You’ve just gotten engaged, and it’s time to start planning your wedding day! This is a super exciting time for you and your new fiance, but it can also be a little stressful knowing what to do and when to do it — including when to book a wedding photographer.
The photos taken at your wedding are one of the only tangible things you get to actually keep from your wedding day. The cake will be eaten, flowers wilted, decor put into storage or given away. But your wedding photos are something you will look at often and throughout the rest of your life. So it’s important to pick the right photographer for your special day.
But when in the wedding planning process should you book a wedding photographer? Here are a few things to consider as you decide when to book a wedding photographer.
Wedding Date and Venue
The first thing most couples secure for their wedding is your wedding venue, while at the same time picking your wedding date! These two things are important to have nailed down before booking your wedding photographer, so your photographer knows when and where you are requesting their services.
Sometimes, however, couples value the photographer more than whatever venue they choose. If this is you, you are more than welcome to reach out to your favorite photographer to see what dates they may have available, and then pick your venue based on the photographer’s availability.
Busy Season
Wedding photographers (and others in the wedding industry) have a ‘busy season’ that books up quickly! A photographer’s busy season is typically dependent on the weather, because most couples want to get married when the weather is nice. For example, ‘busy season’ in Utah is typically from April-October, when most people get married.
Because of ‘busy season’, if you plan to get married during these popular months, it’s important to book your wedding photographer as soon as possible, before they are fully booked.
Engagement Session
Another reason to book a wedding photographer as soon as possible is Engagement Sessions! Every Wedding Package I offer includes an Engagement Session. This is a great time to get to know each other better, and get you more comfortable in front of the camera before wedding day. I love including Engagements Sessions in my Wedding Packages because this comfortability makes wedding day go so smoothly and photos are more enjoyable for you!
When you book a wedding photographer also affects how much time you have to get your Engagement Session done. If you want Fall Engagements, you’ll need to make sure you book your Wedding Package before Fall. We’ll also want to make sure you have plenty of time for the photos to be edited before you send out announcements!
When to book a photographer for Destination Weddings
I absolutely love photographing destination Weddings and Elopements! Because travel is involved in these Wedding Packages, it’s extra important to book your wedding photographer as soon as you know your wedding date and location! This gives your photographer time to book accommodations, and make sure no other wedding are booked over the days taken to travel to and from your destination Wedding.
Destination Wedding locations often have their best weather during ‘busy season’, so it’s especially important to book your photographer early!
When to book a photographer if you’re Eloping
Many of my Eloping couples know what date they would like to get married, but don’t know where they would like to Elope. Or they know what location they want to Elope at, but don’t know what date to pick. If this is you, still reach out about your Elopement Photography!
All of my Elopement Packages include planning assistance, including helping you pick the best location based on what you would love, or helping you pick a date based on where you would like to Elope. In either case, I suggest reaching out about your photography as soon as you’ve decided to Elope! I’ll help you through the whole process, including picking the when and where! Reaching out early will give us the most flexibility when planning your dream Elopement.
Let’s take some pretty photos!
If you’re on the lookout for a photographer to capture your love story, let’s chat!
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