As you plan for your wedding day, you will endure a wide range of experiences, some of which you will be familiar with prior to this point.  Young brides may have hired a caterer for a past function, or a florist for non-wedding arrangements, and so on.  However, many brides have never sought to employ a photographer, particularly to document and capture what is to be one of the most important days of her life.  Oh, and it is important to the groom too.

So there can be a lot of pressure in this undertaking.  (Minor understatement.)

Despite these concerns, hiring a wedding photographer can be a fun process (or, at the very least, less than stressful).  Most importantly you need to focus on five distinct behaviors and characteristics of a photographer and her business.

1. Rapport

You will likely meet with more than one photographer, and in doing so you will learn a lot about the personality and interpersonal skills of the photographer.  You may meet with one who acts like the stereotypical used car salesman, pushing you to sign on the dotted line while smiling and gazing inappropriately at your mother.  You may speak with a photographer, only to find that she is virtually unable to engage in basic conversation, signifying her lack of social graces.

These are, of course, the extreme cases.  You will, though, meet different personalities, and – like it or not – some personalities match you better than others.  It is the way of human social interaction.  The general rapport of the photographer will be absolutely crucial when it matters most – on the day you are married.  Find a photographer who can hold a conversation, be pleasant, and still get the shots needed.

2. Style

You are hiring a photographer for one primary purpose – i.e., to take photographs at your weddingthat you will like after your wedding day.  You have to like the style of the photographer selected, be that traditional and posed, dramatic with a fashion flair, photojournalistic and contemporary, and so on.  You are hiring an artist, and the art must be something that speaks to your aesthetic sense.  This is, to my mind, the easiest element to determine.  Look at the sample photos, and you may very well have the ‘A Ha' moment.

3. Product

You aren't looking for a photographer so you can later claim that you did indeed purchase the ‘Rose' package, or whatever cute moniker they develop for their most expensive ‘plan.'  You are looking for photographs, usually actual photographs you can touch and show to your grandmother who doesn't have a computer.

What I am getting at here is, you likely have an idea of what it is you want to HAVE – in your hands – after the wedding.  That might be a DVD with high resolution photographs, it might be two hundred 4X6 prints, or an album.  Whatever it is that you really want, you need to be sure that the photographer can produce, not only the item itself, but a QUALITY item.  Albums vary incredibly in style and quality.  Prints produced at your local big box outlet store are NOT the same as prints produced at professional photo printers.  Be sure that you are comfortable with the photographer's products.

4. Professionalism

Let's say you set up an appointment with a photographer to talk about her services and she is twelve minutes late, uttering things like, "wow, traffic was bad," or, "I had a hard time finding the place."  These statements might hold weight in ordinary events, but this is planning for yourWEDDING DAY.  Imagine that same photographer making the same statements after missing the beginning of your wedding.  That is unacceptable.

Suppose that the photographer is on time to your meeting, but is wearing an Iron Maiden t-shirt proclaiming that the Dublin concert in 1984 really was a lot of fun.  You can even like Iron Maiden and still find this dress less than professional.

You should expect, and indeed deserve, a professional photographer – one who exhibits the habits and behaviors ofanybusiness owner.  The photographer will need to know their practice inside and out, and if you ask a question about their business and they seem flustered, then chances are incredible that YOU will be flustered while they are attempting to take pictures of you.  Professional conduct applies in any business, and certainly no less so in photography.

5. TrueGestalt

Psychologists might cringe at my use of the term ‘gestalt' here, but what I am getting at is this:

You are hiring thecompletephotographer.  They will be at your wedding day and play a               prominent role.  You have to like the whole package.

So 1-4 above – rapport, style, product, and professionalism – must come together in a confluence of all the other things about the photographer and yield a complete package that you can support.  This is important because, it is certainly possible that a particular photographer will satisfy your requirements on elements 1-4, but fail in the gestalt overview.  If it doesn't all come together, walk away and keep looking.

When you are able to find a photographer with a rapport that matches your general demeanor, a style that calls to your artistic side, the products that will satisfy you and your loved ones, the professional characteristics necessary for conducting a good business, and the ‘gestalt' nature demonstrating the whole package – you are done looking!  Hire that photographer!

(As an aside, let me go out on a limb here and make radical claim – the price doesn't really matter.  This will rile some feathers, but give it some thought.  If you are comfortable with the above 5 things to look for in a wedding photographer, what is the difference of $500 (or more)?  In the overall scheme of things, this is a relatively small price to pay for a really great service.  Unless, of course, you are planning to get married many more times.  Then you should get your cousin's friend to photograph the wedding who offered to do it for free since he just got his DSLR and would love to learn how to use it.)

This will all take some time, though some brides luck out and meet with the photographer they will hire on their first attempt.  Don't be discouraged if you have to meet with several, though, as the time spent now will be more than worth it on your wedding day.