My photographer cancelled on us because he got a last minute wedding booked, is this ok?

I would get another photographer. He had your engagement pictures scheduled, so that was his priority first. He chose to ignore that for more money, which isn't professional.

I do think this was unprofessional but maybe there are different circumstances. Maybe a close friend's photographer backed out on them and asked if he could step in? Was he apologetic or did it just seem like, "Hey we need to reschedule your photos. I have booked a wedding."?

He wasn't very professional.

If he can't stick to a schedule, who is to say he won't cancel on your wedding if someone offers to pay more for the same day? Or a more expensive package?

He should have had someone else scheduled to come do your engagement pictures if he was going to cancel last minute.

I'd look around at other options.

Definitely not professional.

I think the response depends on how this happened. First, if he just got another booking and called you with "hey, I took another job this weekend, so I'm cancelling your engagement shoot (but we'll reschedule)," I would call him and tell him that this concerns you a lot. Your perception was that he made a commitment to you (for time I'm assuming you are paying for) and that his cancelling last minute creates issues for you (e.g., taking time off, etc.). If his response is, "I am so sorry, you're right, how can I make it up to you?" Then, all is good. If his response is "So?", I'd be looking for a new wedding photographer.

However, if he contacted you and said, "Hey, something has come up and I've been asked to be a last minute replacement for a bride and groom who lost their photographer. I know this is inconvenient for you, but can we reschedule your engagement shoot?" Then I think I'd just stick with him.

When daughter was interviewing her vendors, she always asked about their plans for an emergency that would keep them from fulfilling their contract with her. Everyone she choose to work with assured her that they have a network of colleagues in their field that they keep in close contact with, and if any of them have an emergency, they do their best to back each other up. God forbid, her photographer becomes ill or has an emergency on her wedding day, she's certainly going to hope one of his colleagues will be able to cover her wedding. So, if the "shoe were on the other foot," she'd likely be pretty forgiving. However, she interviewed a videographer and asked them if they could contact her if someone else inquired about her date before she could get the contract/deposit back to them. They agreed, but then when she emailed them to submit the signed contract, they responded, "Oh, sorry, we booked someone else who wanted a bigger package than you indicated you wanted." She asked about their agreement to notify her first, and they didn't respond. Since she didn't actually have a signed contract with them, it's not exactly the same, but she figures it was for the best since they couldn't really be trusted. I think a lot depends on the circumstances and the way it's handled. People usually show us how they are. Good luck!

I'm sorry this happened, Kat!! What a bummer. Did he reschedule your engagement photo session? Or did you end up going with another photographer all together?