Top 5 Tips for Choosing a Wedding Photographer

These days the wedding services market is flooded with professionals as well as amateurs. Some brides choose the photographer with the most attractive prices, some decide to invite the guy who photographed her best friend's wedding and others go by their gut feeling.

But how do you choose YOUR photographer? Here are some tips that will help you make the right decision:

1. Scrutinize and study the photographer's portfolio. Find their website, Instagram, Facebook page – all you can get your hands on! The way the photographer posts their private photos can say a lot about their tastes! If you are dreaming of classical, modest photographs, it will be much harder to get them from a photographer who always asks newly-weds to jump and make silly faces.

2. Generally speaking, wedding photographers publish only about a third of all the photos from a celebration on their websites. Don't be shy to ask for the others if you, for example, didn't find any shots with the cake or the first dance. (Did the photographer smudge all the shots or did this couple have no cake?)

3. If a photographer offers a trial photo session – don't pass up on the opportunity! You can score double points for arranging trial make up to be done on the same day. You will get to see how your make up looks on the photos and get to know the make up artist and the photographer! Doing so will take away any uncertainty and stress of dealing with them on the Big Day, which is definitely something you don't want. As you will probably arrange for this quite some time in advance, they will be like some good old friends you are glad to see by the time your celebration happens!

4. Pay attention as to what the photographer puts emphasis on. Do they ask you lots of questions to make this work for you, or do they take a more of an authoritarian stance, dictating their own rules on what the venue should be like, and what the guests can or cannot do? A good photographer will listen and make recommendations that are up to you to follow. A real professional will be able to work at any venue under any circumstances and your nanny taking photos on her phone definitely won’t interfere with their photography!

5. And finally, the most important advice. Your wedding photographer is someone who will be very close to you during the Big Day. So find someone you enjoy being around. Find a person you can laugh with as your smile is the beginning of a good photo!

Many thanks to Lily Vilde, a Gold Coast based professional wedding photographer for help in writing this article! You can check out more of her works on the official websitehttps://www.goldcoast-weddingphotographer.com.au

Depending on how many ladies are having makeup will depend on the time frame needed for the makeup to start. This is determined between myself & the photographer who is doing your wedding.

From my 18 years experience in doing makeup for weddings its always best too have more time than not enough, as there are always reasons for the makeup to be held up, flowers arrive etc

Plus bridesmaids always somehow dissapear when I'm ready for the next makeup :)

Parking Fee's for hotels

Most hotel venues have visitors parking available for the makeup and hair teams, if however there isn't parking available & no parking is available on the street, the paid parking costs need to be covered as well.

Hair preparation

Wash your hair the night before always leave your hair too dry naturally. Do not put any serums or argan oils into your hair at all.

Travel

I do travel between Byron Bay, Gold Coast & Brisbane

Travel fees are

$20 for 30 minutes & under (to the location)

$40 for 30 minutes to 1 hour

$60 for 1 hour to 1.5 hrs

$100 for over 1.5 hrs

( minimum of 6 people for travelling over 1.5 hrs)

Deposit

A non refundable $50 deposit is paid to secure the wedding day & this $50 will be taken off the total cost of the makeup on the wedding day.

Wedding date rescheduling is only allowed in cases of emergencies & for any other reason a minimum of 2 months notice is required & then 50% payment of the total cost of the wedding is required for my company to keep another date free for your wedding.