Ask to see variety, not a matching wedding.
A photographer cannot control weather, rooms, schedules, or people. Several complete galleries in different conditions reveal more than one wedding that resembles your venue. Look for consistent attention, color, family, ceremony, and reception work.
Ask how direction changes through the day.
Getting ready, portraits, family groups, ceremony, and dancing require different levels of intervention. Ask when the photographer directs, when they observe, and how they handle someone who feels uncomfortable without making the day a photo shoot.
Ask about failure before reassurance.
Cameras, cards, drives, travel, illness, and weather can fail. Ask for specific backup systems, not a general promise that everything is covered. Experience shows in how calmly and concretely a photographer can explain risk.
Confirm the person, scope, and final product.
Know who photographs the wedding, how second photographers are assigned, what coverage includes, how editing works, when the gallery arrives, what files are delivered, and what printing or sharing rights you receive.
