Herts &amp; Beds


<p>The wedding industry can be a minefield and notoriously costly, so how do you make informed choices about which suppliers to put your faith in for your special day? We asked Bedfordshire-based wedding photographer, <a href="https://lornanewmanweddings.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lorna Newman</a> for her advice on how to find a good fit and the all-important questions you need to ask before saying &#8216;I do&#8217;. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="800" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/Lorna-Newman-800x1000.jpg" alt="Lorna Newman" class="wp-image-79736" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/Lorna-Newman-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/Lorna-Newman-640x800.jpg 640w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/Lorna-Newman-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/Lorna-Newman-420x525.jpg 420w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/09/Lorna-Newman.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Wedding Photographer, Lorna Newman</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-get-some-recommendations">Get some recommendations</h2>



<p>As well as speaking to friends and family, ask your venue for their recommended suppliers that they have worked with &#8211; the bonus of that is that the photographer will have likely shot at your venue numerous times and know exactly where and how to get the best snaps. But even if they don&#8217;t know the venue they should offer to do a recce of it for you ahead of time so they can do the best job on the day. Social media is a great way to find suppliers too and wedding fairs are a good way to meet people in person as well as getting lots of ideas for your day in one hit. And look at real reviews &#8211; dig deeper than the photographer&#8217;s own website. What are the Google reviews like? </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-arrange-a-meeting">Arrange a meeting </h2>



<p>Before committing, arrange a meeting or Zoom call &#8211; you might love a photographer&#8217;s work online but it is really important that you actually get on and feel comfortable with them. You want yourself and your guests to have the best experience possible and for the photographer to blend in to the day as well as getting the job done efficiently. Once you&#8217;ve booked them in, it&#8217;s a good idea to set up a pre-meeting a month or two before the day &#8211; by this time you&#8217;ll be ready to brief them on timings and what your requirements are, but also make sure they are around to support you leading up to the day in case you have any last minute questions. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Lorna-Newman-1.jpg" alt="Lorna Newman confetti wedding photography" class="wp-image-71432" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Lorna-Newman-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Lorna-Newman-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Lorna-Newman-1-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-check-that-they-have-back-up">Check that they have back up</h2>



<p>A professional photographer should have plenty of back up equipment (that is regularly maintained) in case of any unforeseen circumstances on the day. They should also keep extra back ups of your images after the day (both onsite and offsite). You should also ask if they have a back up plan should they be sick or unable to make it on the day themselves &#8211; such as colleagues or other trusted photographers they know who could step in. Hopefully it won&#8217;t be necessary but you don&#8217;t want to be left without a photographer to capture your Big Day in the worst case scenario. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-the-contract">Read the contract</h2>



<p>Ask about any terms and conditions and if they use one, check the contract on booking. This is to protect both parties, and just lets you know exactly where you stand. Be clear on how much the booking fee is to secure the date (and make sure it&#8217;s locked in once this has been paid), clarify when the next payments are due and be sure to check that they have good insurance and public liability cover in place. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="671" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Lorna-Newman-5.jpg" alt="Lorna Newman wedding photography" class="wp-image-71431" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Lorna-Newman-5.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Lorna-Newman-5-800x537.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Lorna-Newman-5-782x525.jpg 782w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-know-what-s-included">Know what&#8217;s included</h2>



<p>Most wedding photographers will offer a number of packages which vary in price, so be clear about what they do (and don&#8217;t) include as you don&#8217;t want to be stung with an additional bill when you get home from your honeymoon. For example, are travel costs to the venue included? Do the images come with a print licence so that you&#8217;re free to print your images whenever you wish? Will your final set of images be edited, and how many should you expect to get? Are prints or albums included as part of the package? </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brief-them-clearly">Brief them clearly </h2>



<p>Have an idea in mind about what sort of pictures you are looking for and how you want things to work on the day. If you just want to keep it candid and natural, make sure you let your photographer know that, or if you are looking for something more creative, talk to them in advance about your ideas to see if they understand and are able to work with your vision.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Lorna-newman-wedding-photography.jpg" alt="Lorna newman wedding photography" class="wp-image-85426" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Lorna-newman-wedding-photography.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/Lorna-newman-wedding-photography-800x534.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ask-when-you-ll-see-the-pictures">Ask when you&#8217;ll see the pictures </h2>



<p>Most couples will be dying to see the pics of their big day, so to manage expectations, check how long it will take for your photographer to send the photos to you &#8211; sometimes they might send you a sneak peek a few days after the wedding, but if they are booked up with lots of other events afterwards, it could take weeks or even months to edit the full set for you, so make sure you are happy with the timeframe they set out. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-finally">Finally&#8230; </h2>



<p>Once you&#8217;ve chosen a photographer you love and all the details and timings are in place you can be confident that you&#8217;ll receive some beautiful images of your Big Day to treasure forever. A great photographer will be worth every penny and you won&#8217;t regret spending the time on doing your research. </p>



<p><strong><a href="https://lornanewmanweddings.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lorna Newman</a> is a wedding photographer in Bedfordshire but also shoots weddings and events across the UK and abroad. </strong></p>


How to choose a wedding photographer: 7 things to know before you book

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