If you've started looking for a wedding photographer, you might be wondering how to actually approach one. What do you say? What do they need to know? Is there such a thing as too much detail?
Over the years I've had all sorts of enquiries. Some couples get in touch with a wedding booked two years away and want to start planning nice and early. Others call me the day before the wedding, needing someone to step in and help out. It varies completely, and every one of them is welcome. My job is to work out the nuances from whatever you tell me: how to plan it, how to quote it, and how to sort out the logistics so the day runs smoothly.
There's one thing that makes all of that far easier, and it's worth saying right at the start.
The more you tell me, the better I can help
It's simple, really. The more information you give me, the more direct and informative an answer I can give you back.
If you come to me and tell me who you are, send me a picture of the two of you, tell me the venue, the date, how long the wedding is, roughly what size it is, and when you'd like me there (whether that's the full day from getting ready through to the reception, or just the ceremony, or just some couple portraits), then I can take all of that in. I can look into your venue properly, think about the little details, and come back to you with an informative quote and plenty of information to help you decide whether I'm the right photographer for you.
With all of that in front of me, there's very little guesswork. You get a clear answer quickly, and we both know exactly where we stand.
What happens when I'm given almost nothing
Some people get in touch and simply say, "Hey, we need a wedding photographer, how much does it cost?" And that's all I've got to go on.
I don't mind following up and asking questions, honestly I don't. But it does mean a lot of back and forth that could have been avoided from the start, and it slows everything down for both of us.
Just the other day, someone called me looking for a photographer for the very next day. He opened with, "Hello mate, are you a photographer?" I said yes. "We need some wedding photos." No date, no location, nothing at all. So I started asking. Where is it? When is it? It turned out he only needed me for a couple of hours for some couple portraits, but even then he wouldn't tell me which venue it was, which made it really hard to plan anything or give him a sensible quote. He hadn't looked at my website or any of my work either, so he had no real idea whether I was even the right fit for him.
I'm not telling you this to have a go at anyone. I'm telling you because that whole conversation could have been so much easier, for him and for me, with a couple of extra sentences at the start. And I completely understand that not everyone knows exactly what a photographer wants to hear. That's the entire reason I've written this.
The details that help me most
If you want to make your first message a good one, these are the things that help me most:
- What date is the wedding?
- Where's the venue?
- Who are the two of you? A photo of the couple is genuinely useful.
- Roughly how big is it? An estimated guest count is plenty. A day with 25 guests is very different to one with 150 or more.
- Which parts of the day would you like captured?
That last one can cover as much or as little as you like. The stages couples usually think about are:
- Getting ready
- First look
- Dress photos
- Ceremony
- Couple portraits
- Wedding breakfast
- Cocktail hour
- Family groups
- Family and friends
- Sparkler moments
- Reception
I'm more than happy to quote whether you want me for just one part of this or for the entire day, from getting ready right through to the evening. It simply helps enormously to know what you're picturing.
The look and feel you're after
Beyond the logistics, it helps to know if you've got a certain look in mind. Some couples want something more candid and natural. Others want it cinematic, or more posed and classic. Some love warm tones, others prefer whiter, more desaturated images. The light at your venue and the time of year both feed into this, so even a rough sense of what you're drawn to gives me a real head start.
I completely understand that people don't always know the language for this, and that's absolutely fine. One of the easiest ways to show me is to put together a little mood board of images you like, whether that's a few photos dropped into a Word document or a board over on Pinterest. A handful of examples tells me more than a paragraph ever could.
Let's have a chat before the day
Depending on when the wedding is, how much time we've got, and how much of the day I'm covering, we'll usually plan in a video call or a meet up, ideally a couple of times before the wedding if time allows.
This part matters. It's so you can feel comfortable with me, and so I can feel comfortable with you, and we all end up on exactly the same page. You'll come away with a full understanding of how I'll shoot the day and how the photos will be delivered to you afterwards, so you're not left guessing what sort of service you'll get or what kind of person will be turning up on the morning.
You'll have proper confidence in me, which is exactly how it should be before something as important as your wedding.
What you'll get afterwards
Once the day's done, here's what you can expect.
