As a couple planning your dream wedding, you want to make sure that your wedding photographer captures all of the special moments from your big day. After all, your photos will be the lasting memories of this special event long after the day has passed. So, it is important to ask your wedding photographer the right questions before deciding on one. Here are three questions you need to ask your wedding photographer before signing the contract.

What’s Included in Your Package?

When looking at various packages, this should be one of the first questions you ask. You want to ensure that you know exactly what each package includes so that there are no surprises later on. Make sure that you understand if it includes an engagement session or merely just the day of coverage and what other services come with each package – like prints and albums. Most wedding photographers will even customize a package to fit your wedding day needs, so don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.

Do You Have Backup Equipment?

No matter how experienced a photographer is, unexpected things can happen on a wedding day – like equipment failure or bad weather conditions. It’s important that your photographer is prepared for any situation by having backup equipment available – so make sure to ask them if they have a back up plan in case something goes wrong with their gear during your big day. If your wedding photographer doesn’t have TWO full-frame cameras, don’t hire them.

It’s also important to ask your wedding photographer about their back up systems. My rule of thumb is, if it’s not stored in 3 places, it’s not safe. If you’re curious, here’s my backup process:

First, I shoot all my images on dual slots which means as I take the photos, they are saved to 2 SD cards. When I get home from a wedding, I immediately back all the photos up on an external hard drive. The SD cards won’t be erased until the gallery is delivered, so there is my 3 storage places. However, I go an extra mile and back up all of my hard drives to an online storage software called Backblaze. So at the end of the day, your photos are stored in 4 places in case the worst happens.

Can I See Samples Of Your Work?

This is an essential question to ask as you need to make sure that you like the style of photography being offered by the photographer and feel comfortable with them behind your camera on such a special occasion. Ask for samples of past weddings they’ve shot and whether or not they can show full wedding albums from past clients – this way, you get an idea of how your entire wedding album could look like. This will give you peace of mind knowing that their style fits yours and allows for confidence in choosing them as your photographer for this milestone event.

View one of my FULL wedding day galleries by clicking here.

Additional Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer

Choosing your wedding photographer is one of the biggest decisions. You may also want to ask them some of the following questions: How many photos will I receive from our day? Can I download and print them myself or do I have to print through you? Will you help us pose? Do you create a timeline and shot list for us or do we have to supply you with one? How well do you work with dogs, large families, children, etc? What is your favorite wedding day snack? Okay, that last one maybe you don’t have to ask, but mine is chocolate donuts hehe.

Your wedding photos are going to be part of some of your most cherished memories from this special occasion, so it’s important take time when selecting a photographer who can capture all of these moments effectively and artistically. Asking these key questions will help ensure that you find someone whose work matches both your vision and budget requirements – so don’t be afraid to take time when selecting someone who can document every moment perfectly!