When do you hire your wedding photographer?

March 29, 2018 admin

One question that comes up time and time again is “When do you hire your wedding photographer ?”. I’m a not sure why it’s such a popular question because I thought the answer was simple: BOOK YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Seriously, brides and grooms: AS. SOON. AS. POSSIBLE. Why ? (it’s really quite logical, when you think of it):

The Average Length of an Engagement

The average Canadian couple is engaged for approximately 19 months.
After getting engaged and celebrating with family, couples typically choose their date and immediately sit down and start looking for vendors.

Which Vendors get Booked First

The vendors that the vast majority of couples book first are: reception location, ceremony location and photographer.
This means that these major players can book, on average, 15 to 18 months in advance.

Popular Wedding Dates

Some wedding dates are simply more popular than others.
August and September remain the 2 most popular months for weddings followed by July, October, June and July.
If you’re getting married during a popular month it’s more crucial to book your vendors as soon as possible because their stands a greater possibility of them already being booked.

Those where three really great reasons why you should book your photographer as soon as possible. Still not convinced?

Here are a few more key pieces of advice for hiring your wedding photographer (or any vendor):

Email inquiry does not guarantee you the date:

Never assume that just because you sent an email to inquire about their services that the vendor will hold that date for you. Dates are formally reserved only when a deposit is placed and a contract is signed.

Book your consult as soon as possible:

If you are not ready to schedule a consult do not email with an inquiry because there is a good chance that in between the time of your original email and the time that you are ready to finally meet, someone else will have booked them.

Minimize your consults:

Do not wast your time, meeting with a dozen different vendors. Use their online portfolios to narrow it down to 2 or 3, your consult should be the time that you decide whether or not you have chemistry with them – not view their portfolios.

If you love the service your vendor can provide and you really feel that chemistry with them then I suggest booking them at the consult! If you’re sure about your choice of vendor there is nothing wrong with securing their services.

There is always the chance that a vendors prices can increase over time; as the cost of running a business increases a vendor must increase the cost of their services to compensate. When you book your vendor and securing your package, you are securing that price, too! This means that by the time your walk down the aisle rolls around you could be saving a lot of money compared to that vendors current prices.

Your Friendly – Toronto Wedding Photographer

How to Create a Wedding Budget

March 29, 2018 admin

Where to start?

The decision to have a wedding is huge for a couple. They deciding to spend their life together but there is also the strain of affording the perfect wedding. Having everything they want on their special night can be a big strain you finances. The main focus for any couple when creating a wedding budget would be to concentrate on what they are looking to get out of their wedding; how much disposable income the couple has together and how much money they need to have left after planning their special day.

Step #1: Decide your total budget for the whole wedding

This must involve all costs associated with a wedding, from venue to food to the wedding photographer all of the tips that you plan to provide to workers after the fact. Make sure you also take into considerations any minor issues or need for side cash that might arise during the wedding. Generally, an extra $2000 would be recommended just because it is always good to have a nice bumper fund.

Step #2: Consider all of the possible items, venues and food that you will have at your wedding

Sometimes, this step is easier to accomplish at the end of doing some basic planning for your big day. Until you know more than the basic details it’s difficult to decide how much everything will cost.

The list below will help you budget:

Ceremony Costs:

Clergy
Altar Decorations
Chair Rental
Chair Decorations
Guest Book/Fountain Pen
Aisle Runners
Ushers
Gratuity
Transportation to Church
Rose Petals or Bubbles for the exit

Bridesmaids/Groomsmen Costs:

Flowers
Bridesmaids bouquet
Bridesmaid accessories
Corsages/Boutonnières

Stationary:

Save the Date Cards
Invitations
Directional Cards/ Maps
Postage
Calligrapher(Optional)
Thank You Notes
Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
Party Invitations (Showers, Luncheons etc.)
Wedding Programs
Address Labels

Outfits:

Wedding Dress
Wedding Rings
Bridal Veil
Bridal Bouquet
Alterations
Lingerie/Garter
Bridal Shoes
Hosiery
Jewelry
Gloves
Dry Cleaning for the couple
Grooms Tuxedo and Alterations
Hair & Make-up Artist ( Click Here for a great one )

Other Extra Costs:

Wedding Planner or Consultant
Location fee for reception
Caterer
Musician
Bar Tender/Servers
Alcohol
Wedding Cake
Table Decorations
Centerpieces
Dishes/Glassware
Linens and Napkins
Tables
Limo or Car
Hotel for Guests

Reception Costs:

Reception centerpieces
Alcohol (Open bar, closed bar or table wines)
Table Decorations
Room Decorations
Dishes, Glassware (usually compiled into full cost of reception hall)
Linens, Napkins, Chair Covers
Dj ( Here’s one we recommend )

Engagement Cost

Wedding Photographer

All Photography and Videography Click here for a link to our price list

Photo Albums
Engagement Portraits
Photoshoot Outfits

Your Friendly – Toronto Wedding Photographer

How Many Photos will I receive ?

