I recently got an email from an acquaintance {who I hope isn’t reading this}… Actually she didn’t do anything wrong- she did give me a chance to blog about something which actually happens all the time…
She asked the simple question- “I have a friend who is getting married; can you refer them to a reputable photographer in an affordable price?”
I get this question a lot, from clients, from other wedding professionals and from family and friends…no harm no foul…
But I figure that if professionals and clients don’t get it …family and friends shouldn’t be expected to either.
A referral from a wedding consultant {especially those to our clients} should be more than just a random referral based on someone we know and enjoy working with…
My response to this friend was typical of all my answers to this question “what is affordable?” –
One of the first things I take into consideration when making a referral for a client is what the budget is! “Affordable” is different for everyone- and has a lot more to do on the value they place on any given product or service than the dollar amount.
Next for me is style of work: For photography is might be…Traditional {more posed}, Classic {less posed but not really photojournalistic}, Photojournalistic {the buzz word of the century – actually more detached documentary} and my new favorite – URBAN {think pictures infusing urban landscapes, cafes, and taxis}.
Personality: it’s important to pair up the personality of the photographer and the couple so both will be comfortable the day of the wedding. There are certain photographers who are very timid and large, loud bridal parties tend to run them over… and vice versa
And lastly … availability… do they have your date available? Photography is a talent based product… is the person whose work you fell in love with available on your wedding date?
I’ve had people offer to BUY links on our site – THEY’RE NOT FOR SALE!
The only links you’ll see on our site are to the photographers who shot the clients weddings we are showcasing… it’s not an ad or an endorsement..
We love the people we work with and refer our clients to – and I hope the get business because we show their work… but not every photographer is a good match for every couple, budget or situation.
Our job as professional wedding consultants is to offer clients planning Philadelphia weddings the best professionals for their specific situation…
That’s why we spent countless hours researching, meeting and investigating the 3,000+ wedding professionals, products and services in our data base and we keep doing so to offer our clients a current list of resources…