Selecting a wedding photographer is hard, there's no two ways about it. There is literally hundred of us in Essex alone and we're all a nice bunch. How do you whittle your way through us to find THE ONE.
After you have looked at their work and created a shortlist, there is 6 questions you must ask to ensure you find the perfect photographer and have peace of mind.
What if you're ill on the day?
Admittedly, this is a very rare thing to happen to any wedding photographer but it DOES sadly happen.
Some will say that they have an alliance with another photographer but they could already booked on the day or not available.
At Capture House Weddings, we're fortunate enough to have 5 full time brilliant members of staff. You won't find another wedding photographer who can guarantee that someone will be there on the day like we can.
When do you leave the wedding?
The amount of times when the photographer leaves as soon as the first dance song ends is outrageous. We've been at some weddings filming and some don't even bother to say goodbye.
We are never in a rush to leave. If you've spent money on entertaining your guests, we sure want to capture your guests having a great time, busting a move or two. Our packages do say up to the first dance but we usually stick around for an hour or so.
Can I see what's physically included in the package?
Nowadays many photographers are including printed wedding albums in their packages. This is brilliant because in our opinion, images are supposed be experienced and a screen does not compare to a beautiful album.
The reason we word it as "physically included" is because it's important to get your hands on said album and take a gander for yourself. There are loads of brilliant suppliers out there who make incredible, hand crafted albums and then there's the cheapest of the cheap. You don't want to be surprised after your wedding with something you could have made yourself on Vistaprint.
It's important to have a great album as photographs are meant to be experienced. Some of our teams fondest childhood memories involve rummaging through old boxes of photos. It wasn’t just the content of the photos that we loved – but the entire experience of discovery. What would we look at next? What would we uncover? If two photos were stuck together, we would carefully prize them apart so we could discover what lay hidden away. It was the smell of the paper and the brittle feeling in our hands. It was the yellowing corners and the names scribbled on the back in biro.
When Capture House Weddings photographs your big day, you are buying the experience that your children, grandchildren and even ancestors. They will flip the pages and debate who was who. They will laugh at the fashions and marvel at how much they looked like you.
How do you work on the day?
Photographers all have different ways of working which is great, they do this to ensure they take wedding photos the best way they know how. But does this work for you?
We include a FREE engagement shoot with every wedding photography booking so you know what to expect or so we can adapt to your requirements.
Not everyone wants to be taken away for an hour plus to take couple photos, we can nip out for 10 minutes here and there to ensure you spend quality time with your guests and we make the best use of the changing light. We're easy.
What and when do I need to pay by?
Again, photographers all work in different ways. The industry standard is a 50% deposit and then the rest a month before the wedding. Some require full payment up front and some have a fixed amount they require upon booking.
At Capture House Weddings we offer 0% interest payment plans meaning you can break payment up monthly up until the day of your wedding via direct debit. We have some couples paying as little as £20.00 per month!
Incredible wedding photography should be available to everyone, no matter your budget.
When can I expect to receive my pictures after the wedding?
The industry standard is 4-6 weeks. As we have a large team, we can half that.
We strive to get a social media preview ready by the next day but this isn't always possible when we have back to back weddings. Either way, you're guaranteed to see your images online within within 2 weeks after the wedding.
We will post your images to you once the album has arrived but this can vary depending on how long it takes you to select your images and our suppliers turn around time. It can take up to 3 weeks to receive the album once ordered.
Remember, there's no such thing as a silly question when it comes to finding your perfect photographer. The important thing is that you like them as you'll be spend the most time with them on the day (including the person you're marrying) and trust them to do a great job.
We hope you have found this useful!