The modern mantra of “pics or it didn’t happen” is often applied to fun parties, foodie adventures and other exciting activities, so why not apply it to your wedding?

Arguably, your big day is one of the most important moments to document and there are a few people who can help you do just that. Videographers and photographers are the artists who are going to help your special moments stay magical and lovely years from when the actual date.

Once you’re in the process, you’ll start looking for other vendors in addition to videographers and photographers. Don’t know when to book them? Read on for everything you need to know about hiring a photo and/or video team for your wedding.

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When Should I Book?

As with anything else, different aspects of your wedding shouldn’t be taken care of last minute – this includes wedding media. Once you and your loved one have set a date, ideally a year or more after popping the big questions, you must start researching different video and photo vendors.

After you found the perfect vendor that fits all of your needs and works with your vision, book them immediately. To put things in numbers, you’d ideally book your different –ographers 12 months before your actual wedding date.

If you find yourself looking for video and photo artists less than a year before your big day, you have to be extra vigilant in this process. The best thing to do in this scenario is reach out to the vendors of your choice and give them all the details you have about your big day.

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Why Do I Need to Book So Early?

One of the best ways to build a relationship with your vendor and get a better understanding of how things look from their point of view is to think as if you were in your shoes.

Say you’re a videographer or photographer and a client approaches you about working their wedding. The first things you have consider are location and how much time you’ll commit for the entire day. Then you think about whether or not you can block this day and how it may conflict with other appointments.

The earlier your vendor knows about your wedding day, the better. Think of it as a first come first serve basis. Your vendor may not be big enough to send photographers to cover multiple weddings on the same day, so often times the team will be preoccupied with one ceremony already.

It’s worth remembering that your videographers and photographers have to be there from the hours of preparation to the final moments of the reception ceremony. This is nearly an eight to 12 hour time commitment. Booking them early enough allows time to allocate for this time.

In addition to booking your video and photo team nearly a year out from your big day, there are other factors to consider on the documenting-front for a perfect wedding.

Hopefully by the time you’re thinking about hiring a team of video and photo artists, you’ve selected your wedding date. If you haven’t done so already, we highly suggest doing so as this will make the process easier on both sides. Read our guide below.

READ MORE: How to pick a wedding date | Planning 101

How Might Your Wedding Date Affect the Booking Process?

If you’ve decided to hold your wedding in peak marriage season, from March to May, then you might have to put in a little more elbow grease. It’s best to remember that while your wedding will feel unique, it’s far from the only one happening at that time.

That said, vendors including photographers and videographers will be in high demand. Once you set your date, book your team already. However, if you have a date range in mind, you could let your artists of choice know ahead of time. Of course, alert them when you’ve selected their specific date.

Even before you set the date and confirm who you’ll be working with, it might be worth asking different vendors when their busiest times are and make a decision based on that. This way, you’ll have some backups just in case others fall through.

The information for peak wedding dates also applies to holidays. While it is also possible that your vendor may be working another wedding during Christmas or New Year, it’s even more possible that they may be taking a holiday vacation.

If this is the case, they’re most likely not working any weddings at all and are out of commission until the holidays end. Once again, when you reach out to different photo and video vendors, it’s best to ask when they’re fully booked or when they’re not in operation at all.

The Takeaway

Once you’ve booked your video and/or photo team for your big day, be sure to let them into almost every facet of your plan. Let them get familiar with the other vendors who are also responsible for making your big day one to remember.

Additionally, be clear what your vision is for the kind of photos and videos you hope to get out of your wedding. Like anything, clear communication is crucial to everything running smoothly. Communication is necessary all the way from booking to receiving the actual material once you’ve tied the knot.

So to summarize, when it comes to booking your photo/video vendors consider the three pieces of advice given in this guide. Sure some issues may arise, but that’s only natural when it comes to fitting all the pieces of this grand puzzle together. Again, communication is key.

Know when you’re wedding will take place before dialing up the artists, let them know nearly a year in advance and be cognizant of how your big day might fit with their booking schedule.

Always remember that while you’re giving these vendors business, they’re business is making sure you and your spouse-to-be can have photos or footage of your first days as a married couple, mementos that you’ll cherish for years to come and pass down to future generations.