{Wedding Planning} Choosing your wedding photographer

Good morning guys, today we are focusing on wedding planning tips for all you brides and grooms out there. Choosing your photographer is most definitely one of the most valued allocations of your wedding budget. Your photographs will stay with you forever, they will remind you of those precious moments and they will capture those still moments you weren't able to see.



Image Credit

Choosing a photographer whose style you appreciate is one part of the small puzzle to find your ideal photographer.

Tip #1 : Look around, look at blogs, websites, talk to your friends or family who have recently gotten married. Find out who they recommend, who they trust and who they had spoken to.

Tip #2 : When you find a photographer whose style inspires you, book an appointment and look at entire albums. Anyone can take 500 pictures and post 2 good looking ones on a website, but when you are looking at websites and albums ensure you view a complete album. Look at how your photographer unwinds a couple's story, from start to finish.

Jay Dhokia, Creative Director and Photographer of Jay Dhokia Photography outlines some key questions you may need to ask your photographer before you sign on that infamous dotted line.

1. What is your Availability?

Once you have your wedding dates secured, you might want to know that your photographer is available for that day. This might be a good opportunity to discuss the times you might need your photographer, whether or not he/she will need to work overtime and if he may need to be in two places, an additional photographer may be needed.

2. What is your style of photography?

Each photographer has their own style of photography, it is important that if it is not clear from their website to clarify this.

3. When are you available for pre wedding shoot?

It is always nice to have a pre wedding shoot, to showcase at your wedding reception or to keep for your memories, of what once was ... :) This you can be more flexible with, as long as it is before the wedding and the photographer can have the edited final images ready prior to the wedding



Image Credit

4. What equipment do you use?

Any SLR camera can take a decent shot outside for a daytime wedding, but most indoor wedding receptions are in a Low Light setting which requires certain requirements outside of the standard amateur photographers range of equipment. If you are approaching a reputable wedding photographer you would not need to worry about this (and they may get touchy about this, as would any professional who has spend numerous years perfecting and pleasing), however if you are approaching a very new photographer then be sure they are aware of the setting conditions at the ceremony and reception. No doubt they will know what they need.

5. What is our payment schedule?

Its probably crucial to know firstly, how much the total charges are including travel, additional hours and any taxes. Secondly, ensure your photographer and yourself are aware of when the first deposit is due and when the final payment is. Suppliers are helpful when it comes to creating a payment plan, they understand the strain a wedding can have on couples and their families.

6. What is your willingness to travel?

This partly ties into question number five. If you plan to have your ceremony or reception out of town, find out whether your photographer is happy to travel, and if it is far - there may be an additional charge. Discuss to come to a clear figure and ensure that is added to the total cost.

7. What can you offer Post production?  I.e. Album production, digital copies.

Some couples may just want digital copies on a cd to keep and to create their own albums or to send images to their friends, you may find that the inlaws will most definitely want a madeup album to show to their friends and be proud of. So have the discussion about photo albums - if your photographer doesn't create these themselves, then they will most definitely know a company that does who will be able to give you a discount. (Its a great system!)

8.  May we see some examples of your previous work?

As I mentioned at the very top of this post, its obvious that you will be keen to see the photographers previous work whether it is a photo album or a digital one alike.

9. If you have a summary of the day or at least have a break down - show it to your photographer.

No doubt they would have done this before and know what works and what you may need to allocate more time too. Your photographer should/will know how the day will pan out - but every wedding is different and its key you let your photographer know of any surprises.

10. Finally, Relationship building.

If all these questions were conducted over the phone then you might consider meeting up for a coffee or a drink. Trusting your suppliers is one side of the coin, but the other side is a complete match of personalities. When you meet your suppliers and they understand you, the importance of your big day and the feel you want from their photographs you create an ultimate trust. The two sides go hand in hand. When you trust your suppliers, you trust them to do their job correctly and you have no need to worry throughout your wedding day over it.



Image Credit

Tip #3 : Photographers are one supplier you do not want to save the pennies on. If you can imagine hiring your friend or a newby photographer to take the photographs of your wedding and they get the lighting wrong or their thumb is is every picture or they spill drink on the memory card etc. Enjoying your wedding photographs is something you will most certainly have for years and decades to come.

Tip #4 : Your guests will pester your photographer for pictures of themselves, and that might be fine for the first few, but photographers are much more confident at saying 'No'. At the end of the day, they are being paid by you to produce an album full of you and your friends and family - not your friends and family and then the happy couple. Be sure to allocate a time for your photographer or even your second photographer, if you have one, to go around taking group shots.

Jay says: "Photographers are artists and you are investing in their art. Wedding Photography is definitely a competitive market. Work with photographers in your budget but not all good photographers are expensive."

I hope you have enjoyed our wedding planning blog this morning, just remember if you would like anything featured on Shaadi-Esque, then all you need to do is drop us an email on blog@rsbridalgroup.co.uk.

Keeping you Inspired!!

Rachyeta xxx

February Round Up ...

February has been quite the whirlwind, with wedding features, wedding planning advice and plenty of inspiration and suppliers to keep your brainwaves stimulated.

We heard the announcement of the Miss India Competition, eventhough we have already congratulated her, we must say another well done to Deana Uppal for her pretty honorary title. Valentine’s day was among the highlights of this month, where plenty of you treated your other halves out for dinner where roses were the symbolic gift of the night. Shaadi-Esque are troopers for spunking things up so we created an inspiration board of pretty peaches and lovely orange and pinks. It is our alternate vision of Love – everyone has one.

We featured two pretty amazing Weddings this month; M&R Photography shared with us the elaborate traditional Hindu Wedding of Shivani and Gurdeep. They blew me away with their beautiful attire, their lush Mandap and their striking decor. The atmosphere was light and traditional but there was most definitely a spark or two of fun and mischievousness.

