When to book your wedding photography? (or any professional wedding supplier)
If you’re reading this then NOW is the answer! I’ve just been inspired to write this little blog, as recently we’ve had a fair few enquires for this year (it’s now January and enquires are coming in for June and August) – we’re almost booked every weekend between May and October! And really I’m so gutted we can’t perform miracles and be in two places at once, there’s just so many great couples with fantastic ideas all in stunning venues!
I realise this is not the fault of wedding couples as so many magazines and blogs say 6-9 months as the time to book your photographer, please ignore them all! If photography is an important part of capturing your big day, then I would recommend booking your photographer as soon as you have your date and venue booked. We have in the past had couples book over two years in advance, it seems crazy at the time but if you’re getting married any time in Spring or Summer then dates book up fast! Some dates, we get tens of enquires for, the last weekend in July in particular – so perhaps look at your date and think how popular it might be. Dates which seem popular are those within or either side of school holidays or bank holiday weekends where you have that extra day to recover!
Apart from summer, December has a magical lure too it must be all that mulled wine! So again for a December wedding please don’t rest on your laurels. In fact it’s even more important to book a photographer as soon as possible. Winter weddings are considerably more challenging and you definitely need a photographer with the right knowledge and equipment to deal with low/no light!
So you’ve booked your wedding for a Thursday, should be no problem…well I’m afraid the same philosophy of book your venue then book your photographer comes into play. This year we’ve had two or three enquires for the same Thursday…it seems Thursdays are the new Fridays!
Most photographers only take a small deposit, relative to the deposit you’ll pay for your venue, so cost wise the initial outlay to secure your photographer shouldn’t be prohibitive.
What to do if your favourite wedding photographer is booked already :( Don’t despair, ask your preferred photographer if they can recommend someone else who might be available. Generally most wedding photographers will know a lot of different photographers in their area, who have a similar style and work to approximately the same price range.
If you’re running really late, have completely forgotten about your photographs until the last minute, been let down or just want to see who’s out there – then try submitting your date and details to a wedding photographer search.
Try all of these, as different photographers will be subscribed to different search engines
Wedding Photography Select (UK and International)
Fearless Photographers (UK and International)
The Wedding Search (UK)
Find a Wedding Photographer (UK)
Professional Wedding Photographers Network (UK)
If this doesn’t work or it’s an emergency try tweeting, or contacting a high profile blogger to tweet for you..there are lots of photographers out there! Just make sure when you get replies though that they are professional and can offer you pictures you love the style of no matter what the weather or the light!
I really hope this helps, is useful and makes looking for your perfect wedding photographer stress-free and fun – as it should be it’s a wedding after all :)
