An important aspect of planning your wedding is hiring a good photographer. This can be one of the most crucial decisions that you will make when choosing your vendors. Since photographs will give you the opportunity to relive your wedding for many years to come, make sure you choose wisely. Your wedding pictures will become precious memories and mementos for your children and grandchildren to enjoy, why not choose the best possible photographer you can. Even if you have to reach a little above your budget, your pictures are not the place to skimp. Style The style of the photographer can be an important part of your decision. When looking for your wedding photographer, research websites and portfolios. Most reputable wedding photographers will include a portfolio of their work on their website. Here is where you can see their technical style of picture taking. A popular style today is digital photography. This style is often used to enhance pictures and can be used to display color and black and white in photographs. Some photographers still utilize traditional picture taking, or can combine these two styles to your pictures. Deciding which style you prefer, can help you in choosing the right photographer for you. Know what's included As you begin your research, you will realize that many photographers will post their pricing in a package. Packages can range from extensive and expensive to more affordable with less included. Knowing your budget can help you choose the right package. If a parents album or a large framed photo of you is important to you then make sure that they are included. If not, check the pricing for extras. This way you can inform family and friends of the prices if they decide to order something extra after your wedding. Be prepared When interviewing photographers, as well as after you make your decision, have a list with you. When you know exactly what pictures you want taken, this takes a lot of pressure of you on your wedding day. Things get chaotic during your reception and the last thing you want to have to worry about is if all of the pictures you wanted taken are done. If you have a list of pictures that you definitely want done this will make everything easier. Present this list to your photographer prior to you leaving a deposit and signing a contract. This way, there is no confusion about exactly what you want done. If having several candid shots of you and your husband are important to you, then write that down. If you want several still shots of your bridal party or your elderly grandmother, then put it on your list as well. Your wedding pictures are your only way to relive your special day. Since many women plan their weddings several months in advance, you want to be sure to do all you can to have this day preserved. Even though it takes months of planning, the short time of your wedding day will go by very quickly. Be sure that your photos depict exactly what you worked so hard to put together.

And now, for a 'horror story......' "Thanks for all your replies. I don't know about copyright and that is why I asked. About the legality of the photos, who committed a crime? Me or the Tog? (photographer). I say the Tog for producing shots like he did for a huge some of money. When we first got the photos back I was a little understated by them but the wife says 'Thats nice, not bad, look at my hair in this one, the dress is a bit tight in this one, what a lovely shot of the rings' etc. All in a gooey eyed bid for the last piece of romance of the day, but to be frank, now that I have seen what even amateur togs can do, the photos are plain rubbish. Even my wife agrees now. Its too late to have the photos retaken and because its been 2 years and we could not go through all that again (all the family arguments, kids running wild, drunken men (me I think) the wife getting back in her dress, no offence darling, dads dancing, the old chin rub off the gang of elderly aunts). I doubt I will get a refund and I do not think even my wedding insurance would cover poorly taken photos. So you see why I want to do them myself. The tog had used digital for the first time at my wedding He does not have them stored anywhere. Thanks again for reading and come and visit me in Strangeways......."

The above is a lesson to us all, and it could have been far worse of course. As smart as new cameras are, the latest Canon and Nikon models do not make 'Geof in Accounts' a photographer, despite his weekend venture. His camera, albeit a clever one, cannot be polite to your guests. Nor can it be expected to act professionally under pressure. It won't have a clue what to do if it rains during the photos. I've got a fantastic toaster. It's pressed in high grade polished steel, has 6 slices, various settings and produces the best toast ever. But it cannot re-plumb my house. And Geoff in Accounts cannot produce the high quality wedding photography your wedding demands. I can take my toaster back if I want to. Geoff in Accounts is unlikely to be insured, so if you want your wedding memories potentially marred by protracted litigation, choose Geoff! Alternatively, do not leave it to chance and choose a genuine professional, and not what we call in the trade, a 'weekend warrior'. A simple rule of thumb for budgeting is to allocate roughly 10% of your budget to your wedding photography. Saving a few hundred pounds now might seem like sound economic sense, but in 20 years time neither you nor your partner will care what they cost. Similarly, using a 'budget' wedding photographer now is highly likely to cause you regret in the future. As with everything in life, you really do only get what you pay for, and penny pinching on your wedding photography is as risky as using 'budget' tyres on your car, for example. If you are exasperated by the choices on offer and lost for direction, please do not hesitate to call us. Believe it or not, we want you to have outstanding Wedding Photography even more than you do. We are 200% committed to raising quality standards in Wedding Photography and do not pull our punches. Feeling lost? Call us, we do not bite. We do not even charge you. We want to hear from you, guide you through the minefield, and above all, we want you to be utterly delighted by your chosen photographers photography. After all, you do not get married every day, so record it with the best. Choose wisely. We are here to help you find a wedding photographer. Some Photography organisations give 'qualifications' or the right for a photographer to use their initials after a photographers name simply by joining and paying their joining fee. We recommend the MPA and BIPP. RPS are also reliable. We do not recommend any other organisations. A very common organisation does NOT perform any quality checks and carries no right to issue 'Professional' qualifications and is misleading photographers as well as brides to be. So please remember, as exciting as your plans are, when you put your dress away after the event, your main source of memories will be your Photographs. These need to be cherished by not only you but generations of your family yet to come, so lets get it right and let's do it properly. The very best advice I can give you is to not cut corners on this aspect of your wedding. Set a realistic budget and choose a genuine professional. It will be too late after your wedding if the photographs are of poor quality. In recent years many have opted for 'budget' or 'weekend photographers' and now bitterly regret such poor choices. So choose wisely. Call us for help if you would like to. Castle Weddings, Scotland, Italy, Croatia, France, Chateau weddings, last minute weddings, all coming soon. Serving your needs with the very best out there. Dont forget to check in with us regularly for updated news nd new suppliers from the regions you want to marry in, from Marche and Tuscany to Las Vegas!

Still think it will never happen to you? NY Times report here, January 2008. 500 compliants trigger lawsuit.

Please consider the environment when making your Wedding Plans.......we dont want to make you feel guilty about jetting off to a desirable wedding location, after all who can blame you? So please visit our freinds at Greenpeace for ideas on reducing your carbon footprint, and why not consider planting a tree as part of your service or reception, making a lasting testament to your relationship and marriage. Please consider making a donation for their invaluable work.

Wedding Photography World