When Should I Book My Wedding Photographer?

Plus, other wedding photographer questions to help you find the right vendor for you.

The art of wedding planning often comes down to timing. It’s not so much what you do, but the order in which you do it. If you are in the process of planning your big day, you may be sitting there thinking when do I book my wedding photographer? The short answer: sooner rather than later. In today’s blog post I’ll tackle that exact question in detail with the reasons why and some solutions in case you are coming up short on time.

Question: When do I book my wedding photographer?

Answer: After you book your venue.

The first step is to book the venue for your wedding. Once you have a confirmed a date and location, you’ll have a place to start the search for your wedding photographer.

One point to note is that most venues have a list of recommended or required vendors. If you have a specific vendor that you want to work with, this can be a make-or-break decision when it comes to selecting your venue. Just make sure you ask about vendor choice before signing any contracts with your venue.

My venue recommends a certain photographer. Should I go with that photographer?

Venues sometimes recommend a photographer based on the fact that the venue genuinely likes working with that particular vendor. But more times than not it’s because the venue is getting a kickback or the photographer is simply paying for advertising. Just because a vendor is recommended doesn’t mean that this vendor is necessarily the best one for you. Do your own research and find the best photographer that meets your style and budget before assuming you have to pick a vendor from a list handed to you.

Why do wedding photographers cost so much?

Speaking of budget, you may have noticed that wedding photography is expensive. Yes, unfortunately that is a cold reality, but there are a few good reasons. First, those photos don’t edit themselves.

When you’re paying for wedding photography, you’re paying for three times the time. That is, 1) the time it takes to plan the shot, 2) the time it takes to take the shot, and 3) the time it takes to edit, download and display the shot. In general, it takes three hours of work behind the scenes for every hour a photographer holds a camera in her or his hands.

Then there’s also the expense of the experience and craftsmanship of the photographer. Finally, you’re also paying for equipment. Cameras don’t come cheap these days and to keep up with the latest lenses, computer equipment, hard drives, cards, etc. costs a pretty penny.

Bottom line: when should I book my photographer?

You should start researching your photographer as soon as you have nailed down your wedding date and your venue. Ideally, I recommend reaching out to your photographer a year in advance.

Photographers are one of the first vendors to get booked. There are only so many weekends available in the year, and once a photographer is booked for a specific weekend, that’s it. Even if you have a short wedding lasting only a few hours, most of us only book one wedding a day.

When should I book my engagement session?

Plan to book your engagement session 6 to 9 months ahead of your wedding. This gives you the chance to do a test run with your photographer.

Remember that beside your event planner, you’re going to be spending most of your wedding day with your wedding photographer. You need to make sure that you like this person and that your photographer makes you look and feel your best on camera. If you don’t get along well with your wedding photographer, then you’re going to have a horrible wedding day. It’s best if you find this out early during your engagement session.

Your engagement session is also a test run for your final wedding portraits. Your engagement portraits will give you solid examples of what you will look like on camera and allow you time to work out any camera quirks you may have.

Lastly, engagement sessions are an opportunity to visit to any locations in which you would not have time to take photos in on your wedding day.

When is peak wedding season in the Hill Country?

In Central Texas, the height of the wedding season correlates with cooler weather. March through May and October through early December are when most people are walking down the aisle. This is also when most photographers are booked.

If you want to get on a photographer’s calendar during these months, make your reservations now. Saturdays book for in advance, and are the costliest in terms of prices. You may be able to get a discount if you are getting married during the week.

Can my photographer also recommend other vendors?

Yes! Often times a photographer acts as the de facto event planner. I know this often happens with me. In the case of small weddings, I somehow always end up as the event planner for my brides. I actually love this aspect of my job and it’s made me a go-to guru when it comes to knowing all sorts of vendors in the area. (check out last week‘s wedding planning guide for a list of vendors I recommend in the Hill Country area.)

The wedding world is a small world, and everyone knows everyone. Because most couples end up booking their photographer first, we are often able to recommend other vendors — such as DJs makeup artists, hairstylist, wedding painters, etc. — down the line to couples.

Meet Jackie and Ray

The Proposal

Accompanying today’s article are Jackie and Ray, whom I photographed in October. I had the pleasure of photographing Ray’s proposal to Jackie on the steps of the Weston Centre along the Riverwalk.

In case you have never heard of the Weston Centre waterfall, you can read all about it in this blog post. Most people think of the Riverwalk as choked with tourists. The reality is that there are several hidden spots where the tourists never go.

Since Ray was going to be taking his family downtown for lunch after church, I convinced him that the Weston Centre was an excellent spot for his proposal. The plan was to have their respective daughters (his and hers) say that they wanted to take selfies on the steps in front of the waterfall. While Jackie was holding the camera, Ray would sneak up behind her with the ring in his hand. When she turned around, she was completely gobsmacked. It was the perfect proposal.

The Engagement Portrait Shoot

Afterwards, we had a leisurely stroll along the Riverwalk and took some great photos as we walked towards Houston Street. Again, this stretch of the Riverwalk goes virtually unnoticed by both tourists and locals alike. The walkway is landscaped with lush, tropical greenery. There is another set of waterfalls at Pecan Street, which is even more dazzling. These waterfalls look like something you would find in Hawaii.

It was a short shoot as these two had lots of plans to make for a bigger celebration down the road. I wish them both the best!

Final Thoughts

No doubt you’re sitting there in a panic thinking that you have less than a year until your wedding date and still haven’t found a wedding photographer. Fear not! The point of this article is to tell you that you need to book your photographer sooner rather than later.

All too often I get a call from couples asking me to photograph their wedding, but unfortunately, it’s too late and I’m already booked for the weekend. Photographers book up quickly, and you need to know that we’re one of the first vendors to think about once you get your venue squared away. Hopefully today’s article helped you navigate your wedding planning journey with a little more understanding of the process.

Enjoy the images, and as always, I’ll have more photo adventures for you next week!

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If you find this article on ‘When Should I Book My Wedding Photographer?’ useful, then check out these articles:

Looking to say ‘I do’ in Austin or San Antonio? Drop me a line and let’s chat about how I can help you. I have hourly rates, and all photo shoots include editing and high-resolution files.

To view more images from my wedding photography portfolio, please visit my website – KellyWilliamsPhotographer.com