"Dear Irina, we are overwhelmed. Every photographer looks good on Instagram. How do we choose?"
It is the question I am asked most often, and it is a fair one. The dress is worn for a day, the menu is forgotten, but the photographs are the one part of a wedding that stays. Here is how I would choose, if I were in your place.
1. Look at whole weddings, not just portfolios
A portfolio is a best-of: ten perfect frames pulled from ten different weddings. Ask to see one or two complete galleries, from getting ready through to the party. That is where you find out what midday light looks like in an ordinary restaurant, what dancing in the dark looks like, what rain looks like. A good photographer is good in the "boring" frames too.
2. The editing has to feel right today and in twenty years
Heavy filters age badly. Look for editing that respects real color: skin that looks like skin, a white dress that is genuinely white. I edit in an editorial register, with contrast and depth, precisely because a magazine look never goes out of fashion.
3. Ask who will actually show up on the day
At the large studios, the photographer in the portfolio and the one who arrives at your wedding can be two different people. I personally photograph every wedding I take, and on the two-photographer collections I always work with the same creative collaborator, in step with my style.
4. Chemistry matters more than you would think
Your photographer is the only vendor beside you from the first hour of the day to the last. If the person puts you on edge, it shows in the pictures. Ask for a video call or a coffee before you sign. If you are not at ease after 15 minutes, keep looking.
5. Read the contract, not just the price
Check for these: the minimum number of images delivered, the delivery window, what happens if the photographer falls ill, who holds the image rights, and whether any travel costs are hiding in there. How transparent a contract is tells you a great deal about how the collaboration will go.
6. Book early
Photographers with a real point of view shoot 25 to 35 weddings a year, and summer Saturdays go a year, sometimes two, in advance. If you have found someone whose work moves you, do not hold out for "one more quote".
I hope that makes the choice a little easier. And if my editorial style speaks to you, see whether your date is still open.