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@abbie017: We met with 3 photographers in person. Had one we loved but someone else booked him first.
The photographer we eneded up going with, we only talked to on the phone before booking since she lived in Maine where the wedding was going to take place and we lived in NYC.
We met her for the first time when she did our enagement shoot in NYC.
We made sure to look closely at her blog, look at several "full" weddings, and read reviews.
She was an awesome choice and we ended up SO happy with her.
So basically, we really liked her work and we clicked on the phone so we went ahead and booked.
I booked one without meeting him in person. We did Skype once for about 15 minutes initially. But everything went great and I'd do it that way again. I was a little hesitant, but read reviews and such and gave it a shot. From what you said, I'd do it.
Same as above... Loved her work, she sent us full weddings, we talked on the phone. Booked her, and we met her for engagement photos.
I met my photographer before booking her, but I do wedding photography and I book about every other client without meeting in person. I live in Hampton Roads and do a lot of business in the DC/MD area and it's not really practical for me to meet up with clients out there ahead of time unless I'm already in the area for something else :)
I would never book someone without meeting them. As much as a vendor's work is important to me, so is their personality and I have to make sure that I can work with them. If I do not get a good vibe from them it's a no go.
Part of it will also be your dynamic the day-of... you def want someone you're comfy with. If you are more comfortable in front of the camera and can tell over the phone if you "click" - go for it. Otherwise, I'd meet in person.
Thanks everyone! I do get a good vibe just from talking with her, and she's very, very responsive. It's comforting to hear that some other bees booked without meeting in person. Thanks for all the advice!
I also never met my photographer. I just had a great feeling about her...I was right!
We met with ours first. It was important to us to make sure our personalities matched. I would hate to have someone not mesh with myself or FI on our big day!
If you love her work and trust her as a pro, I think you can book over the phone, considering the circumstances. I really wanted to meet the photographers we had in mind before booking to see if things checked out personality-wise, but it's certainly not a requirement. If my dream photographer had been unavailable to meet, that wouldn't have ruled him out.
I think it's fine to book without meeting in person.
My first photographer I had my parents meet her in person since I am out of town and can't get home often. Even after they loved her in person, she later went nuts and ran her business into the ground (long story, it's in the threads I've started if you're interested).
When choosing a new photographer, there was no way I could get home to meet with people, so I talked to them on the phone. My current photographer I still haven't met in person, but was great on the phone (answers when I call the studio, very easy to talk to, answered all of my questions). But my wedding planner also knows him well and has worked with him before, so I'm taking that as a serious reference. I'm hoping it works out well!
I planned my wedding long distance, so I didn't really meet with any vendors before the wedding, but it didn't make much difference. Since you are planning to do an e-shoot, that will give you a chance to get acquainted with her before the wedding, so you should be okay to book without meeting her
We met with our photographer prior to booking, BUT I would have booked him regardless because I have been in love with his work since before I was even engaged. I will say though, after meeting in person, we really clicked and it made it that much more special - even my fiance commented on how well we connected and really had the same vision.
We book some of our most amazing weddings via Skype or phone calls. It's never preferrable to book without meeting them face to face, but when the chemistry is right it shouldn't be that big of an obstacle.
I met with 2 photographers in person (the top two contenders out of the 20-something I contacted). A few of the photographers replied to my contact emails as if they were ready to book me without meeting first.
I asked the two photographers if that was common to book clients without meeting them first and they said everyone is different. Some people only care how the pictures turn out. Others care about the connection with the photographer.
Yes. I think it’s really important to meet with ALL vendors before booking. Someone could seem amazing via email but once they’re infront of you, all of the negatives that don’t come across in text will be wildly apparent.
I found a DJ online that seemed great. His prices were good and he had a bunch of positive reviews but when we met with him in person, we decided not to book him. He was 20 minutes late to our meeting, pulled up in a piece of shit car that backfired, looked disheveled to the point where he could have passed for a moderately dressed homeless man and didn’t even remember all of the paperwork that he was supposed to bring for us. I wasn’t about to gamble on a vendor with that many marks against him. If we would have never met him and booked just based off of his website and reviews (which you never really know how accurate they are unless you contact the past clients directly) we could have wound up with a craptastic DJ. Now obviously some of our concerns were self centered when it came to appearance and car but if he couldn’t manage to brush his hair and put on a clean shirt for a client consultation, how could we trust that he’d look presentable at our wedding. I think it’s better to be safe than sorry.
I met with all the photographers that I considered, but as long as you can at least talk over the phone you can gauge whether you think she'd be a good fit for you
I would definitely suggest having some sort of real-time communication. As a photographer we'd be hesistant to book someone we had never at least talked to over the phone. You want to make sure your personalities are a good fit.
I met with mine first. I wanted to make sure that we meshed well in person.
I am not going to have the luxury of meeting all of my vendors before I book them. I'll be in North Carolina, and all of my vendors are in Virginia where I'll be getting married. I will though meet them all before the big day. SO to answer your question, yes I would book before meeting them if you talk to them and get that vibe from them..Even if you can do some type of real time ie skype, phone calls, etc I think its fine
As a photographer, I alway try to meet with couples first, but sometimes its just not possible. Especially if they live out of state. I have had several couples book with me without meeting first, and never had a problem with it. I also try to make up for the lack of meeting with several phone call "meetings" to get to know each other.
Just research your potential photographers well, and ask as many questions as you want... even if they seem silly.
Well we didn't meet specifically in regards to our wedding and what services she had to offer us. However, we did meet her about a year in advance at FI's brother's wedding. We only had contact with her while she was taking photos of us in the wedding party. Obviously we liked her enough to book her right away.
I never met my photog prior to our e-shoot. I went with the awesome reviews online..and her website/blog. I am glad I booked her too because she has had many inquiries since!
Thank you everyone! I appreciate everyone's opinions; they definitely give me a lot to think about! She did give me the option of booking, then meeting her when she's back in town in March before the e-shoot and way before the wedding, which definitely eases my mind a bit. I'm hoping maybe she'll set it u so we can get a hold on our e-shoot date, meet with her in March, and then decide, but who knows if she'll do that without a non-refundable deposit. Gah!
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I found a photographer that I LOVE, and all the work I've seen is fantastic. Her blog, her portfolio, and every image I've googled has been great. She has tons of great 5 star reviews on WeddingWire, and several Bees have had good experiences with her.
When I contacted her, she told me she's out of the area until March, but could book clients over the phone (which she says she does pretty frequently). She said after booking, we could either meet at the engagement shoot, or do a meeting prior to the shoot.
What would you do?