M&R Photography also shared with us the wedding of Tina and James; their fusion wedding really sparked my interest as it is primarily this that Shaadi-Esque feels so strongly about. It was the intertwining two cultures and the adjoining of two separate roads as one. Tina’s peach infused gown with Indian-felt embroidery made my heart skip a beat. It was an elegant and completely unique gown that suited Tina from the start. This bride and groom really knew how to have a good party and it was this that gave their wedding the fun element.

I loved both of these weddings just as much as each other. There were elements of everything, fun, tradition, fusion, culture and all with their own little spunk!

As you might rightly know that Shaadi-Esque is an advocate for chic new wedding styling, it is this reason we bring you these pretty suave inspiration boards for you to admire and use. This week’s Navy Couture Inspiration board was a take on a royal and regal theme. The blue is a royal navy blue and it reflects a serious, proud theme, but don’t be afraid of this – you can down play or up this theme however way you want. ***But the important thing is that when you come across one of these theme’s – print it out, add it to your bookmarks – save them, add them to your wedding scrap book!***



You may want to refer back to something that you liked – so it’s good to keep it nearby or in a safe and easy to find place.

Along with this Navy Couture inspiration board, we also had another board this month which we called ‘Purrty in Pink Chic’, because it is exactly what it says it is. It is a super pretty, and chic wedding inspiration with just the right amount of pink to make it classy and not a Barbie’s fun house.

As a team of wedding planners we aim to help our readers with all and every wedding planning situation out there,  last month we gave you a breakdown of all the Hindu Wedding Ceremonies, which we got some great reviews so we thank you for taking the time to let us know your kind thoughts. So we thought we would bring you the equivalent Sikh Wedding Ceremony breakdown and you guys loved it just the same.

Attending and planning weddings, we have put together some Bridal Etiquette faux pas for your consideration and at the request of a reader we have prepared some questions you should ask your venue coordinator. It’s all so handy when your wedding planner is writing your inspiration blogs!

*** REQUEST FOR GUEST BLOGGER ***

We are a ground-breaking, modern bridal inspiration hub for the changing face of British Asian Weddings. With our continued growth and need for fresh zesty new blood, we are calling upon your own experiences or expertise. If this sounds interesting to you, then take a look here (Guest Blogger Lookout) for further details on how you can get involved.

I hope you enjoyed February's coverage and I look forward to the rest of the year!! Don't forget that if you want to speak to a wedding planner in regards to your wedding, drop us an email at mail@rsweddingconsultants.co.uk.

Keeping you inspired!!! Have a lovely weekend!!!

Rachyeta xxx

{Tips & Tricks} Choosing a Jay Dhokia Kind of Photographer ...

On the blog today is a very close friend of mine, the wonderful and talented photographer Jay Dhokia, who has an eye for storytelling and detail alike. Talking today Jay tells us all about choosing the Jay Dhokia of Photographers.

Choosing a photographer for your big day is an investment, a level of trust and someone who is able to create your memories for you.

There are many photographers out there, the choice is never ending and it is important you make the right decision.

Photographers are artists, they visualise what they see with their eyes and express through the camera. The end product being the photo that is produced. You will find many photographers who are traditionalists and will take the "safe" pictures so couples expectations will be met. A style for photography used nowadays is photojournalism. This style captures the day as it happens. A style that is adopted by Jay Dhokia. A style that over exceeds expectations.

"With my style of photography, it is important to capture the memories as the day happens and show the newlyweds the visual story when they are back from their honeymoon!"

Jay Dhokia captures the details surrounding the wedding, from the table decor, to the hysteria and emotions between guests. Parts of the day the couple would naturally miss. Photographers can at times be intrusive to the ceremony and try to dictate the wedding as the day progresses. This may not suit everyone but many of the traditional photographers still carry this habit, so be aware and set your expectations from the beginning.



"The only time I involve myself with pictures and direct is when there are group shots to be taken with positioning. I don't believe in being involved in the ceremony, I would rather be in stealth mode and do what I do best. Take everlasting photos!"

Image Credits Courtesy of Jay Dhokia Photography

Complete wedding packages start from £1200, and digital packages start from £800.

For more information on Jay's photography packages, or to arrange a consultation you can contact him on 07765520052 or email him at smile@jaydhokia.com.

Thank you so much Jay for sharing your wonderful images and taking the time out for your expertise!

Leaving you inspired now - so have a phenomenal week ahead!

Rachyeta xxx

{Wedding Feature} Seena & Vishal

So rarely do you come across a photographer who allows you to see a great couple and feel as if you are there sharing their precious moments alongside them. Jason Pierce-Williams of A J Williams Photography has done a remarkable job in stylistically creating a momentous collection of imagery that speaks volumes.

Seena and Vishal in today's wedding feature, I have never met them before in my life, but remarkably, they have made me fall in love with them. Every image of the wonderful couple is another insight into how perfect and joyous their day has been. I truly thank them for sharing their momentous day with Shaadi-Esque.

This wedding, like the others we feature on Shaadi-Esque are full of new ideas and stunning beauty. Innovative and incredible are two words I like to associate with the blog in all its glory. Enjoy these images and engulf yourself in the spectacle of the day.

Photography Credits: A J Williams Photography

A stunning bride and a handsome groom, the quirky couple have the time of their lives whilst sharing this with their family and closest friends.

Please feel free to contact our wedding planners who are excellent wedding designers and great stylists on mail@rsweddingconsultants.co.uk – alternatively join the community on facebook where we are spoiling you with wedding resources.

Keeping you inspired.

Rachyeta xxx