Your photos are delivered through an online gallery. From there you can download both web resolution images (perfect for sharing online) and full resolution images (the ones you'll want for printing). You can even order prints directly through my website via connected print providers, so it's all in one place.
The gallery's beautifully organised, too. You get your own link, and you can mark certain photos as private so they stay just for the two of you. Your guests get a separate link to a gallery you're happy for them to see, so you always stay in control of what goes out into the world.
My typical turnaround for a wedding is between two and three weeks. On top of that, I usually send a small selection either on the day itself or the day after, so you've got a few images to share straight away and a bit of early reassurance about the quality of what I've captured of you.
As for how many you'll get, expect many hundreds of images. People are usually surprised by how many they receive, and always in a good way, never a bad one. I'm just that sort of photographer. I go above and beyond to get the shots in the way I know you're hoping for.
One thing to note: I'll only ever hand over the final edited images, not the raw files. If you're curious why, I've written a whole post on why I don't just send over the raw files.
What happens if something goes wrong
It's only natural to worry about the what-ifs on a day you can't repeat, so let me put your mind at rest.
I shoot every wedding with two camera bodies. If one camera stops working on the day, I can switch straight to the other and carry on without missing a beat. Both cameras have two memory card slots, and I record every single image to both cards at the same time, so even if a card were to fail, there's already a full backup of everything.
If your wedding calls for it, I can bring in a second shooter, and I know good people I can call on for video work as well.
On that note, a bit of honesty about video. It's genuinely very hard to shoot video and photos properly at the same time, so it isn't something I take on myself. I'm a photographer first and foremost, and I'd rather do one thing brilliantly than two things at half measure. If someone tells you they'll do both single-handedly on the day, and they haven't got an extensive portfolio that proves they can pull it off, I'd take that with a grain of salt.
How to book me
If you decide you'd like me, booking is nice and straightforward. I usually take a 25% deposit to secure your date. That deposit is refundable if anything ever happens at my end that means I have to cancel. I'll also provide a contract, which is there for your peace of mind just as much as mine. I like to keep everything highly professional while still being friendly and personable throughout.
In terms of timing, at least three months' notice is ideal. It gives us the chance to build a bit of rapport and plan things properly. That said, I know last-minute bookings happen, and I'm flexible, so please don't rule me out if your date's coming up soon.
What it costs
My wedding pricing is completely bespoke, and there's a good reason for that. It changes depending on the location, the size of the wedding, how much of the day you'd like me for, and so on. No two weddings are the same, so no two quotes are either. That's exactly why I'd rather you got in touch and told me about yours than tried to guess from a fixed price list.
If you fancy it, there's also the option of something like an engagement portrait shoot before the wedding, or anything along those lines. It's a lovely way for us to meet, get comfortable in front of the camera together, and come away with some gorgeous images in the process.
Travelling to you
I'm based in Southampton, but I'm more than happy to travel anywhere for a wedding. Naturally, the further I come, the higher the quote will be, simply to cover my travel and time.
A quick practical note: I don't drive, but that's never been a problem. I'm always happy to jump on a train and grab a taxi or an Uber at the other end. And if you or someone in the party is heading that way anyway, I'm just as happy to hop in a car with my gear.
How to get in touch
You can reach me through any of the options on my website. If I'm honest, the phone often isn't the best first port of call, because I might be somewhere I can't take everything in properly in the moment. Getting the key details down in a written message is a brilliant start, and then we can always jump on a call afterwards, once I've had a proper look at what you need.
So I've put a little form just below. Fill in what you can, then choose whether to send it to me on WhatsApp or by email, and it'll pull everything together into a tidy message for you. Think of it like my quote calculator: no faff, just a simple way to get me everything I need in one go.
However you get in touch, and however far ahead you are, I'd genuinely love to hear about your day. The more you can tell me, the better I can look after you, and don't worry in the slightest if you're not sure where to start. That's exactly what this guide, and the form below, are here for.
Wedding enquiry
Tell me about your day
Fill in whatever you can, then send it to me on WhatsApp or by email. It pulls everything together into a tidy message, ready for you to check before it sends. The more you add, the better I can help.
