Weddingbee boards

Yep.  I'd figure out what you want first and by that I mean the must have elements - how many hours minimum, prof album or no, prints or no, e-pics, etc.  For me, my must haves were at least 6 hours, e-pics (so we could get a feel for how we would work with our photographer), all pics in high resolution on a dvd/cd for us to use as we pleased for personal use, and someone that we meshed well with personality-wise.  We DIDN'T want/care for a professional album (I like to scrapbook and wanted to do my own), prints (can print my own, I just wanted to have the high res pics so I could do so), or a slideshow or anything like that.

Then look at who falls within a reasonable range of your budget that fits those criteria or at least offers packages that have those things that you want in them (you can always try to negotiate the package down in price by getting rid of extras that are included that you don't need/want).  After that, look at the photographers style and consistency of pictures that make you oooh and ahh.  :)  Come up with several and then schedule meetings with them!  

Personally I thought that I really wanted to have 2 photographers, but when it came down to it, we went with a single photographer because we loved his work and he has such a nifty personality!  For us that was SO important because that was the vendor we'd be spending the most time with on the wedding day and we wanted to make sure we were comfortable working with him.  

Don't be afraid to let a vendor know that you love his/her work but that they are out of your budget.  No guarantees, but there is ALWAYS a chance that they will be willing to cut a deal or add extras in to give you more bang for your buck.