So congratulations - your getting married!! Now you have a tough time going round all the wedding fayres and having a look at what is out there and talking to all the different suppliers. Wedding fayres can be daunting so a few pointers to help you...
1 - Go with an open mind the first few times and don't book anything! Just get a feel for what is around, what the prices are and how you would like your wedding.
DO NOT EVER BOOK ON THE DAY OF A WEDDING FAYRE AFTER ONLY SEEING A SUPPLIER ONCE AT THAT WEDDING FAYRE
All suppliers should give you a contract stating what it is your getting and what they will be providing and what the cost is. You need time to read through this information in your own leisure so don't be pushed by the hard sell! (More on that below!)
2 - After three or four wedding fayres you will have a good idea of what prices are and what you would like for your wedding. It's at this stage that you should set an overall budget (you know what stuff costs now) and then break it down into budgets for your various items such as flowers, cakes, dress, favours, stationary, photographs, cars and venue etc.
3 - You will have picked up a load of brochures, flyers, leaflets, business cards and probably been e-mailed are called a few times if you gave any suppliers your contact details. Go back through all of this stuff and chuck out the crap that you don't like, can't afford or don't want. Only keep the stuff you want.
4 - Do your research! Get online and check out the website's of people you have got info from.
Check the prices - if they are not listed ask yourself why?! Many suppliers will only give you a price after they have seen you / spoken to you and may inflate / deflate the price accordingly. If they are not transparent and honest in pricing will be honest and transparent in your future relationship?
Check the testimonials / referrals page. Make sure they are real!! Screen grabs from Facebook or from e-mails etc can be relied on more than a few words ending in "from Mr. & Mrs.. Smith, October". Check the dates on the referrals - you want up to date stuff, not last years!!
Check what is included in each package very carefully. It's nothing like comparing Apples with Apples but more like Apples with Felt Tip pens! The differences can be that much. If you unsure - get clarification!
Write out a list of questions to ask each supplier. Stuff like business insurance, personal liability insurance, equipment insurance, standbys, backups, times, what's included and what is not included.
On the point about insurance - ask the suppliers to prove they have insurance if your worried! If they can't do it within a day or two walk away. If you have a photographer who uses second shooters, assistants or other photographers to shoot multiple weddings a day (and one in the Langstone / Newport area does) ask to see the insurance of all the photographers and get a named photographer for your day.
Check to see if they have any professional qualifications; and if they have who with and at what level. (There is a particular professional body called the Society of Wedding and Portrait Professionals (SWPP) that many photographers sign up to so prove they are professionals. Check the SWPP out and join up yourself - you only need to pay a fee of around £100 or so! Not really professional if that is all they have done. That is not to imply that SWPP is not a good society or have good standards, just that you or your mam can join and you don't have to be a photographer!)
5 - Go back to the wedding fayres and visit the suppliers you like (they should advertise where they will be on their website's, or ask them). Have another look at what is on offer and ask your questions. Weddings cost a lot of money so make sure you ask those questions!
6 - At this stage you should have a very good idea of what / who you want, so ask to meet them for an in-depth consultation.
7 - If you happy with the in-depth consultation then go ahead and book, get a receipt for your money and make sure you get a contract back.
Final Point... Just because they exhibit at a venue during a wedding fayre does not mean they are a preferred supplier. A preferred supplier will have paid to advertise with the venue brochure and will have a close working relationship with the venue. The venue will have quality checked the level of work they produce to show off the venue in the best possible light. If in any doubt ask the event manager at the venue.
So, a few notes on what suppliers may say / do to get you to part with your money before you have had chance to really think things over...also known as the "Hard Sell" When a photographer says "I only shoot four weddings a day, and I'll have a look at your date now ...amazing I have three booked for the date you want already..." it's a hard sell routine wrapped up to make the photographer look busy. They really really want you to book and try and scare you into loosing the date. Do you want a photographer to scare you?! If it a price thing, don't worry. There are lots of photographers out there with a wide margin of price ranges. Don't be pushed, don't be scared!
Oh...If they shoot four weddings a day there is only 25% chance of getting the person your talking to. That means there is a 75% chance of a total stranger coming to your wedding to photograph your day. Do you want a total stranger coming to your wedding, and more importantly do you want a total stranger coming to your wedding to take photographs that you will want to treasure in the future. if so, please make sure they have an up to date ECRB. (Get a named photographer for your day to ease you mind and check the ECRB and business / personal liability insurance.)
If an album is on offer with 20 or perhaps 24 images only - ask how much more images in a bigger album will be. I heard many a scary story of couples booking a wedding at £395 which included an album but the extra cost of the images took the total price to around £1,000.
A low cost headline price may not equate to low cost final price.
"If you book today I'll give you a discount." Coupled with the "I only have one slot left for your wedding" is a totally emotional hook purely designed to get you to part with your money very quickly, usually on the day and if you can complete a contract there and then and hand over a cheque, even better!
DON'T DO IT!!! Don't fill in a contract and hand over money on the day! Take it away and read it fully, make sure you understand exactly what your getting for your hard earned cash.
Even if the price is so fantastic and low (and there will be other photographers around at that price range) make sure you know exactly what upgrades cost, what more photos in your album will cost etc.
