Your wedding day is an event you will cherish for the rest of your life. You may have spent months – or even years – planning out every detail of your special day, but between the exuberant emotions and greeting all of your loving guests, it may be difficult to remember every detail of your Southern wedding! This is where your wedding photographer becomes extremely important. Think of your photographer as the guardian of memories and details connoisseur when it comes to your wedding day.

Due to the fact that your wedding photographer plays such a large role in preserving your special day memories for decades to come, it is important to select someone whose vision aligns with your own. However, with so many names to choose from, where do you even begin? What is your vision? We hope you can find some inspiration and guidance in the following tips:

Figure out your style

Style can be broken down into two main categories: color and types of photographs. While any photographer can take photos in a variety of color palettes, each professional has a unique style and preferred range of colors. Perhaps you love photographs that are in muted tones, with soft white light cascading around the subjects or maybe you fancy saturated images with vibrant colors instead. Find an ideal photographer who prefers the same colors and style of editing as you.

It’s also important to consider the types of photographs you will cherish the most. Are you looking for your next family portrait or are candids more your style? Are you more about the action shot or capturing every detail of your wedding venue decor? Ideally, your photographer will be adept at any type of photograph you could want for your wedding, but if a certain type of image appeals to you most, make sure that you love how they capture those particular moments.

Start your research

Once you have an idea of what you want your pictures to look like, it’s time to start narrowing down photographers. You might have started this process when you were figuring out your style, but this is where details become important. Rather than just doing some general browsing, get location specific. Sites like The Knot allow you to search by location, and you can always browse Instagram with location hashtags (for example, #WeddingPhotographerCharleston).

Instagram has become a fantastic resource for finding wedding photographers, since this business is an image and video-based medium. Not only can you get a glimpse of their portfolio, you can also learn how they interact with the people that follow them. You can begin to get a sense of whether or not this is a professional that you’d be interested in working with.

Once you find several that you like, check out their websites and other social media pages for more details. This is where you’ll find things like prices, reviews, and their extended portfolio of work.

Make contact and schedule interviews

First things first, you want to be certain that your chosen photographer has availabilities on your wedding day. Once you have your date, send you desired photographer a message with the qualifying details and set up an interview from there. With an event as meaningful as your wedding, you want to be certain that your personalities work well together. Interviews also provide an opportunity for the photographers to showcase work that appeals most to your taste, based on the conversations you’ve had with them about the style you’re going for.

During the interview, ask to see full albums of weddings–not just the highlights reel pulled from the last dozen or so that they’ve shot. You want to be confident that you like the comprehensive picture, rather than a few shots from many weddings.

Beyond the images themselves, ask about pricing and contract details. Make sure that both parties are clear on what is expected of them, this means deciding on price and when you’ll officially have your photos, as editing photographs takes time. It’s also important to be aware of whether the photographer retains rights to the images or not, as the last thing you want is a lawsuit on your hands.

Make the decision

Upon reviewing the different styles, prices, packages and personalities, the last step is to decide who you want covering your wedding day. With many things related to wedding details, there may not be one right answer! Know that if you’ve done your research and prepared thoroughly, your pictures will come out looking lovely.

To find out more information on our Charleston, SC beach wedding venues, or to schedule a consultation for your wedding, contact Seabrook Island Weddings.