Finding the right photographer for your wedding day can be a pretty intimidating task, as it’s one of the most important decisions you’ll be making as you plan your wedding day. Your photographer gets one shot to document your wedding in a way that resonates with you. These are the photos that you’re going to want to look back on for the rest of your lives after all, so you should love each and every one of them! That’s why it’s SO important that you ask your potential wedding photographer the right questions to make sure they’re the best fit for you and your day. If you’re not sure which questions to ask, or you’re worried you’ll forget when talking with your potential photographer, then you’re in the right place. Let’s check out 15 must ask questions when looking for your wedding photographer!

An LGBTQ couple walk hand in hand towards the camera along a sidewalk outside a building on their wedding day

Packages and Coverage

The first few questions all have to do with your potential wedding photographer’s different packages, coverage options, and more. Just like how every couple is unique, so is every photographer. Just because the first photographer you talked with doesn’t offer timeline assistance doesn’t mean that’s the case for everyone, so be sure you ask all of these questions before booking your photographer.

1. Do You Offer Engagement Sessions?

Are engagement sessions something they photograph, or do they strictly photograph weddings and that’s it? If they do photograph engagement sessions are those included in their wedding packages, or are they completely separate? Engagement sessions with your wedding photographer are something I personally ALWAYS recommend as they’re a great way to break the ice and get to know one another. It takes the awkwardness out of the start of your wedding and allows you to enjoy yourself the second the camera comes out.

2. Do You Offer Different Coverage Options?

With every wedding day being so unique it only makes sense that most photographers offer an array of coverage options when booking with them. Some have a few different packages that they let you choose from in order to find the best fit for your day, others have a base package that they build off of depending on what the couple wants. When inquiring with your potential wedding photographer be sure to ask questions about what coverage options they offer and what would work best for your wedding day specifically.

Black and white photo of a bride raising her bouquet in the air while the groom hugs her as they stand underneath one of Chicago's railways

3. Do You Have Backup Equipment?

At some point or another our technology fails us, like when your charger doesn’t work and you wake up the next morning with your phone’s battery at 8%. It’s unfortunately an unavoidable part of life, but it is something you can prepare for! In the world of wedding photography we of course want each and every piece of gear to work flawlessly on your wedding day, but that’s not always how it goes. The important thing to know then when booking your photographer is how they prepare for scenarios like this. What sort of backup equipment do they bring with them? If the answer is hardly any then you may want to steer clear, the last thing you want is for half of your wedding day to be lost thanks to a faulty SD card!

4. What Do You Include in Your Wedding Packages?

Aside from the photos you’ll receive from your photographer, what other things are included in their wedding packages? All of my clients for instance receive timeline planning assistance for their wedding day as well as a handmade keepsake box with wedding prints and a USB drive of their photos. Of course you want high quality, stunning photos that let you relive your wedding day, but these things can bring your entire wedding experience to that next level.

A bride and wedding guest hug one another during the bride's indoor wedding reception

Getting to Know the Photographer

Before you book your wedding photographer, you’ll also want to ask them some questions to get to know them and their work! Your photographer is the vendor that you’ll spend the most time with on your wedding day, sometimes even more than your partner, so you better enjoy being around them as much as you enjoy their photos! Speaking of their photos…

A bride and groom stand side by side in front of a pond outside of their wedding venue

5. Can We See a Full Wedding Gallery?

One of the most important questions you should be asking potential wedding photographers is to see a full wedding gallery of theirs. Ideally this will be one with a similar layout to yours, both in terms of the timeline and the style of venue. Bonus points if they have a gallery from the venue you’re having your wedding at! When looking through these galleries, pay attention to the different types of lighting, and how the photographer’s work looks in these lighting scenarios. Looking through a photographer’s Instagram only gives you so much info. When it comes to your wedding album you deserve to enjoy every photo from it, not just a few highlights.

6. How Do You Approach a Wedding Day?

Every wedding photographer has a different approach to how we photograph a wedding day. For example, my style is more documentary, which means I like to document my couples in the moments that they’ve forgotten I’m there. I honestly tell my couples to outright ignore me a lot. My goal is to be present in your day, but never intrusive so that you can fully experience your wedding and then relive all of the moments you had no idea I had documented. Some photographers have a much more direct style where they’ll be very involved with their couples and their guests. There’s no wrong style as it comes down to what you want for your day, but it’s a question you have to ask as you need to make sure your wedding photographer’s approach aligns with the photos and experience you want!

