Today's blog isn't just about booking your wedding photographer, it's about way more than that. I have been chatting to a lot of couples in the last week about their weddings and there are so many things to think about before you even book a venue and set your date.....

Firstly whilst some people may book a weekday as it's cheaper at a venue - you have to think about the effect this will have on the number of people that are able to attend - if you want kids there then on a week day unless it's school holidays they will be at school...... Plus not everybody will be able to have a day off work, if they work shifts etc it's not always that easy.

So weekdays may be cheaper, but you will naturally get a few people unable to attend.

Next - time of year - a lot of people will go for winter as once again venues are cheaper - I get it  - but think about the time that you are going to get married - if it is December or January - think about the light - by 3.30pm it can be quite dark already, so it could mean that if you have a 3pm wedding in a church you will come out at around 3.45pm and it will be dark when you want to do your group shots.... maybe a 2pm wedding or earlier would be a better option????

Also some people want a later wedding as they can just do one lot of food - helps to keep costs spiraling out of control, so this is a reason for a later wedding too - so I go back to my previous comment - think about whether you want to wait until March when the nights are getting lighter maybe?

The choice on all of these things is of course yours and sometimes times are unavoidable, but just stop and think about these things before you book your venue maybe.

Travel is also another issue, will there be enough rooms at the venue that are reasonably priced for your guests to stay at if they want to and if not will it be easy enough to book your guests a mini bus to a local hotel or for them to get taxi's home?

Some venues are quite far out and not easily reached - by taxi's if there is no local cab firm.

If you are having a church wedding how far is it to the reception venue? will people be stopping off en route for lunch or to book in to their hotel if they are not stopping at the same venue? Then when you want to do your group shots you will have guests missing.... I offer up these scenarios as they are all experiences I have witnessed over the years which guests vanishing en route is probably the worst to be honest - although you tend to overhear plenty of moaning if it is a long drive from church to venue too. Sometimes these things are just how they are and there is no way around it, but sometimes it is worth spending some time thinking about the different options available.

With all of thee things in mind, you also need to make sure that this is the wedding that you both want and not try to please all of the people all of the time.... it's your day - regardless of who is paying, it is your Wedding Day.

Once you have set your date and venue then you can move on to meeting with photographers, florists, sorting out your dress and suit hire-or purchase. There are lots of things to think about when you get married and it can be a very stressful time for Bride and Groom, who will worry about upsetting any friends and family for various reasons, from seating plan, to day or evening invites.

The one thing you need to remember is that you have a budget - don't be guilt tripped into blowing the budget and getting into more debt because you need a bigger venue or more people to the sit down meal than you originally planned etc etc. It is one day of your life that you will remember for the rest of your life and it goes by in a flash. The most important thing about that day is that you are marrying the person you want to spend the rest of your life with and that the two of you have the Wedding Day that you both want.

On that note I am going to leave you to think about your wedding plans ;-) if you would like to have a chat about your wedding photography please just call or email 07885472010 or [email protected]

wedding photographer stourport on severn

Happy Wedding Planning.

I photograph weddings in West Midlands and Worcestershire. I also travel up and down the country and quite often go to Wales for weddings too.