Congratulations on getting engaged! Now it’s time to start planning for one of the most important days in your life – the wedding day. It is no brainer you need to think about where to buy the wedding rings, who’s going to do your makeup, bake your cake, design your gown and before I forget, you need to book for your honeymoon.
This whirlwind of activity calls for planning and prioritizing. What is more important? What should be booked first and what is dispensable?
Oftentimes, on this list of priorities, photography comes last. There is a general myth that photographers are always readily available and hence can get onboard at any time. We want to rebut.
The best time to book your photographer is immediately after setting the wedding date. Far from being narcissists, booking your photographer earlier is of great value to the overall planning of your wedding. Here’s how;
- Booking your photographer earlier allows for an effective execution of your wedding theme. It gives time to your photographer to scout locations, check availability and hunt down props. If you’re having a vintage wedding theme for example, there’s need to look for different vintage locations like railway lines, old car garages, find props such as retro camera, vintage cars, chest trunks and many others.
- Usually, some couples book their photographer after picking a venue. The downside to that is some venues are not ideal in terms of expansiveness and beauty as well as other utilities imperative to the success of your day. The best way to go about this is to first consult your photographer so he can advise on the best locations to choose for your reception. A good reception venue should have multiple advantages including; breathtaking views, beautiful indoor amenities like staircases and exquisite rooms for photo shoots, security, parking space and steady power supply. Such can be found in hotels like Silver Springs, Kampala Serena, Speke Resort Munyonyo, Lake Victoria Serena to mention but a few.
- As opposed to fitting into the budget, booking the photographer earlier keeps you in the know of the photography packages and prices before drafting the budget. Wedding photography is expensive. knowing the prices earlier allows you pay in installments and clear before the wedding.
Kampala Serena Hotel has spectacular interior design perfect for indoor photography.
- Still, you need a comfortable place to get ready and your photographer can advice on the best places when booked early. Street salons are not the perfect choice for a couple since they are always congested and don’t favour the use of some equipment like drones. On the other hand, hotels are convenient, spacious and beautiful providing a great setting for photos that capture the details like gown, shoes, robes makeup and accessories.
- Your photographer booked early provides the best advice on time management and how you can spare more time and get a lot done on your wedding day. He could advise on the best time to have a ceremony – preferably morning hours, the ideal time for a photo shoot and how much time is needed to achieve one. Different locations require different amount of time. A photo shoot at Speke Resort Munyonyo might take more time given the expansiveness of the space.
- For couples that are completely naïve about service providers, your photographer can be you go-to source of information. From experience covering various weddings, he is well informed about service providers such as the best décor vendors, caterers, fashion designers, makeup artists and others.
- Still from experience, your photographer can advise on the best time of the year to have your wedding. In Uganda, it is better to have a wedding during the dry season than wet season. The dry season is perfect for a couple interested in an outdoor wedding. Public holidays are ideal since most people are free and readily available. Prime seasons especially December holidays tend to be expensive and congested making it hard to get church time, wedding venues and vendors.
- Your photographer stays with you the whole day unlike other service providers. Booking early allows you to create rapport before the wedding day so that you can both work together seamlessly. Through occasional meetings, engagement shoot and documentation of memory lane or love story, you get a deeper understanding of how your photographer works and how he can effectively meet your photography needs.
Planning a wedding doesn’t have to be emotionally and physically draining. Sometimes, it is as simple as getting your priorities right. Photography is undoubtedly very indispensable and should be prioritized as you plan for your wedding.