Finding our Photographer

When we first started planning our wedding, I honestly didn't get what the whole big deal was with photography. Did I want excellent wedding photos? Sure. Was there any way I was going to spend an arm and a leg on my photos? No way.

Ha! Famous last words.

The Architect and I figured out pretty quickly that we were in the market for a photographer who shot in a photojournalistic style. We just loved the look of natural pictures, rather than lots of posed images. I discovered a few resources, like the Wedding Photojournalist Association to help me with my search.

And then I discovered pictures like these:

This photo, and the rest below are all by Alternate Angles

love love love how absolutely hilarious this bride is finding her wind-blown veil

...and this one has just the best expression on her face, non?

And in that moment I totally understood why it is that people end up spending tons of money on wedding photos.

After seeing these photos, I was totally ruined. Now that I knew what was possible with wedding photography, I knew that I would never again be happy with just "average" wedding photos. At this point my search for a wedding photographer began in earnest. I was going to find someone who could take absolutely stunning photos and who could also work within our budget (not tiny, but not huge either), if it was the last thing I did. ...and wouldn't you know it, in the end our search for our dream photographer was over almost before it started.

Is photography a high priority for you in planning your wedding? Did you have a difficult time finding your photographer, or did you find someone right away?