It’s your wedding, so of course you want to capture all those beautiful moments and make the memories last a lifetime… and you can do this with a great wedding photographer.
What makes you choose your photographer might be personal, but it’s also vital to find out exactly what you will be getting from your package right from the start, particularly since this can be a significant cost in the grand scheme of things.
Read our top tips for researching and booking your wedding photography, from wedding photography packages to styles of wedding pictures.
Wedding Photography Packages
Granted you have a lot on your plate already, but don’t let details like the wedding cake catch you out. The wedding cake is a tradition that goes back to Roman times and shouldn’t be a last-minute rash decision – or worse – an afterthought!
In fact, there are so many things to think about when it comes to the symbolic wedding cake that we’ve put together a list of ‘dos and don’ts’ to guide you through the process of selecting one.
First though, have you ever thought to consider the life of a wedding cake?
Short
Short coverage wedding photography deals allow you to grab yourselves a bargain – but there’s a catch and it’s in the name…
Short coverage sessions normally only cover two consecutive hours of your wedding day, so you must use every minute of your professional’s time wisely if you wish to get formal group shots as well as some candid natural shots of your guests having a good time. While this can be a mission for bigger, lavish events where the ceremony is generally longer and it takes more time to get people from A to B, intimate weddings can really benefit from this kind of scaled-back package.
Half-day
As with short coverage, this half-day package will include either a morning or an afternoon’s work from your photographer (usually approximately five hours). For instance, you might decide that photos of the bride getting ready are an absolute must-have over having pictures from the wedding reception, or vice-versa.
Full-day
While mobile phones and photo booths can capture some fun moments from the after-party, when left to a professional, those photos can be incredible! With a full-day package, you can enjoy the presence of a photographer from the moment you start getting ready in the morning until near enough closing time. That way, you can ensure not a single moment goes unmissed!
Hourly
Alternatively, if you have an unusual set up for the day, you might like to hire your professional photographer on an hourly basis, ensuring that they are there to capture your most precious moments of the day. This is particularly useful if you want something in between short coverage and a half-day, plus it could help you to save even a little piece of your budget. We all know that a little can go a long way so if there’s a chance to keep some pennies back then it will surely be put to good use elsewhere in the wedding budget!
Pre- wedding
For some, the charming ‘getting ready’ shots are all they need, especially if they are planning a simple exchange of vows with no bells and whistles (or should we say bells and confetti). A pre-wedding photo package will ensure you get those sentimental pictures and could also include some formal group shots of the couple and family if they are heading to the registry office together from the one location.
Depending on your photographer’s deals, there might be an option to combine the pre-wedding with other elements of the big day to build a bespoke package.
Ceremony
As it suggests, this option will have your photographer present at the service to take photographs of all the fundamental aspects of the wedding ceremony. This might include the bride walking down the aisle, the groom’s first look at his wife-to-be, exchanging vows and rings, signing the register and the ever-popular confetti shot.
Reception
Lastly, you can hire a photographer to come and take photos of you partying the night away with friends and family. Who wouldn’t want their very own professional taking photos all evening so they don’t have to!? What’s more, there’s no need for Instagram filters or photoshop apps when the pro can make you look a million dollars even after a few glasses of champagne! We think you’ll agree that it’s worth every penny…
How Many Wedding Pictures Are Included?
As you might expect, the number of photos that will be included in your final digital album will vary from one photographer to the next, and will also be dependent on which package you choose.
Rest assured, however, that even if you spend £500-£600 on a short coverage style package, you can still expect over a hundred high-quality images back.
Most professional wedding photographers will offer your photos as high-resolution files on a memory stick for you to use as you wish, but some might throw in some prints or a physical photo album as part of the cost.
Average Cost Of Wedding Photography
As we’ve mentioned, you can get a professional to provide you with a reasonable number of images for as little as a few hundred pounds, but of course there’s always questions surrounding quality if a photographer is trying to flog a cheap deal and offering excessive numbers of photos – the maths just don’t add up. You need to bear in mind that although your photographer may have top of the range professional kit and equipment, they will normally spend hours upon hours editing the selected images back at their studio to make sure the album meets your expectations.
We would say to expect to pay in between £1500 and £3000 for an experienced photographer offering a standard day package, which is said to equate to around 5-10% of the average UK wedding budget.
Wedding Photography Styles
See below the different styles of wedding photography.
Contemporary
As with most things, the creative arts have really advanced with the development of new technologies. This means that you can not only capture magical memories, but you can make them look surreal and fantastic by taking a moment and enhancing every single piece of the puzzle.
This might be an image of you and your loved one beneath a rainy sky with extraordinary droplets of water seemingly frozen in time, a picture of you kissing in front of a vivid sunset, or, you and your partner taking a romantic stroll in the woods during the atmospheric golden hour.
Traditional
Traditional photography doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun with the photographs. Traditionalists, however, tend to like nostalgic images and are happier being led by a photographer – because they trust their judgement and will have fallen in love with their portfolio when researching suppliers. Traditional photos are normally less concerned about capturing the emotion of the day and more about getting beautiful shots of the couple and their precious guests.
Documentary
Unlike other styles of photography, which focus on the perfect shots, documentary photography involves the photographer telling the story of your day using a series of images. Documentary photography tends to evoke more emotion when looking back upon the album because it captures not only the moment itself, but the moments before and after and it can almost feel like the day is being played back to you.
Questions to ask wedding photographer
What types of packages do you offer?
How much do you charge for each package?
Do you require a deposit or payment up front?
How many image files are included in each package?
Can I pay for the package to include more photos?
Which areas do you cover?
Do you charge for travel costs if required at different locations during the day?
Do you require a meal and beverages?
How long does it take to get my photos back?
How will I receive my photos?
Can you offer a contemporary style?
Can I see examples of your previous work?
How far in advance are you booked up?
Have you ever shot a wedding at my venue before?
Do you visit the venue prior to the wedding to check out the spaces?
Do you have insurance?
What happens if you are unwell on the day of the wedding?
How much will it cost for a second photographer/shooter?
What is it you love about photographing weddings?