Start with complete coverage, not the headline price.
Compare the hours needed for the story you want, whether travel between locations is included, and what happens if the schedule changes. A smaller starting collection can become more expensive once realistic coverage is added.
Ask what experience protects.
A wedding photographer works without controlling weather, schedules, ceremonies, family dynamics, or venue light. Experience is valuable when conditions become ordinary, difficult, or surprising—not only when a portfolio location is perfect.
Understand the files and physical work.
Confirm editing, approximate image delivery, resolution, personal printing rights, gallery duration, backup expectations, film costs, albums, and sales tax. Digital delivery and an album are different products with different long-term value.
Compare the working relationship.
Planning conversations, timeline help, responsiveness, direction, and how the photographer behaves with guests shape the experience. The proposal should make clear who will photograph the wedding and what support exists before and after it.
