This past week, two different past brides from two completely walks of life, told me that they wished they had hired me as their wedding photographer. They didn’t like their wedding photos, and my heart broke a little for them because I knew exactly what that feels like. I got married before I became a wedding photographer. I did not know the things that I know now, which I’m going to share with you because I want you to LOVE your wedding photos.

Your wedding is a celebration of love, planned as a labour of love, that flies by. Your wedding photos are going to be the tangible memories of this huge life milestone. Your vows will be said, your delicious food will be eaten,  your dress cleaned, and put away. Your own memories of the day will fade. Your wedding photos are the main way you’re going to remember your special day.

Your wedding photographer is in charge of the creation and preservation of these memories. I say creation because we also capture moments on the big day that you won’t see with your own eyes.

Remember that one time you went out for dinner at the new resto that opened, and you couldn’t decide whether to get the pork belly nuggets or the proscuitto pizza? And you ended up getting the pizza, and you really wanted the nuggets after it passed by you on its way to another table? Well you can always go back to the restaurant again, and order the nuggets, but you can’t do that with your wedding photos. If you end up not liking them, you can’t redo it again. Even if you did a vow renewal, it just won’t be the same.

This is why when planning your wedding, your photography should be prioritized. You want to LOVE your photos.

And by prioritized, I don’t mean blow your budget on the photography. I mean put it first above everything else, above the venue, above the dress (I know), above the number of guests, above the favours. The saying “you get what you pay for” rings true especially when it comes to wedding photography. A great photographer can make a no name wedding gown look like couture, and an average photographer can make you look worse in your Vera Wang.

Prioritizing also does not mean you go out and hire the first expensive wedding photographer you find. You want to find a photographer that you really jive with and that you feel really comfortable with because if you don’t feel comfortable with that person, the discomfort is going to show on camera. You’ll also want to look through multiple albums whether in person or digital so you can see that the photographer’s work is

a) consistent- to make sure that this photographer is experienced and legit.

b) something that you really really like. Not just the highlights that he or she has put up on Instagram.

To do this, I highly recommend meeting up with at least 3 different photographers to get a sense of what you want for your wedding photography. I can go on and on about this, but if you have any questions, give me a shout at shelly@shellyspithoff.com.