You already have your wedding venue in mind, your first fitting for your wedding dress is scheduled and now it’s time to check one of the most important things on your wedding day: your wedding photographer.

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: the wedding photographer should be on your top 3 priority list for your wedding day and today I’m giving you three reasons why shouldn’t go cheap when choosing the one who will be documenting your special day!

Wedding photography is an investment

The most important thing to understand is that wedding photography is an investment. This is one of the biggest and important days of your life and you definitely want to make sure you can relive it forever.

Your wedding day is only happening once, most of the people that you love are going to be in one place and everyone looks their best. Which is why it’s so important to make sure that each and every moment is documented by a professional.

Is it necessary to hire a professional wedding photographer?

You probably have a cousin or an uncle who’s also a photographer and takes really good nature pictures. However, the value of having a professional wedding photographer is more than just taking pictures on your wedding day. 

A professional wedding photographer shoot weddings regularly, they know exactly what moments are about to unfold and how to capture these special moments. As a photographer, I love telling a complete story of your big day. A professional understands which photos need to be taken in order to tell the story of your day. This fundamental knowledge can only be gained by having hands-on experience in the wedding industry.

Better yet, having a professional wedding photographer will make sure your family and friends will enjoy the wedding and be more present at the moment. Rather than looking at you through their phone screen.

Read more: 3 reasons why you should have an unplugged wedding.

Find a photographer who’s work resonates with you

Choosing the best wedding photographer for your day requires more than just browsing through different portfolios and following the photographer on social media. While portfolio, reviews and pricing are important, I believe personality is the most important aspect when choosing your photographer.

Let me put things in perspective: you’re spending more than 10 hours with your photographer on your wedding day. You definitely want to have some fun and feel confident with this person!

Here are my best tips on choosing the best wedding photographer:

• Create a Pinterest board with some inspirations.
• Choose your wedding style
• Start looking for a local professional photographer who’s work resonates with you.
• Follow them on social media and engage with their content.
• Visit their website and have a look through their portfolio.
• Send them an email and request more information regarding the booking process.
• Schedule a Skype/Facetime call or an in-person meeting. 
• Get to know your photographer and see if their personality resonates with you.
• Choose your photographer.
• Sign a written contract and make sure all of your expectations are communicated.
• HAVE.SOME.FUN.

Using an inexperienced wedding photographer where you can’t gauge their style from past weddings can also create unwanted stress on your wedding day. You definitely don’t want that! You want to enjoy your big day and rest assure every memory is documented.

Keep in mind that a wedding photographer is not only taking photos of your day for 12 hours. A professional also has to edit the photos (which can take up to 30 hours), design the wedding album, answer emails and phone calls, plan the big day, arrange client meetings and carry out all of the other administrative duties that owning a business requires.

Just remember that your photos will be one of the only things that will remain after your wedding day. Now my question to you is: how important are your wedding photos to you?