?Start early because photographers book weddings 6 months to a year in advance quite often. The summer months are the most popular and will be the hardest to find an open photographer.

?Get ideas by looking at friends wedding pictures and browsing the internet to find pictures that you like. Pay attention not only to the pose but also to the style of pictures that you most often find yourself being drawn to. This way you will be able to communicate with your photographer the kinds of images you like.

?Get advice from your married friends and again from looking online (at sites like this) that offer advice for the soon to be married couple.

?Get referrals from everyone you know, real world experience with a photographer is the only way to know how they work. There is nothing wrong with asking a photographer you are interested in for more referrals either.

?Meet with the photographers you are interested in, you should feel comfortable around them and your personalities should never clash. You and your photographer are going to be working as a team during your wedding.

?Set a budget for your wedding photography or at least have a very good idea of how much you can spend. The photographs of your wedding will be one of the longest lasting keepsakes from your wedding. You should have them in the figures for your wedding budget from the start.

?Ask any photographer you are interviewing if they have backup equipment on site during the wedding. Modern photographic equipment is very reliable but like any machine at can malfunction. Your photographer should have a backup on site of all equipment in case something happens.

?Make sure that the photographer you talk to will be the one shooting your wedding. Some companies have several photographers on staff and assign them to weddings. If you are not comfortable with that make sure you let them know beforehand.

?Look at portfolios of the photographers you are interested in, many have websites with excellent portfolios. Even if you have gone through their online portfolio when you interview them it is a good idea to look through any hardbound portfolios they have.

?Ask About Prices And Services: Find out what type of services are offered, such as how many hours of the photographer?s time are included in the price and what his/her overtime rate is. Ask how many images you will get back, and if the price will include black and white film as well as color. Does the package price include an engagement sitting and, if not, how much does a sitting cost? The most important thing to know up front is what the package price does and does not include. Also be sure to ask how much reprints, extra albums, wall portraits, frames, etc. will cost.

?Get a signed contract listing the details of the wedding and the services the photographer will provide. The contract is to help protect both you and the photographer and is common practice with most professional photographers.