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Written by: karen_9 | June 15, 2012 10:46 AM in Wedding Services | 611 views
What do clients look for when choosing a Wedding Photographer
Written by Karen Geaghan, Karen Geaghan PHOTOGRAPHY
Choosing any vendor for your wedding day, whether it be the bride, groom or parents of either doing the research, can be a very time consuming process. Many couples spend their time shopping the internet, others wedding shows and yet others, paper publications and wedding guides. Referrals from friends and family make up the largest percentage of wedding bookings.
Comments received on how couples did their research were also very consistent. Internet shopping was high on the list. One bride “solely relied upon appealing websites. If the website couldn’t get her attention she wouldn’t bother searching the pricelist. One strong suggestion she made for a lot of vendors was to include as much information as possible. She stated bride and groom’s search hundreds of websites and would like to keep the process as uncomplicated as possible. They didn’t want to have to chase vendors down to get basic information”. Wedding shows were not high on the list of how couples chose. Wedding shows were “shopped” but couples did very little booking at these. They often stated they felt overwhelmed and attacked by too many vendors. Paper publications and wedding guides were used to connect to vendors. Couples are still reading these publications then relying on the internet to continue the search. Referrals make up the greatest portion of how clients chose. They either saw the photographer work a wedding or saw the images from a friend or family member. Often times the referral passes through many stages to reach a prospective bride and groom. I include business cards with all my work and ask that they be passed out when the work is shown. It is these present clients that help a business to continue to grow.
When asking present and past couples what was most important when choosing their wedding Photographer, it was enlightening to find a consistency in responses. Pricing was often a large factor when choosing their photographer. Couples wanted, not surprisingly, a good price but also a quality product, flexibility when choosing a plan that worked within their needs, and personable service. Photographer Fit was also very important when finally choosing. Did that person’s personality and style fit the bride and groom and most importantly meet their style needs? Did they put the couple at ease and would they be able to work the function and seemingly be “invisible”? Almost every response included these needs when choosing the photographer.
Photographers will remain one of the most important parts of your wedding day. It is those images you will rely on to remind you of how you looked and felt on that very special day. It is not only about the quality of the images but what those images make you feel as a viewer.
My thanks are extended to all the couples who helped make this article possible. The information is valuable to not only engaged couples but to us as wedding photographers
When presenting ourselves and business to potential clients.