7. What Do the Months Leading Up to Our Wedding Look Like?

As your wedding day approaches you’re likely going to have questions come up that you’ll want to ask your photographer. Whether they relate to your timeline, where your newlywed portraits are being taken, or when the best time for wedding party portraits is, these types of questions are bound to come up. It’s important to know then what your photographer’s communication style is. Are you able to text them during work hours with questions? Do they set aside certain dates for you to have a call and run through any questions you may have? Communication is key, so make sure you’re comfortable with their policy before booking!

A bride and groom kiss during their indoor ceremony at a beautifully decorated wedding venue in Chicago

8. What is Your Favorite Part of a Wedding Day?

This is a fun one, as it gives you a little insight into what makes your wedding photographer’s brain tick! This question is particularly difficult for me as I feel like my favorite part of a wedding day is different for each wedding. It’s hard to explain, but it’s those little moments that you almost forget about until you see the photo of when it happened. That little kiss between you two as the three of us head back in from taking sunset portraits, the extra tight hug you give each other during the last song of the night, the way you hold each other’s hands while listening to the night’s speeches. You can see how this question can give you some pretty clear insight into your wedding photographer’s style and if it aligns with what you want for your wedding day!

A groom and one of the guests of his wedding smile at the camera while celebrating at the wedding reception

Knowing the Logistics

While not the most exciting part of this article, this may just be the most important!

9. Will We Need to Sign a Contract?

This first question here is something that you MUST ask, no matter what. If their answer is no, that is about the biggest red flag you can fly! Contracts aren’t just important for your photographer, but also for you, the client. They ensure that the photographer is paid for their work, but also that they perform their work to the level described in that contract. Read through the contract of your potential photographer thoroughly to make sure that there isn’t anything fishy or misleading in it. I know reading contracts isn’t exactly what people look forward to when booking a wedding photographer, but please do not write off how important this step is!

10. What is Your Payment Policy Like?

The next question you’ll want to ask your potential wedding photographer is what their payment policy looks like. Most photographers require an up front deposit in order to reserve your date, but after that things can vary from one photographer to the next. Do they split payments into multiple portions? Do they let you pay early? Are you able to pay with a credit card or only with a debit card? All of this again should be spelled out clearly in their contract, but it’s also a good idea to ask about it as well to avoid any surprises.

11. What’s Your Backup Plan if You Fall Ill or Have an Emergency?

Similarly to how we talked about backup equipment earlier, sometimes life throws a wrench into things and makes your photographer unable to attend your wedding. How they go about rectifying this again should be in their contract, but it’s a good idea to ask about it.

An LGBTQ couple hold hands and smile at one another while standing in a field of yellow flowers as the sun sets behind him

After the Wedding Day

Hooray! Your wedding day happened and it was perfect!! What happens next though?

12. How Do You Ensure Our Photos are Safe?

Before your wedding album is delivered to you, how does your photographer ensure that your photos are safe? Does their camera use multiple SD cards to ensure that there are backups for every image? When do they backup your photos after the wedding is over, and what sort of system do they use to do this? You’ll want to ask your potential wedding photographer these questions to make sure that the photos you’ve been anxiously waiting for actually arrive for you to enjoy.

13. What is Your Turnaround Time?

After your wedding is over, when can you expect your wedding album to be delivered? Does the photographer send sneak peaks before sending out your full album at a later date? If so, when can you expect those sneak peeks? All of this again should be in your contract (by now I’m sure you’re starting to see how important that is!), but it doesn’t hurt to ask as well so you can get the answer from your photographer directly.

Black and white photo of a bride and groom dancing during their wedding reception while their guests dance around them

14. How Many Photos Will We Receive?

This answer depends on a few different factors such as the amount of wedding coverage you have booked, whether or not your wedding day requires a second shooter, and how many photos your photographer typically delivers. Some photographers like to send over larger albums filled with moments and details from your day. Others like to send a smaller, more curated album of photos from the day. Be sure that this style aligns with the album you want for your day before you book with your photographer!

15. What’s the Best Way to Print Our Photos?

Last, but certainly not least you’ll want to ask your photographer how they recommend you get prints of your photos. Are you able to print photos directly through their gallery delivery system? This is often the best option as you can trust the prints to be high quality, and your photographer also gets a portion of the cost of the prints! Otherwise if they do not have this option on their gallery delivery site, ask if they have recommendations for you to use when printing your photos.

A bride and groom hold hands as they smile and exit their wedding ceremony at a church while their guests blow bubbles around them

And there we have it, 15 questions you need to be sure to ask your photographer before booking with them! Knowing this information prior to booking means that you’ll be able to find the right photographer for YOU and YOUR wedding day, which is what’s most important. For more wedding planning tips head over to my blog, and if you’re looking to have me as your wedding photographer be sure to send an inquiry through my contact page! And be sure to ask me these questions once we start chatting!

15 Questions to Ask Before Booking a Wedding Photographer