How to choose a wedding photographer you won't regret

Look at full wedding galleries, not just a highlight reel. Anyone can show you their best 20 photos from a whole career; ask to see two or three complete galleries from real weddings so you can judge consistency across a full day, including the parts that are harder to shoot well: a packed dance floor, a dim reception room, a rushed group photo.

Ask what happens if they're sick or their equipment fails on the day. A photographer with a real backup plan (a second shooter, a network of peers who can step in, backup bodies and cards) has thought about this before it became your problem. 'That's never happened to me' isn't an answer to the question.

Match style to your venue and light, not just your taste in isolation. A photographer whose portfolio is full of golden-hour outdoor shots may be a poor fit for a low-light winter reception in a marquee, regardless of how much you like their editing style elsewhere.

The cheapest quote usually means the least experience, the least insurance, or the fewest hours covered, sometimes all three. This is one vendor where paying for a proven track record is buying insurance against the one thing you can't redo: the photos are the only part of the day you get to keep.