These general tips are based on my experience as a wedding photographer, but also as an ex-groom, because of course I was once planning a wedding myself and went through the whole process from beginning to end.
These are not the standard tips that you can find everywhere on the internet but mainly focus on the big picture. They will help you make the choices necessary to plan your wedding.
By this, I don't mean whether you think it is important to get married in a castle or on a farm. Or that you think it is important that a photo shoot takes place on the beach or in the forest. Core values are much more emotional.
Just list a few for yourself. What do you find important in life and do the people you hire for your wedding share these values?
Just to name a few examples:
- Honesty
- Openness
- Involvement
- Passion
- Etc.
The values you write down are crucial for your final choice, be it a photographer, DJ or wedding location. Do you have multiple options and you really can not choose? The one that is best in line with your core values is the best choice!
Answer the following questions for yourself:
- What is the total budget? And how can the budget be divided?
- What day do you want to get married? Do you have a special date?
- Where do you want to get married? Should it be easily accessible to all guests? Do you want to sleep nearby or drive home after the wedding?
- At what location do you want to get married? A castle? The beach? The forest?
- What do you want to remember and how? Photography, video, both?
- What style do you like? Journalism, creative, emotional, a mix of styles? Do you like colourful photos?
- Do you want a DJ, or a band, or something else? And what kind of genre?
etc.
Determine what exactly you are looking for, that will make the search a lot easier.
And yet, even now, thousands of fantastic wedding venues, hundreds of great DJs, and just as many fantastic photographers remain to choose from. It is impossible to speak to all of them and if you contact too many, you will make it unnecessarily difficult for yourself.
Look carefully at what you are looking for and include your values in the choice. Do you value openness? Then look for someone who already tells a lot about himself on his website. Do you find involvement important? Maybe ask for some tips and see how involved the person is and if the answers really show commitment. Based on this, it is then good to limit your choice to a maximum of 3 suppliers per category and ultimately make a choice from these 3 suppliers.
Weddings are planned well in advance. A year in advance is common, but I also have wedding couples who have been planning 2 years in advance.
As a result, not every supplier will be available on your date. That is why it is good that once you have written down your options, take action and start the process of making your final choice as soon as possible.
Only by entering into a real conversation do you get to know someone. Ask questions and be critical. You only make this choice once so make sure you are well informed to make the right decision. And that applies to every supplier; from wedding location to the make-up artist, the photographer and the DJ. Everyone should be expected to understand their profession and provide you with clear information.
Roxy and I may be a bit of an extreme case, but because we knew exactly what we wanted in advance, it was very easy for us to make decisions. For example, only one visit was enough for the wedding location. We knew immediately that it was perfect for our big day and have not visited any other wedding location. It was the same case with our photographer, we knew what we were looking for and made our decision during our first meeting.
This does not mean that you have to do the same, but at some point, you will have to make the decision. If you have a lot of doubts between, for example, two photographers, look beyond their work or what they offer and look at the person and whether their values match your own.
This is the end of the blog post.
I hope I was able to give you some new insights that can help you plan your wedding. Feel free to contact me if you have specific questions or would like to receive some extra information.
Scroll down for more articles to help you prepare for your wedding.
Bart Rondeel Photography
Paul Krugerkade 39
2021 BN Haarlem
(+31)(0)6 106 94 640
info@bartrondeel.com
All images on this website are made and owned by © Bart Rondeel Photography (unless otherwise stated). Webdesign by © Bart Rondeel Photography 2020. The general terms and conditions and privacy statement apply to all assignments.
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If you are still searching for your wedding photographer, it might be better to request my free brochure first. Here I share much more information about my working method, discount packages and extras that you can all expect when you book me.
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The choice for your photographer is a very personal one. In addition to the photographic style, the character and values of the photographer are one of the most important criteria for making your choice. When I hire someone, I like a personal approach where communication and quality is of a high standard. It is for that reason that I also apply this method as a photographer myself.
You can expect this approach from me straight away. Call me, app me or e-mail me and you can always expect a response. I can often be found on the mat, the mountain bike and photographing at other weddings, so sometimes I won't be able to respond straight away, but I will get back to you as soon as I can.
So a personal approach is very important to me and that is why I also would like to get to know you as a couple. During our introduction meeting, it is therefore mainly about you guys. I want to know everything about you, because the more I know, the better I can capture the wedding day for you.
Have a look at the photo below. I knew that the bride had a special bond with her grandfather so I was constantly looking for the right time to capture that bond. This has become one of the most important photos for this bride.
Of course, we will also talk about the planning and how photography, and especially the portraits, can best be fitted into the schedule of your busy wedding day. I have all sorts of practical tips which you can use for your wedding. I would simply like to hear everything about the wedding day so together we can also make the photos to a great success.
You'll also get access to the online portal. Everything about our collaboration ends up in this online environment. During our introduction meeting, I can explain everything about the online portal.
In addition, you can always contact me during the preparations for questions or tips. Changes to the schedule can be communicated through the portal, I will see any changes you make instantly.
Shortly before the wedding we will schedule a call to go through all the details for the last time to make sure that I am aware of everything that will happen during your wedding day. And then the time has finally come!
Nowadays the internet is indispensable in our daily lives. Everyone owns a smartphone and is online nowadays. This is why I use the most modern tools to provide an experience for you as a wedding couple where convenience, clarity and style are paramount.
All the couples who book me as their wedding photographer receive a complete package. This includes access to the online portal. Not only is this a very cool and handy tool for you, but it's also software that I use on a daily bases and makes sure that all my services and communication run smoothly. In addition, the portal also includes an online gallery that is easy to share with friends and family and can be used to download the high res images, so you can store them yourself. Wonder what your album will look like? The design proofing function will help you to see the design and approve it online.
An online environment where all your photos can be seen and can be shared with all friends and family after the wedding. In short, that's the gallery.
USB sticks are already old fashion these days. Technical developments are going forward so fast that the newest laptops no longer have a USB input anyway. Everything is connected to the internet and that is why the online gallery is so enormously valuable.
It is fast, simple, looks nice and very important nowadays, it works flawlessly on all devices. Details such as security and accessibility have also been thought through and photos can even be organised into different categories. Have a look below.
You get exclusive digital rights to be the only one to be able to download the files in high resolution and of course without my company logo. Also, you can decide which photos can be seen by friends and family. You may find some photos a bit too personal and you don't necessarily want to share them, you can easily hide these photos from others who visit the gallery.
The gallery also contains useful functions to select your favourites. This feature is most often used to pick your photos for the wedding album.
Are you interested in ordering prints? Then I can even create a prints gallery for you in which you can easily see what the photo looks like on the wall.
After I have received your favourite photos selection through the gallery, I will start designing the album. The layout depends on the size of the album you choose. Photos really do come into their own when they are printed in large format, so I don't recommend selecting too many photos, it will look messy very quickly.
As soon as I have finished the first design you can review it via the portal in the design proofing section. You can browse through the pages and even make notations where you would like to see adjustments. After the requested adjustments, you can approve the design and it will be sent to the producer. Below is an example of a large album 35x35 cm in which the wedding couple asks to make the text slightly smaller.
In addition to these parts of the portal, some formalities have also been considered. There is a page that shows all different album types and materials, there are forms to share some contact details with me (for example the ceremony master or contact details of the wedding venue) and there is a very useful form in which you can fill in the planning for the wedding day so there is never a misunderstanding about the schedule. Even the invoices can be viewed and downloaded.
And the best part, it's all online and available whenever you want!
