Your wedding day will be one of the happiest and most exciting days of your lives, the day you begin your epic journey as a new family. As I now know, it is also a complete whirlwind of a day (no matter how small the wedding!) that will feel more like a vivid dream than reality once it's over. For this reason, it is of utmost importance that you choose the right wedding photographer for you who not only produces beautiful work, but also allows you to enjoy every minute.

To say that the wedding industry is saturated with photographers is an understatement. While this may make my job a little tougher, it is great for couples as they can have their pick of people to document their special day! How do you narrow down the list of shutterbugs? I've created a list with 30(ish) of my most-asked questions as well as a few others I think are important, whether you're booking me or someone else. Today we'll start with the style edition:

1. What is your primary style

Light and airy is the reigning style of the day, but many people enjoy the dark and moody approach. Some focus on high-contrast black and whites while others prefer saturated colors. When choosing a photog, it’s important to pick one whose shooting and editing style matches your preference. I personally take the well-lit HDR-like approach with a touch of vibrance and saturation for a good color punch.

2. Do you specialize in weddings?

The importance of this question is debatable; some pros think that the only true wedding photographers are those who only shoot weddings and some think that a good photographer can thrive with any subject matter. I fall into the latter category: my action sports photography has undoubtedly helped me improve my eye to better capture the important wedding moments, my real estate photography developed my love for symmetrical compositions, and my photojournalism experience taught me to tell a story in every photo or series.

3. How many weddings will you photograph this year?

If you are taking the time to look for a good photographer, then you probably want to get your photos back as well as enjoy the experience. You want to make sure that no matter how busy a wedding season your photographer may have, he or she will deliver. When I went full-time in my business last year I decided to only take on 10-15 weddings a year, not only because I shoot a high volume of sports, real estate, and business branding, but also so that I can give my couples my full attention. Since they will hopefully only have one wedding, I want to make sure that my couples get everything they could want out of their wedding photography.

4. How many weddings like mine have you shot?

This is especially important for religious ceremonies with specific formalities and guidelines, but also useful if you have a specific type of venue, like a dark church or an outdoor backlit sunset. I personally prefer outdoor weddings, but certainly enjoy a good church or indoor ceremony.

5. Have you shot at this venue - will you check it out?

Knowing the ins and outs of a venue, where the light falls nicely and what areas to avoid, is a great asset for a wedding photographer, but isn’t necessary. If I’ve never shot at a particular venue before I make sure to go to the rehearsal so that I can get an idea of the space I am working with and mentally plan accordingly. Side note - the one pictured above is the Crest Center & Pavilion, which happens to be one of my favorite venues.

6. How will you be dressed?

Comfort and style are incredibly important when choosing wedding attire, for brides and photographers alike since we will both probably be on our feet all day. Cultural considerations and weather are two primary concerns and it is necessary to let your photographer know if there are any guidelines he or she must follow. It is also nice to know the formality of the event so that a photographer doesn’t show up in a sore-thumb kind of outfit. Unless otherwise advised, I typically wear all black with gold Toms, because every outfit needs a little sparkle.

7. Do you have a portfolio of weddings OR can I see a wedding from start to finish?

Seeing a full wedding gallery from start to finish (rather than just a couple of images on a front page website slider) is - in my opinion - an absolute must. Unless you only care about a select few images, it is good to know the overall quality of work you will receive. My wedding page shows full galleries from some of my favorite weddings.

8. Is an engagement shoot important?

I could (and probably will) write a full blog post just about the importance of the engagement session. Not only do these photos make great decorations for your reception, but they also allow you as a couple to have some down time during the wedding planning process to just enjoy being together. And, most importantly, they allow you to get to know your photographer so that by the time your wedding rolls around you and your photog are comfortable with each other and can make the best photos possible. I include a complimentary engagement shoot with every single wedding.

9. Do you have packages and can I customize them?

As far as I know, all wedding photographers have some sort of pricing structure in place; either 3-5 packages varying in photography time and products, or a base package with a la carte product pricing. Some allow full customization and some prefer to stick to the ready-made packages. Since every couple is different, I have one base package for each of my shoots with an a la carte menu with my full list of photography products including added time. My basic wedding package starts with 4 hours of photography, a gorgeous fine art album, a viewing appointment, an online gallery to view, share, and order photos, and a flash drive of all photos included in the album. From there, we work together to customize your wedding package adding anything from more time to parents’ or engagement photo albums to thank you cards to the full gallery of digital images.

10. What info do you need from me?

The answer to this is generally anything that will inform how I should photograph your wedding. Immediately after booking with me, I send out a questionnaire to get to know each couple and get ideas for our engagement shoot. In the months leading up to the wedding we work together to figure out a photography timeline, create a shot list, create a list of vendors for me to send photos to afterward, and discuss all other details. For this purpose, multiple email conversations and/or consultations are encouraged.

Stay tuned for next week's post on Wedding Day Logistics Questions!