M&M - Destination Wedding in Val D’Orcia, 2017 / planning: My Dolce Far Niente • venue: Podere Suvignano — M&M - *Destination Wedding in Val D’Orcia, 2017 / planning: My Dolce Far Niente • venue: Podere Suvignano*

So – your wedding date is set, you just booked the venue of your dreams and you’re now starting to think about all the vendors who will make your destination wedding special. We might be biased here, but after a few years in this industry we know that picking the right destination wedding photographer is one of the choices that couples anticipate the most, maybe the one that might have been made – even if not yet officially – a long time in advance. Maybe word of mouth? Maybe a casual stumble on the right instagram page, a recommendation by your wedding planner, or that feature in a certain wedding blog… the paths you can take to find The One are seemingly endless. But the question couple ask themselves is often the same: who is the best wedding photographer to capture our wedding and how do we find them? Let’s try to bring some perspective into such a huge question.

I: Think Outside The Best

What does best mean for you? For us, best means just right. Even better – just right for you. What is hailed as the best on the internet sometimes isn’t necessarily the best. Sometimes it’s only the most in demand at a particular moment in time.

In a world with too little time we often rely on other people’s ready made opinions to navigate ourselves amongst what would otherwise be an ocean of choice. Directories, accounts, influencers are all ready to have you scroll through their carousels of names and vendors who are supposed to be the best at doing something in a certain place. But what does ‘best’ really mean, especially in photography?
Rankings and accolades have long been applied to the world of photography. Photographers love to compete against each other for the spotlight – we are light chasers after all – but in art and in many other fields of life “best” doesn’t necessarily mean best for you.

Imagine we had to take you to “the best” panoramic views in Tuscany, the ones you see listed everywhere. We totally could… but once we got there, we’d probably have to queue for ages and negotiate with everyone else in line just to get a few minutes in front of that Instagram perfect spot – that in fact doesn’t look like it did on instagram at all. Are they really the best, then? Wouldn’t the entrance to your private wedding venue make a much better spot for a couple photoshoot – just like it did for Flavia and Joe in the photo above, shot at their wedding venue, Villa Boscarello?

So, what does “best” really mean to you? Try to think about the different adjectives that you would ideally associate with a photographer you’d like to work with. Friendly? Expert? Creative? Laid back? Extroverted? Polite? Write down five characteristics that you would expect your destination wedding photographer to have. Suddenly you realise that “best” doesn’t really describe any particular characteristics, other than the fact that someone else is labelling a vendor as such.

Now, let’s get into a few tips to keep handy when looking at wedding photographers to hire.

T&M - Destination elopement at Locanda in Tuscany, 2021 / planning: Al Fresco wedding • venue: Locanda in Tuscany • flowers: Flowers Living • celebrant: Tuscan Pledges • beauty: Your Wedding Beauty Team • music: Ranieri Sessa • car rentals: Slow Hills • dress: Grace Loves Lace

II: Good Vibes Only

One of the first things to keep in mind when looking for the right wedding photographer – we can stop calling them “the best” now, can we? :) – is the fact that you will be spending a good few hours in their presence. Wedding days have the special power of bringing together a group of strangers very close together on one of the most intense days. So, first and foremost, it is a good idea to make sure you are surrounding yourself with people you feel a positive connection with – good vibes are absolutely a must. How to do that? A video call is a good place to start gauging whether the good vibes are actually in place. Do they speak your language well enough for the communication to be comfortable with both the couple and their guests? Do they sound excited about meeting you, even just virtually, in preparation to your event'? Do they make you feel at ease, or perhaps nervous, while talking to them? While first impressions might not be always right, in our experience couples who connected with us right from the first video call were so much more at ease with us being around them on their wedding day. So, always try to arrange a friendly, no-strings-attached call before making a decision on a vendor – to us, that goes both ways. If a photographer doesn’t have time to meet you, they might as well be amazing, but we’d look elsewhere. If you have a wedding planner, trust their suggestions as well. They know which teams of vendors work well together, both for personality and style. Booking a team of pros who are excited to work together can make a big difference and bring out that extra magic that we are all so eager to achieve. Bonus tip: if you’re looking to hire us for your destination wedding in Italy, ask us about the video colleagues we enjoying working with the most :) you won’t be disappointed.

