We all know there is a wealth (er, overabundance) of wedding-planning information out there for brides on sites like The Knot, Style Me Pretty, Wedding Wire, Martha Stewart, Brides … the list goes on and on. If you’ve been a bride for more than five minutes, you know how overwhelming it can be to sift through all the information about how to find the perfect vendors to fit the vision for your big day.

This next statement is going to sound biased but I don’t mean it to: Your wedding photographer is perhaps one of the most important vendors you will hire for your wedding. Think about: You spend more time with your photographer than you do with your husband on your wedding day (crazy, right?!) and your photos are the only thing you take with you after the cake is eaten, the flowers have wilted, and your gown has been cleaned and preserved. Your wedding photos are forever.
I’ve heard horror stories of brides who have hired less-than-professional photographers and completely regretted it years later. I don’t want you to be one of them! So in addition to loving your photographer’s work and trusting their business acumen, here are a few things I wish brides would ask photographers to get a better idea of who they’re hiring:

1. What do you like to do when you’re not working or photographing weddings? This might seem silly but who knows what common interests you might unearth! It can really help build a relationship with your photographer if you’re both obsessed with all things France or are total movie quoting buffs (for the record, I am the former, not the latter). Plus it helps you get to know the stranger you’re spending you’re wedding day with.
2. What are your favorite/most challenging parts of the wedding day? If the photographer loves wacky reception dancing shots but you had your heart set on gorgeous stylized details and breath-taking portraits, they might not be a good fit for you.
3. What is the craziest thing that’s happened to you on a wedding day? Probably enough said here. Make sure you ask how they handled it, too.
4. How would you describe your personality, especially what we’ll see on a wedding day? This one is huge. HUGE. If you want someone who’s going to put their camera down and dance with you but you’re about to hire a wallflower, that might not be the best fit! Or you might need someone you can trust to wrangle your big, loud family and it might be challenging for someone who’s afraid of the spotlight or is really soft spoken.
5. Why do you love shooting weddings? Hearing their heart behind their business and vision can often be the deal-maker or deal-breaker. It’ll help you know if your visions align and how the photographer is going to approach your wedding.

I’ve found that while the questions you should ask your photographer lists on Pinterest and The Knot can be helpful, usually the average bride doesn’t understand the difference between Canon and Nikon, or off-camera flash vs. natural light. But I’d love to hear from you! What else do you want to know about your wedding photographer?