Planning a wedding is an enormous task and not all brides are in event planning or project management. So knowing where to start can be daunting. Now in 2020 with Google, it’s a lot easier with amazing resources such as Brides and Martha Stewart Weddings giving us lists and wedding planning tips to follow! They also have great suggestions on when the right time is to book your vendors, including your wedding photographer.

However, it would be impossible for these national publications we all dearly love and appreciate to take each local market into consideration. Each and every city’s wedding industry looks a little different due to different weather-driven wedding seasons, trends in that city, and more. So while national publications give you some amazing guidelines they simply can’t offer you Houston-specific advice.

Never fear- that’s why I am here along with the rest of your wedding day team. But how do you secure your dream team and when should you be doing that? Let’s dig in!

What Houston Wedding Vendor to Book First

Everyone nation-wide agrees on this answer, so it won’t come as a surprise that booking your wedding day venue is absolutely first on your list. Once you’ve secured your wedding venue you’ve established a general look and feel you’d like to see on your wedding day as well as a date. Those two checkboxes are big wins and you should feel so proud of yourself for checking them!

So who is number two? I believe it should be your wedding photographer then your wedding planner- or vice versa. I work closely with your wedding planning to ensure that your wedding day vision is met and consistent throughout your engagement photos, bridal portraits, and wedding day gallery. Also, we work closely as a team before your wedding and on your day to ensure a strategic timeline that reflects you two as a couple as well as the photography you want. Because of that, your wedding planner and photographer should be booked around the same time so we can get to work on your wedding day!

When to Book Your Houston Wedding Photographer

Think backward from your wedding date

Thinking backward from your wedding date will allow you to create a rough timeline in your mind. When do you want to send out invites and save the dates? Do you want to include engagement photos in those? What season do you what to take engagement photos? As an example, if you’re planning a Fall wedding and will be sending out your save the dates early Summer and want to include an engagement photo it’s likely that you’ll want to photograph your engagement session late Winter or early Spring. However, if you just love Autumn and it’s your favorite season you may want to photograph your engagement session the Fall before you plan to send out save the dates.

Thinking this way will be sure you don’t “miss” anything. It’s easy to think you have plenty of time but then you end up taking engagement portraits in the middle of the Houston Summer and well, that’s no fun. Thinking ahead will give you a great plan and ensure you get the look of photographs you want throughout your engagement!

Remember busy season in Houston

If you have a Spring or Summer date in Houston your wedding is within the industry’s “busy season”. These months are the ones my team and I get the most Houston wedding photography inquiries for, and dates fill up the fastest. This will probably ring true across all types of Houston wedding professionals due to the weather here. Additionally, if your wedding day is 10/10 or a similar fun date you will want to consider planning your wedding further out and booking your Houston wedding photographer well in advance due to the influx of inquiries for your date.

The Rule of Thumb

As a very general rule of thumb, plan on booking your wedding photographer 9 to 12 months prior to your wedding date. This generally leaves time for the necessary planning, engagement and bridal session, and time to get to know each other so your wedding day is captured to perfection!

However, what this rule of thumb does not account for is everything I mentioned above. In some cases booking your Houston wedding photographer, only 9 months in advance will leave you with engagement photos that might not be taken in your favorite season. Or if you do photograph engagements in your favorite season might not allow time for editing and printing to include them on your save the dates or invitations. Every situation is different which is why I highly suggest working backward from your date!

Booking Alicia Yarrish Photography for your Wedding

There is no standard time frame at AYP when you book your Houston wedding photographer. Some of my couples book 6 months in advance while others book a year or more ahead of time. Everyone and every wedding and engagement are different!

Alicia’s Professional Advice

Start looking at Houston photographers online while you are seeking out your venue. Every photographer makes a venue look different! And what you see when you tour might not be what you see in the photos. It’s such a great idea to see how a venue photographs by different photographers before booking. This will also make it easier when it’s time to seriously chat with photographers after you’ve booked your venue.

If we’ve found each other through social media or another bride- yay! I can’t wait to chat! I’m a big believer that trust is what creates the beautiful photos that you’ll hang on your walls throughout your home and display in your heirloom wedding album. Because of that, I like to take a moment to start getting to know each other. When you book Alicia Yarrish Photography for your Houston wedding photography it’s not like reserving any other vendor. It’s a process in which I make sure we are the perfect fit.

The entire AYP Wedding Experience from booking to after your wedding day is very tailored and custom to you. I even create a custom pricing guide for you and your fiancé because you two and your wedding are unlike any other.

My biggest advice, no matter when you reserve your wedding photographer, is to ensure you’re a great fit. Meaning your personalities are a match and you’re excited to spend 8+ hours with your photographer on your wedding day, you love their photos and the approach they take, and you are excited about the experience they give!

Your Houston Wedding Photography

If you want to start those conversations and see if we’d be a great team for your wedding day use the form below. I’ll reach out in less than a day and I cannot wait to chat about your wedding!