III. Money is Time, Time is Money

Yeah, not fun. We know. Talking about money is rubbish. BUT, budget is indeed one of the key elements when shopping around for the right wedding photography service – especially when there are many other expenses to consider, such as for a destination wedding in Tuscany or elsewhere in Italy. Our recommendation here is never to go with good vibes only and to always look beyond numbers: what may look like the cheapest option may actually tun out to be more expensive than you initially thought when all the extras and add-ons are accounted for. Other than their fees you may want to ask your potential photography vendors whether things like tax and travel expenses are included or not in their packages. We know this can be a little confusing: please be aware that not all pros may not charge the same amount of tax in Italy. This can vary greatly, even between 4% and 22%, and depends on the tax regime of the single brand or professional you’re hiring. Travel expenses can also vary greatly. Some photographers may not charge them at all if your venue is near their base (a good reason to hire local vendors!) whereas they might still do if they’re travelling from another event that is very far. Another important clause to check before making a decision is Extra Hours – aka those extra hours of work that may fall outside of your chosen package if the wedding is running a bit longer than expected. How much are they and how should they be paid? Our advice to couples with medium to large parties – that would be, from 50 guests onwards – is to always budget for a couple more hours at least when choosing a package. And to all couples: please make sure that all of the above plus how many photographers will be at your event, how many photos are included in the delivery, and what the delivery turnaround time is comes clearly stated in your contract. Any surprises later down the line may have an unexpected impact on your budget and result in headaches and misunderstandings. All information about the investment requested by each of your prospective photographers, inclusive of any potential extra costs, should be very transparent at any given time.

*M&J, Destination wedding, 2023 / planning: Wed In Florence • venue: Villa Barberino • flowers: Stiatti Fiori • beauty: Silvia Gerzeli*

IV: Style Matters

Arguably the most difficult topic to consider when talking about the choice of a wedding photographer, yet possibly the most important one. What is style in photography – and in wedding photography, specifically? We think style here means anything strictly visual, or what the photography of one particular professional looks like. To give you just an example, we often describe Love Folio’s signature photographic style as candid, stylish, and untraditional. Candid because our style is rooted in documentary photography – we try to capture (mostly) spontaneous scenes and emotions. Stylish because we are inspired by editorial photography and always make sure to include a lot of details about the styling of your day, whether it reflects in the bride and groom’s attire, your wedding flowers, your table setting, or the outfits of your guests. Untraditional because we try our best not to stick to the diktats of wedding photography while we bring in all out other influences in our work. You may also want to describe our photography as vibrant, colorful, even pop if you want, definitely bright. All these adjectives surely apply to our work, but may not apply to the work of our other colleagues. Your goal is to find the photographer whose photos you would want to be in. Look at as many wedding photographers as you can and go with what you think is right – there’s no right or wrong here, just personal taste. Style doesn’t only mean visual language, but also how a destination wedding photographer approaches the work on the day. Do they have an eye for detail? Do they include a good variations of wide and close up shots? What about group shots, what do they look like? These answers will vary from pro to pro and are influenced by their photographic education and background as well as their personality. Once again, there is no right or wrong answer. A very good idea is to ask for complete galleries of a photographer’s recent work (we have many available, but not on the website – just ask ;) shot at venues that might be similar to yours, if not the same venue altogether. Bonus tip: it’s generally preferable to pick a photographer whose style you admire rather than asking a photographer to shoot completely out of their style. You wouldn’t ask for a pizza in a sushi restaurant, right?

*T&L, destination wedding 2022 / planning: Lovely Weddings Italy • venue and catering: Il Grande Prato • flowers: CoCoNoir Wedding Flowering • beauty: Giulia di Terlizzi*

V: Trust Them.

OK, you finally found the right photographer – you had a chat and they seem friendly, their style looks perfect for your wedding, and the budget is fitting – so you’ve closed the deal and booked them! Congrats! What happens next? Our final piece of advice for couples may stretch beyond finding the right wedding photographer for a destination wedding, but its roots are deep into the hours spent in the research process. Overall, the best wedding photographer for your wedding is a wedding photographer that you trust. When all the elements are right, you should not feel worried or overwhelmed by doubts about the photography on your big day. Just relax and let your destination wedding photographer handle all the pressure of such an intense day – we’re well trained for that, not to worry! – and translate it into beautiful imagery. While communication is important and should happen at any stage of a professional relationship, be it before booking, in the months leading to the event, or on the day itself, try not to control your photographer’s work too much – and please extend this piece of advice to other members of your family as well. Make sure they are aware of what you and your family expect from them, but remember that the more artistic freedom they have, the more they’re going to be excited about working for you – and that’s exactly what both you and your photographer want. Let them surprise you and deliver work that does not just match your expectations, but goes beyond them.

Ultimately, that’s what will make them the best destination wedding photographer you can possibly hire.

If you are looking for a destination wedding photographer in Tuscany or elsewhere in Italy for a 2024 or 2025 destination wedding, Love Folio has dates available and we are currently in the process of taking bookings for both seasons. You can use our Contact Form to inquire about availability and prices or just send us an email for general information. We’re excited to hear from you!

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Wedding Photography Guides: The Best Wedding Photographers and How To Find Them

I: Think Outside The Best

II: Good Vibes Only

III. Money is Time, Time is Money

IV: Style Matters

V: Trust Them.

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