Your Wedding Day photos will be the one physical item you will take away from your Wedding Day. They will be the memory of your special day. You will want to make sure you hire a Wedding Photographer who is professional, experienced, and easy to work with. We interviewed Laura Anne Watson from Laura Ann Watson Photography to give us some insight into the photography process before and on the day of your wedding. We hope you will find this information helpful in your wedding planning. Here are the questions we asked her and she was gracious enough to answer them for us.

What should couples think about before hiring a wedding photographer? 

Before beginning the hunt for your wedding photographer, I think it’s important to ask yourself these questions: What photography style resonates with you the most? What do you want out of your photography? Where are you getting married? These questions definitely come in handy before you begin your search. There are many different styles to choose from, ranging from light and airy to dark and moody. Some couples love bold and colorful imagery, while others are enchanted by film photography. Knowing what style you gravitate towards is important before looking at photographers. Once you know that, you’ll be able to narrow your search and focus solely on the photographers whose work you know you’ll love. From there, I’d make sure that you like their personality and can see them being by your side on your wedding day. I often joke that I’m with my couples more than their future wife or husband, and it’s true! I’m constantly by their side on their wedding day, so it’s important that we have a great connection. 

What 3 questions should they ask their prospective wedding photographer before booking?

1. “Can we see 2 or 3 full wedding galleries that you’ve captured recently?” It’s important to make sure that your wedding photographer has consistently beautiful work throughout the day.  On any given wedding day, I encounter many different lighting scenarios and activities where I need to creatively and authentically capture moments. Seeing a full wedding gallery will help you determine if a photographer can adequately handle the day well. And you’ll be able to see what they focus on and gravitate towards! Are they only delivering posed portraits? Are they capturing the reception well? Every couple should do this before finding their photographer.

 2. “What is your backup plan if your wedding gear malfunctions or if you can’t make it to the wedding day?” This question is a deal maker or deal-breaker. If your photographer doesn’t have a backup plan for either of these scenarios, then you run the risk of not having wedding photos. Professional photographers will know exactly what to do when these scenarios pop up (even if they are super rare). This question isn’t to scare anyone, but it’s great to be prepared!

3. “What does a typical wedding day look like working with you?” I love it when my couples ask me this question! When they do, I’m able to walk them through a wedding day, noting all of my favorite moments and sharing tidbits of information that they may find helpful. It paints a picture of what your wedding day would look like and how it would flow with this photographer. Plus, it’s so much fun to think about all of the memories you’ll experience on your wedding day!

How long does it take for your clients to receive their photos?

As a film and digital photographer, it most often takes 3-4 weeks for my couples to receive their full wedding galleries. In my contract, it states that photos will be delivered in 6 weeks. But this is simply my policy to give me a grace period in case anything happens to lengthen the process (like a worldwide pandemic!) where I would need more time to pull their images together. However, I do make sure that I share a sneak peek with my couples immediately after their wedding day so that they have photos to share and post! I’m a firm believer in instant gratification! 

What are your thoughts on the First Look? Pros and Cons?

Choosing a First Look is my personal and professional preference for standard wedding days, and here’s why: They give you more time with your spouse on your wedding day, cause less stress due to a more relaxed timeline, and allow couples to enjoy more of their cocktail and reception with their guests. They’re also the perfect option if you’re a bride or groom who gets nervous in front of big crowds.  My husband and I chose to share a first look, even though we only had 18 guests. We did this because we wanted to tackle all the necessary photos before the wedding ceremony so that we could spend the entire evening with our guests making memories. I wanted to enjoy the signature cocktail that Garrett and I picked out. And we wanted to relax after the ceremony and take it all in with our guests. Granted, there are creative ways to make this possible without a first look or scenarios where a first look isn’t the best option! For example, if you’re having a traditional church ceremony or Catholic mass, an Aisle Reveal may be the better option. Most often, Catholic ceremonies take place in the early afternoon, and receptions don’t begin until the evening. This leaves a 3-4 hours gap of time where we can tackle your family, wedding party, and couple’s portraits before cocktail hour begins. This is the perfect scenario to choose an Aisle Reveal over a First Look, and I always encourage my couples to choose this route! In these situations, you still have a longer wedding day together, the timeline is still relaxed because of the gap between ceremony and reception, and you’ll make it to cocktail hour with your guests!

Your Wedding Day is the most important day of your life and the photos of that day will be precious to you! So do your research when choosing a wedding photographer, to make sure you find the wedding photographer who is the right fit for you. We hope that Laura’s tips will help you with your wedding planning! If you want more information about Laura Anne Watson Photography, visit Laura at her website at www.lauraannewatson.com