Diary of a Boho Bride – Jo & Paddy, Entry 2: Choosing our Photographer

My gosh are you all enjoying the heatwave we are having? It’s been so hot! I love the UK when the weather is so hot and sunny, it makes everyone smile. I do hope it is here for a little while.  Today we are back on the blog with our regular Boho Bride feature.  Today it is the turn for Jo and Paddy and my goodness they have been busy since their last entry which you can find HERE.

I’ll pass you over to Jo and Paddy………

So a little update from us over here in sunny Kent.  We have around 10 weeks to go and as busy as ever but still enjoying it !!!!

• Furniture booked with Anthology Vintage Hire (www.anthologyvintagehire.com)
• Make up trial done – www.kentbridalmakeup.co.uk
• Wedding dress has arrived in store – eeeeeeek!
• Pre wedding shoot done
• RSVPs are arriving
• Boys suit trip is arranged
• Wedding ring appointment is booked

Choosing the Photographer

Googling and looking for a photographer was left to me! Seeing as I spend my life on my phone it was probably the best decision.  As soon as we starting looking at venues I also started looking, I deemed this to be an important part of our day for a few reasons

•  The photos last a lifetime and provide long lasting memories
• I don’t feel that I photograph well!

I found a photographer who loved outdoors and was everywhere in Kent.  Her photos were lovely and I kept going back and looking at them.  After the venue was booked we also booked an appointment with her.  I was so excited to start meeting suppliers for our wedding.  We were actually getting married, eeeeek!  Unfortunately the photographer contacted us at 2pm on the day of our meeting to let us know another couple had booked and paid.  On the train home from London I didn’t quite know what to do, on cloud 9 in wedding planning mode, and now I’ve hit the floor with a bump leading up to Christmas.  It was easy to say we had lots of time (9 months to go) but I was soon realising good photographers were getting booked up!  After Christmas the search started again looking further afield, well national in fact.  I wanted the right person for our special day.  Each evening before bed I would flash a few photos from websites in Paddy’s face and see what style he preferred.  We narrowed it down to 2 photographers and in January I met with them both on a trip home to see my mum and sister.  I ran through the photos and how well I got on with the ladies, then with Paddy we decided on our photographer which would best match our relaxed and informal day.  Her photos were a different style than we were originally looking at but so unique to what I had previously come across, so colourful, bright and happy. Everything happens for a reason and I’m so glad we managed to book Vicki as our photographer. She has been great to work with so far and I’m sure this will continue.

It was key for us to get a pre wedding shoot so we could get to know how Vicki works but also learn how to be more comfortable around the camera for the wedding day. Something I strongly recommend and personally needed.

We had our shoot with Vicki last month, it was lovely. A trip down memory lane heading back to Southampton, we chose to use Busketts lawn enclosure in the New Forest, a place we used to walk the dogs. The weather was on our side and Vicki’s favourite, so we spent the evening chasing the sun, playing poo sticks and climbing trees.

So our tips on finding the right photographer for you.

• Research – find styles that you like and look at as many of their weddings photos that you can
• Budget – check that the cost works for you and the package meets your needs. Number of photographers, timings, albums, edited, pre wedding shoot etc.
• Are you happy ? – Are they interested in you, do they make you feel comfortable ? Make sure you are happy with who you chose and you get along! It’s your wedding day after all.

And lastly everything happens for a reason, don’t sweat it. It’s made me realise after my sister going through a similar situation (well it’s fair to say, a lot worse) you will find better than you did first time. So don’t panic or let it get you down, it’s them that loose out at the end of the day.

With Love 

Jo & Paddy xx

• All images from Photography by Vicki