Cheryl Boyce

Let our years of experience save you from years of regret.

You are getting married!!!!!!

Let’s be real, though. Being engaged can be simultaneously the most wonderful time in your life and the most overwhelming. Choosing the right vendors can be daunting, especially when you’re looking to hire one of the best Toronto wedding photographers to capture your day. It seems everyone and their mother’s, sister’s cousin is a photographer these days and trying to narrow down what direction to go seems impossible.

We feel your pain. Being in the industry as long as we have, we’ve seen a lot. Having the grit, passion and creativity to make it in the Toronto wedding photography industry is not for the faint of heart. But here we are, and we wanted to share with you our best tips on how to make sure you are hiring the best Toronto wedding photographers for you and your event.

First Things First

STYLE — Fall in love with their style before reaching out. It’s important to know if you like the work that they are presenting on their website and their social media accounts. Take the time to check out their work and how they interact with their previous and current clients online.

Here’s a video that we made for couples at the beginning of their photography search. We wanted to make it easy for couples interested in hiring us to get a sense of who we are and what we have to offer before even reaching out. We know you don’t have a lot of time, so we have streamlined our process to be as convenient as possible with online contracts, deliverables and online meetings at flexible times.

DATE — Ensure you have chosen your date and that the photographers you have contacted have it available before scheduling your consultation. If you don’t have your date nailed down yet, spending time chatting with a photographer and then falling in love with who they are and their work could be pointless because dates fill up fast, and by the time you have secured your date, they may be unavailable.

LOGISTICS — If you’re holding your event out of town, make sure to ask if there is a travel fee or if they have room in their schedule to book a wedding that is out of town. Some studios book weddings back to back and need to make sure that they have time between travel to rest and recharge their equipment before heading to the next wedding.

Love Is In The Details

PROCESS — Once you’ve settled on your top Toronto wedding photographer choices, be sure to book an appointment to chat with your photographer and learn their process. Even if they come highly recommended, it’s always a good idea to arrange to have a chat and see what the vibe is between you.

In the meeting, be sure to ask about:

• Deposit structure
• What will they offer in terms of albums, digital files and prints?
• Are the images colour balanced/retouched etc.?
• How will you receive your images?
• How many hours of coverage they recommend?
• If they will be bringing an assistant or if after hearing about your plans for the day, do they recommend a 2nd photographer?
• What is the timeframe for receiving your proofs and images?

We also strongly recommend asking to see a gallery of one full wedding. It’s important not just to see their portfolio but also to see what they can produce from one event.

ENGAGEMENT SESSION– If you are looking for an engagement session, ask when the best time would be to book so you can ensure it can be scheduled before your wedding date.

We regularly advise our clients to consider booking an engagement session if they are on the fence about having one. They are a great way to build rapport and give us a chance to get a feel for your comfortability in front of the camera.

Bonus Tip

Referrals and reviews are a great way to choose your photographer but so is seeing how long a studio has been shooting. It’s important to know if your photographer is invested in their business and if shooting weddings is more than just a hobby.

We can’t overstate enough how important it is to hire an experienced wedding photographer. Being a good wedding photographer in Toronto requires a skill set beyond photography.

You’ll want someone knowledgeable about the city and locations and someone who demonstrates the confidence to work with crowds in diverse situations where different cultural and religious pressures need to be considered and respected.

Your wedding photos are the only thing that will last, besides your undying love for each other, of course, after the wedding. It’s worth it to ensure that you have spent the time choosing the best Toronto wedding photographers for your big day.