February 11, 2018 admin

“HOW MANY PHOTOS I WILL RECEIVE? DO YOU HAVE TWO PHOTOGRAPHERS? OUR BUDGET IS QUITE SMALL, LET US KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO?”

I want to address the hot-button issue of the number of photos that the bride and groom will receive from their wedding. Whenever I receive emails like the one above, I often try to put myself in the bride’s position. I envision that she has several windows open in her web browser and is sending the exact same message to several other Toronto Wedding Photographers. I’m assuming she’s looking to get the most bang for her buck, so she’ll probably end up choosing the wedding photographer who says they will provide her with the most pictures, regardless of whether she actually prefers someone else’s photography style. When it comes to photography, you need to choose the vendor whose style you LOVE. After all, this person will be creating the wedding memories that you will be cherishing for the rest of your life.

“So how many photos do you take at a wedding? “

There is no way of knowing. What I do know is that when I go to a wedding, there’s myself and one other photographer, and between us we have; 4x Camera bodies, 4-6 different lenses, lighting, more batteries than you could ever imagine can fit in a belt pack and about 500 gigabytes worth of memory cards (yes, half a terabyte, which is a lot), and then a few extra just for safe measure. I’m always prepared, and ready to spend 8-16 hours watching the day unfold through my viewfinder, clicking my shutter at every possible opportunity.

What it comes down too

The key phrase in that last sentence was, ”EVERY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY” The amount of photos I take at a wedding depends on:

The length of coverage on the wedding day
The length of your formal photo session
The amount of activity going on throughout the day and evening
The amount of little details and accents that make your day unique

So just how do these four key-factors play into your final image count?

The length of your wedding day:

If you chose a 5-hour wedding package, logistically, you will not receive the same amount of photos that someone who chose a 14-hour package would have. The amount of photos you receive will be somewhat relative to the length of time your photographer is present.

The length of your formal photo session:

Some brides and grooms schedule a large portion of the day for family photos, wedding party photos and formal bride and groom photos. Couples who have 20+ combinations of family photos, have incredibly large wedding parties and want to visit multiple locations for their formal couples shoots will have more photos than couples who choose to take a handful of group photos and then do a quick 20-minute bride and groom shoot.

The amount of activity going on throughout the day and evening:

This is where the candid shots come in. Candid shots are a wonderful way of capturing genuine emotions and reactions on your wedding day. If you choose to get ready in the morning with just two or three bridesmaids, there will be fewer people to take candid photos of. If you choose not to have a receiving line, a cocktail hour or even dancing at your reception, there will be fewer candid opportunities. But maybe that’s what you want, and that’s okay too. Candid moments cannot be artificially created by the photographer – they must occur naturally throughout the day and if the events taking place on your wedding day lead to only a few opportunities for candid shots, there may be fewer candid shots in your final image total, but moments to cherish nevertheless.

The amount of little details and accents that make your day unique:

Part of every wedding image collection are the detail shots: shoes, rings, jewelry, the dress, centerpieces, flower arrangements, cake, decorations, food, etc. If you choose a wedding package that does not include morning coverage, you will be missing out on many of the morning-of detail shots. Also, if you choose to save money by not decorating your reception hall, again, there will be fewer detail shots in your final collection.

For full-day weddings I’ve taken up to 2,000 quality photos. Quality photos are taken with a purpose, and are taken to capture a particular moment or a particular detail. Will everyone’s wedding have a final image count of 1,500+ photos? Absolutely not. It all depends on the aforementioned factors. However, in any event, there are many ways to get the most out of your wedding photography and getting the most out of your photos will help increase your image count, and ultimately, the memories you have of this day.

Your Friendly: Toronto Wedding Photographer

Download Our Price list here

Check out our store front over at Wedding Wire

Tag: wedding photography