If you're an engaged couple just starting your wedding planning, here are a few tips to help jumpstart the process:
FIRST, select a potential wedding date and start your guest list. These two things will determine a lot of things to follow, vendor availability, expenses, etc. SECOND, make a list of desired venues and start calling for availability. Your wedding venue, photographer, and caterer will be the most important to nail down first. These three things book up quickly and dates can be limited up to 2 years out. THIRD, once you’ve gotten some available dates from your venue, call Emily Clark Photography to see if I have your desired date available. Once you’ve confirmed both, BOOK THEM! Reserve your date immediately and you can build from there.
About your venue: If you want to have some say in your planning, avoid booking a venue that makes you use their own vendors. It limits you from being able to have your choice of say in many things. Caterers all provide their own flavors and quality of service. It’s like being forced to use one restaurant that they select for you. Photographers are another vital thing to your wedding day and not something that you want someone else picking for you. We all offer our own style and service, and an eye for what we capture. You get one chance to have your wedding photographed. Using the venue’s photographer will give you the same wedding photos that every other couple gets from that venue. Now if you don’t want to have any say in your wedding, that’s up to you.
I have numerous brides contact me for photography not realizing they cannot select their own photographer. Some end up cancelling their contract with the venue, but that ends up costing much more than looking ahead at the start of your search. For those who don’t, many end up very disappointed. Enjoy your wedding planning!