You’ve selected your date and booked your venue – congratulations!! While it is a huge relief to do this, there are still many important things to do. What’s the first thing that you need to do? CELEBRATE!! Cue the confetti, pop some champagne, and toast to booking your venue!
While it is important to book all your vendors in advance, not to mention less stressful, in my opinion, the first vendor you should book after booking your venue is your photographer. If you are planning to have a videographer, you should look for them at this time as well. Photography and videography are the two tangible items that you take away from your big day! Unlike caterers, bakers, florists, and entertainment companies, photographers aren’t usually able to photograph more than one event a day. A lot of photographers are booked up to a year in advance, which is another reason why it is so vital to book one as soon as possible. Hiring a photographer can be a long process, as there are many to choose from, so be sure to allow yourself enough time to do the proper research. Once you have researched (aka stalked their social media accounts and looked at their website galleries) and selected a few that you are interested in, it is a good idea to schedule a consultation with them. Since you spend so much time with them on your wedding day, you want to be sure that you get along with them! The more time you have to get to know your photographer, the better your relationship will be, which will allow you more time to create the "perfect" timeline of photographs. When you have a great photography timeline, it fits in all of the essential moments of your big day and doesn't compromise the experience of your guests. Planning to send save-the-date cards to your guests? You could use photos from your engagement shoot for them! This is just another example of why you should book your photographer right after your venue.
A final thought... As tempting as it may be to save a little money and use a family member that is talented in photography, it is always best to hire a professional!
Photo Credit - Greene Peas in a Pod Photo + Films LLC
