What made you hire your photographer?

Our venue has an all inclusive package that we opted for. They had 3 photographers that we got to choose from (or go out & hire someone else). We looked at their websites- they should have photo shoots uploaded so you can see their abilities & their reviews. We poured over every picture & read every review. We liked the style of the last photographer. Plus he was the only one who took the time to answer my questions. Even gave me a tentative schedule without even signing a contract!

I had such an issue choosing one! My fiancé & I closely reviewed their social media, portfolio, & multiple full albums. We asked questions specific to our situation (i.e. Catholic ceremony, low lighting) to see how they responded. We also looked for someone we got along with over either a phone or video call. After all that I was between three & did a massive pro/con list, & sent their instagrams to my father & a close friend (who both have a good eye for photography). It ended up being a combo of budget, ticking all the boxes, & gut feeling.

View Quoted Comment Ooo yes. I read reviews as well! I found a lot of helpful information about how the photographers I considered handled bad weather, messed up timelines, & general vibes.

We chose ours based on reviews, packages offered, and also personality. We love the style of photos that our photographer takes, the pricing is right for us, and after meeting with our photographer, we knew we wanted to book him for our wedding. He's easy to work with, reliable, good communication, and great personality.


I strongly suggest meeting (either in-person or through video chat) with potential photographers whose portfolios that you like, and compare everything they offer: pricing, personality, photos, etc. Ask to see full albums of weddings they shot, not just their best photos. Ask whether they have a second shooter included, or if that is extra. Hire someone who you feel comfortable around, and who has good communication and is reliable, and who has good reviews, and whose photos you genuinely like the style of. Setup multiple meetings with different photographers so you can compare multiple options.

Reviews, portfolio, communication.


As much as I love the sepia, filtered looking photos, I wanted something that would stand the test of time. Basically it wouldn’t look TOO dated 20 years from now. I had narrowed it down to two photographers and let my husband make final call. He chose it based on the photographer’s name. ::eye roll::

We set up interviews with about 3 different photographers before picking ours. We first looked at their prices to see if they even fit our budget. Then we compared packages to see who offered the most. Photography stile was also important. And lastly it was important for us to click and feel comfortable with them. We love the one we chose

I wanted two photographers and a short wedding video. I was scrolling on Facebook when I saw a wedding video ad for the photographers I chose. I fell IN LOVE with the video. I decided to keep watching and looking at their work and I was very impressed. I knew I had to reach out to them to atleast see how much they charged. It was a blessing. We got along with them very well when we got our engagement pictures done and they are such a sweet couple. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a wedding photographer (I'm in FL btw).

I plan in hiring the most affordable I can find with top reviews on thumbtack.

This is a great question!!! My budget for photographer is $1k, but the one i REALLY loved is $3-4k!!!! (I found a friend just starting out doing weddings and she quoted me $1k) 😭😭 i just don’t understand how tacking on “wedding” makes them that much more expensive!!! I am really struggling with this since my boyfriend and i want to stay under $5k total for the whole wedding (not including honeymoon)

We have a friend who is actually quite a well known photographer. I am usually the kind of person who researches the heck out of things, but in this case?

150% let him tell me who to hire. (He was not available.)

When in doubt, ask the expert.

I had already worked with my photographer a little at my old job. I knew I liked her style and the price was in our budget. If you’re starting from scratch, I would look at different wedding photography styles (light & airy vs moody) and see what you like best. Then you’ll want to look up photographers near you and see what work they have on their website and IG, and then factor in $$ and packages they offer.

His previous weddings had a HUGE impact. We loved the quality of the pictures, we know that he's reliable (he's big in our area) and he's also professional. He has a lot of experience and he also offered us a really good deal!

I narrowed it down to 3 that had not only good reviews but also portfolios I liked the best. I emailed them and followed my gut after speaking on the phone with them. The photographer I picked actually recommended asking for a full gallery of at least 2 weddings. Photographers obviously post their favorite photos on their websites and profiles. So seeing a full gallery gives a better idea of what to expect. The photographer I picked also sent me additional galleries she had done to similar times of the year as m wedding which was helpful as well.

I had a lot of trouble narrowing down my search too! My problem was that I inquired about a ton of photographers and with all their different packages, even though I was looking at 8, it was like 24 different options!

To get narrowed down, first decide on a style. Film vs. digital, dark/moody vs light/airy vs natural. This will prevent you from having too many options! And since you have a budget decided, make sure to look on the photographer's website to see if they're worth your time to look into. They'll usually have an amount that their "average couple" spends. Some companies also have associated programs where a different photographer in their group will shoot the wedding in the same style, the main photographers will edit the images, and you save some money but get a similar product.

I looked for a photographer that I clicked with personality-wise. You'll spend so much time with them so you want someone that you'll be comfortable with. I also liked that my photographers were a husband-wife team so I got two photographers to shoot from multiple angles and having a man on board I think helped the guys get more comfortable as well. I got such a great feeling from their first email and our first meeting and that was something I remembered as I met with more people. Also, be sure to look at full galleries from photographers you're considering. That will show you everything from details to family portraits and give you an idea of what images they'll deliver to you. It also helps if your photographer has shot at your venue and they can show you images they've captured from that space.

I had two that I really loved. Lucky for me, I also know both of the girls, so I was confident in their work ethic and skills. They both have different photography styles (one is darker and moodier, the other is all about natural lighting). Ultimately, it came down to the price and our budget. I compared both of their packages offered and picked the one that met our needs the best, while staying within our budget.