Bridal Talk Tuesday – Choosing a Photographer

Happy Tuesday Ladies! I apologize for the later than usual post – I was so exhausted last night after traveling this weekend that I fell asleep while Corey and I were watching a movie on the couch and completely forgot to write my post!

We had a wonderful weekend in South Carolina and were able to spend some time with family and friends, attend a Clemson game, and take our engagement pictures. I am so excited about these! The weather was perfect and the scenery was gorgeous and our photographers are amazing. 

When deciding what to write about for today’s Bridal Talk Tuesday post, I thought about how important the photographer was to us. Aside from the venue, dress, and of course the groom(!), the photographer was the most important decision to make when planning our wedding. I believe nothing else is worth the money you spend on it if it is not well documented. The bride and groom will be the center of attention on the big day and will be so busy, it will be hard to remember all the special moments and the decor that they spent months planning.

I researched at least a dozen photographers but narrowed it down and only interviewed two. While I loved the photos from the other photographer’s portfolio equally as much as I loved the ones in the photographers we chose’s portfolio, it was NOT tough to choose between the two.

During my consultation with the runner-up photographer, she was very professional and kind but the photographers we chose were friendly and fun. They were very organized and professional but also so easy to talk to. We chatted for about thirty minutes before even getting down to wedding talk and logistics in our consultation. It was very important to me that the photographers meshed with our personalities because I really think this impacts picture quality because we’ll be more comfortable and natural around them.

Aside from their personalities, here’s the breakdown of what really sold me on choosing our photographers. 

1.) The pictures in their portfolio were both of phenomenal quality but my own “style” was represented in many of them.

 (This was taken at our reception venue, btw!)

Photos {via}

2.) They had package options that included the things I wanted (e-session, bridals, wedding day, and maybe an album) that fit in our price range. There is no point in falling in love with a photographer, or any vendor, if they are way out of your price range! If I saw a photographer’s packages started at $10k, I closed out of their website immediately so that I wouldn’t fall in love with their portfolio. 

3.) They provide all day coverage. Its important to think about what you want covered on your wedding day. I want pictures of the getting ready process all the way up to our grand exit. Chances are, that will be twelve or more hours. Other photographers I researched offered eight, ten, and twelve hour packages but by the time I chose the twelve hour package, I was also choosing (and paying for), a lot of extras we didn’t want. 

4.) Our photographers are a husband and wife team and both of them will be there all day long. The husband, Aaron, will spend the morning golfing and drinking with Corey and the groomsmen and Kristin will spend the morning primping and getting ready with the girls and then they’ll come back together to shoot pre-wedding and wedding photos once we arrive at the church. Having two photographers was very important to me so that we have all the traditional moments (the exchanging of the rings, the kiss, etc.) but also the candid moments (like our moms tearing up or my maid of honor’s face when we say “I do”) as well. 

Kristin and Aaron Byrum

{via} 

5.) They have positive reviews from other brides. I cannot stress how important this is. I have a friend from college who booked a famous (and extremely expensive!) wedding photographer. While her photos were breathtaking, it took almost a year for her to even receive her bridal portraits. And the only reason she received them then was by filing a lawsuit because the photographer’s delay in sending her the photos had violated state consumer law. Even when you think you love a photographer, you should still check sites like theknot.com or weddingwire.com to read real bride’s reviews about them. 

I am so glad we chose Kristin and Aaron and if you live in the Charlotte area and are looking for a photographer, I suggest checking them out. Corey loves them as well and their professionalism and fun personality made our e-session a success. At the end of the shoot, Corey looked at me and said, “They really made this painless.” He’d been less than excited about the e-session (as most grooms are!) but our photographers did a great job of making us laugh and feel relaxed. 

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