Wedding Planner Abbey Nims Shares Her Planning Journey: Selecting a Photographer
By Abbey Nims
Now that we have talked about save-the-dates, you may be thinking “Wait! Now I want cute photos for my save-the-dates!” So, I decided we better talk about choosing your photographer.
Photography is something that, in my professional opinion, can easily make or break your wedding day experience. If you’ve been following along so far, you know that I’m all about saving money and DIYing the sh*t out of your wedding. But, honestly, after all of that saving and all of the work that you did to make your wedding day dreams come true, don’t you think it’s worth investing in someone that is going to capture your day exactly the way you want it? So you can look back and remember all the fun things you made and the people you included? For me? Absolutely, 100%. Having your friend that has a digital camera who has been to 3 weddings in their entire life probably isn’t going to stay on top of your timeline, get the perfect first kiss photo, or know that you don’t need photos of every slice of wedding cake. Your friends and family also deserve to spend the day celebrating with you, not watching you celebrate with everyone else.
As a wedding planner, I have made a lot of really close friends in the industry. That being said, one of my closest friends is actually my photographer, Emily Zamora of Simply Wandering Photography. She has been all over the world photographing people’s love, and I knew right when we met that we were going to be fast friends. Here are a couple examples of photos she’s done for Jeremy and I.
Just to name a few…
We have created so many beautiful things together, I couldn’t imagine any other person capturing my big day. But she is also my close friend and I want her to celebrate with me, too! So, I am booking her for just a few hours, enough to cover the ceremony, portraits, and just a little of BTS/details/reception. I chose to do this because I want her to actually eat dinner, play the yard games, and hang and chat with friends. I don’t want her to be working and on her feet all day or stressing that she isn’t getting “the shot.”
For myself, picking my photographer was a piece of cake. But it can actually be really difficult to figure out what you are looking for in a photographer. So, I reached out to Emily and asked her for a few tips to help you choose the perfect photographer for your big day.
Abbey, planner: What do you want your couples to already know prior to inquiring with you?
Emily, photographer: Honestly, they don’t have to know much more than what they’ve hopefully already read from my website and around how many hours of photo coverage they want/which of my photo packages they are most interested in!
PHOTO COVERAGE! This is a big one. Think about the kind of photos you want of your day. Do you want photos of your FIL tying your husband”s tie? First look with your wedding party? With your spouse? Mom? Just the ceremony and no reception? Reception until cake cutting? Dancing but not too late where everyone is drunk? A send off? Even if you don’t know the specific hours, knowing the events you want photographed can help your photographer suggest a package for you.
Abbey: What does “ideal client” mean to you?
Emily, photographer: Someone who vibes with me and my personality and my photo style so they easily and quickly go from being a “client” to a friend!
Don’t be afraid to be silly with your photographer! The more comfortable you are with them, the more authentic photos of you they are going to capture. Get to know them! Let them get to know you. Also make sure to dig through your photographer’s website and socials. Their website should give you a deep look at their style and bit of an idea of who they are as a person, and give you a snapshot of their business and how they operate.
Abbey: What is something you hear other photographers doing that shocks you?
Emily, photographer: Not including everything about their pricing up front.
This is looking at you vendors! And not just photographers! As a planner, this is soooooooooo frustrating. I know that all of us vendors are super busy with families, full time jobs, and I don’t want to waste anybody’s time by reaching out just to discover that you are out of my clients price range. Nobody likes hidden fees!
Abbey: If you had any advice to give someone looking for their photographer, what would it be?
Emily, photographer: Besides your actual marriage, photos(and videos!) will be the thing that will live on long after the wedding day is over. So, you need to feel 100% confident in who you trust with that and the end results (the photos) that they provide. It’s also probably one of the most pricey things you will invest in for the wedding day so just remember that you get what you pay for!
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have a great photographer on a budget, you absolutely can. If your budget is really only a few hundred dollars, you may be able to hire a photographer to cover the ceremony, then buy a bunch of disposable cameras for the reception, or maybe you have a friend that has offered to do your photography for you. Tell them that you would love to have them present at your ceremony, but would love to have them photograph the party.
Getting married once is always the plan. So, invest in these memories as much as you can. I promise it will be worth it.
Talk soon!
Get to Know Abbey, The Wedding Planner
