for example during the wedding service or the speeches. It’s definitely worth asking your photographer what their stance is on this.

What extras can we have? (e.g. smoke bombs, props, etc.)

Can we provide examples of the kind of photos we’d like?

What kind of camera do you use?

Do you bring back-up equipment on the day?

  • Most photographers will be organised and bring backup cameras, memory cards and batteries so that there’s no chance of anything going awry, but it’s always good to check this with them beforehand.

Do you have insurance?

Do you require a deposit?

When is the full payment due?

Do you offer a payment plan so we can pay in instalments?

Are albums included in the price or can we pay extra for these?

Do you edit all the photos?

How long will my photos take to arrive?

How many final photos will we receive?

Do we just receive the prints or do we get a USB with the photos on that we can download unlimited times?

  • Many couples want to get their photos on a disk or USB so that they can have additional albums made, send the photos to friends and family, or even create memorabilia such as printed canvases or cushions. Therefore, you should double check that you’ll be sent all the photos digitally to do what you want with.

 

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How to create a hashtag for wedding photos

Custom wedding hashtags have become all the rage in the last few years.

Your wedding photographs can take a long time to be edited and delivered back to you, and you may want to look at some non-professional photos of the day to remind you of how amazing it was. This is why coming up with your own wedding hashtag can be a great idea. Imagine if there was one place where all of your guests could share their photos from the day so you could view and share them at any time? With a wedding hashtag, that’s exactly what you can do. It’s a fun (and free) way of allowing your guests to share their favourite aspects of your day online.

Below, I’ve come up with some ways you can create your own wedding hashtag.

 

How to come up with your wedding hashtag

Once you’ve decided that you want to have a wedding hashtag, you’ll have to think of a unique hashtag that you and your partner can use on the day. You could go with something as simple as your surname, such as #MrAndMrsMcDonald, however the chances are that someone else has already used this tag for their own wedding. This is where you need to get more creative.

You could try adding the date of your wedding, such as #MrAndMrsJones2020 or #MrsAndMrsJonesMay21. This is a relatively simple hashtag.

The best hashtags are the ones that are memorable, funny or a play on words. Use your surname-to-be to think of a play on words. If your new surname will be Seal, your hashtag could be #WeSealedTheDeal. You could even use an inside joke as your hashtag. Suits star, Patrick Adams, and Pretty Little Liars star, Troian Bellisario used a memory from their first date for their wedding hashtag, #FortDay2016. She explained that Patrick had built her a pillow fort in his apartment, where they spent most of the evening watching films and eating pancakes. This became known as Fort Day. They actually got engaged on the anniversary of Fort Day too. This cute story is what formed their hashtag. So be creative and think of something that sums you and your partner up.

 

Troian and Patrick's wedding photos feed

Troian and Patrick’s hashtag feed from Instagram

 

I’d advise staying away from words that are hard to spell, as it’s likely that your guests will accidentally spell the hashtag incorrectly and their photo may not show up on your feed. I’d also advise avoiding hashtags that are excessively long, such as #TheWeddingOfMrAndMrChestertonDecember2019. Something short, snappy and memorable will work best.

Alternatively, if you or your partner can’t decide on one, you could use a wedding hashtag generator which will create one for you. Just check on Instagram to make sure that the hashtag hasn’t already been used for someone else’s wedding! It should be unique to you both.

 

How does a wedding hashtag work?

First, you need to make all of your guests aware of the hashtag, otherwise having one will be of no use. You could include it on your save-the-dates, on your invitations, on your table menus and even on a chalkboard sign at the venue. Make it clear to your guests what it is.

Every time a guest takes a photo of a special moment of your day, whether it’s a selfie of themselves or a picture of you walking down the aisle, the photo can be shared on social media with the special hashtag. The morning after your wedding, you could log into Instagram and find a whole host of pictures that have been taken by your guests. These pictures will stay there forever and can be looked at whenever you want to.

Obviously, these images are amateur ones that may be bad quality and taken on smart phones, so you should still have a professional wedding photographer there on the day to capture those beautiful moments in incredible quality.

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How to decorate a wedding table

There are plenty of aspects of your wedding that you want your guests to be wow-ed  by. You want them to love your dress, devour the food and dance the night away with a memorable band or DJ. But one design aspect that you might not have thought about is your wedding tables.

When your guests sit down to eat, they’ll be sat at their tables for at least two hours. There’s the three-course meal to eat and then the speeches to get through as well. Therefore, you want your wedding tables to be beautiful and a place where your guests will enjoy eating, sitting and chatting.

No matter what your budget, a beautiful wedding table is certainly achievable. Below, I’ve identified how you can decorate your wedding tables to make them beautiful and look stunning in your wedding photos.

 

How to make your wedding tables stand out

If you have a little more budget to play with, don’t be afraid to hold back. Your wedding tables can become stunning features that will Wow all of your guests.

First, you need a good base to your table. Many brides stick to white tablecloths but there are SO many other options out there.

You can add some of your personality to your tables and either use colours that are part of your theme (the same colour as the bridesmaids’ dresses, for example) or you could go with something completely different like rose-gold sequins or even black. Don’t forget that your chair covers should complement the colour tablecloth that you choose.

Once you’ve chosen your base colour, you need to think about your centrepieces. Do you want something incredible like 6ft blossom trees or something simple like a chandelier with some roses wrapped around it? Again, the centrepieces should reflect the personality of both you and your husband/wife-to-be.

For round tables, a centrepiece on each table would work well. For long, banquet-style tables, you may want to choose a simple, but effective, runner.

Wedding banquet tables decorated with a foliage runner

 

I love this beautiful, rustic style decor. It suits the venue perfectly and the green foliage and white napkins break up the wood of the tables and chairs.

The final touches may only seem small, but they can make a big difference. You may want to think about the design of your plates. Some brides go for plain white, whereas others want something patterned of colourful. You should speak to your caterer about the crockery options. Don’t forget your favours too! Whether you choose something foodie or something more personal, it should go with your theme and be pretty to look at.

 

How to decorate wedding tables on a budget

Even if you’re on a budget, you can still make your wedding tables look beautiful.

The best way to decorate your top table is with your bouquets. Ask the venue to place vases of water along the top table, and when you and your ‘maids arrive, the bouquets can be put in the vases and will make your top table look instantly beautiful. Add some candles and tea lights and your top table is complete.

Other cheaper options include sprinkling petals on the table and using lavender sprigs as napkin rings.

If you wanted to, you could buy your centrepieces and sell them on after the wedding. This means you could add some height to your table with candelabras that are filled with scented candles. Renting them can be a waste of money, so it’s better to buy them and make some money back.

Finally, you don’t have to go crazy with your favours. You could fill some jam jars with sweets or chocolates.

 

Deciding on how to dress your tables can be fun. Whether you do it yourself, or have the help of a venue dresser, the result will certainly be beautiful.