How to Choose Your Wedding Photographer

Choosing your wedding photographer is one of the most important decisions you’ll make, and also one of the easiest to get wrong by focusing on the wrong things.

I’m a Shropshire wedding photographer and I’ve been photographing weddings since 2016. I also talk to couples every week who are in the middle of this process. Here’s what I’d actually tell a friend.

(Also – enjoy being engaged first. The planning will still be there next week.)

1. Start with style – what do you actually want your photos to feel like?

Before you look at a single photographer’s website, sit down together and ask: when we look at our wedding photos in ten years, what do we want to feel?

Do you want images that are light and airy, or rich and true-to-life? Heavily posed portraits or mostly candid moments? Dramatic edits or natural colour?

There’s no right answer, but knowing yours means you can filter quickly rather than spending hours down rabbit holes. My edit is very true-to-life – I don’t do a lot to the colour in post-production. You’ll find some photographers have a really light, almost bleached-out look. Some go dark and moody. Some very warm and orange-toned. All are valid; all are different. Know what you’re drawn to before you start.

2. Look at full weddings, not just highlights

Anyone can put together a beautiful portfolio of their best 30 images from across five years of work. What you actually want to see is a full wedding – or at least a full blog post from start to finish.

Does the quality hold up throughout? Do the getting ready shots look as good as the golden hour portraits? Are there real moments captured alongside the posed ones? That’s what your gallery will actually look like.

→ Browse real Shropshire weddings on the blog

3. Think beyond budget… but don’t ignore it

Your wedding photos are the one thing that lasts after the day is over. The flowers are gone, the food is eaten, the dress goes in a box. The photos stay.

That doesn’t mean spend money you don’t have – it means don’t make it the first question. Start with whose work you love and whose personality suits you, then look at price. You might find your favourite photographer is more affordable than you expected, or that the one you love is worth adjusting your budget for.

What I’d caution against: choosing a photographer purely because they’re the cheapest option. You often find out why on the day.

4. Read their reviews – properly

Not just the star rating. Read what people actually say. Do past couples mention feeling relaxed and at ease? Do they talk about the photographer being calm under pressure? Do they mention moments they’d forgotten until they saw them in the gallery?

Those details tell you far more than “great photos, would recommend.”

Read my Google Reviews here.

5. Ask about backup plans

This is the question most couples forget to ask and it matters. What happens if your photographer is ill on your wedding day? Do they have equipment backup? What’s the contingency?

Any experienced photographer should have clear answers to this. If they don’t… that’s useful information.

6. Ask yourself: do I actually like this person?

This is the most underrated question in the whole process.

You’re going to spend one of the most emotional, intimate, high-stakes days of your life with your photographer. They’ll be there when you’re nervous getting ready, when you cry during the vows, when you’re slightly drunk and dancing at 9pm. You need to actually like them.

Follow them on Instagram. Read their blog. Watch how they talk about their couples. Book a call. You’ll know within about ten minutes whether it’s going to work.

7. Book a call before you commit

Don’t book anyone based on Instagram and a price list alone. Get on a call – even 20 minutes – and see how it feels. Do they ask good questions about your day? Do they listen? Do they make you feel like your wedding is interesting to them?

The photographers who treat every enquiry like a transaction are the ones who’ll treat your wedding day the same way. The ones who are genuinely curious about your plans, your venue, your people – those are the ones worth booking.