Choosing a Photographer and DJ from OOT - Important to Meet in Person?

ellev

We're planning a mid-March shore wedding from Durham, NC and we're only going to be in town around T'giving (I already have my makeup trial set with Jeanine Mangan for Nov. 26!!) and Christmas before the New Year. I really want my photographer and DJ to be great and I feel like I've looked at a billion blogs at this point. I'd like to try to schedule meetings with the people we're considering but on the other hand I'd also like to go ahead and check them off my list.

 What do you girls think? Is it important to meet in person with your top couple of candidates or can you tell as much from a phone conversation and online pics? Any suggestions if I do decide to do the over the phone route?

TIA!

uppereastgirl

You need to meet with photographers.  At the very least, you need to see a full set of prints from a wedding.  Almost any photographer could find 10 nice photos to throw on their blog/website, but you want to make sure that those aren't the only good photos they get!  Also, you need to make sure that their personality is something you can put up with on the day of.  I don't think you'll be able to do that over the phone as much as you need.

I don't think there's any pressing need to meet with DJs.  You can get a good sense of what they're about from a phone call and any videos they share with you.

(Also, I don't know how any of us can answer that you're only looking at well-regarded candidates without knowing who you're considering!)

Laurms15

I  agree with PP You will be spending a lot of time w/ your photographer and you will be talking to him/her. So you shoudl meet them in person especially to get an idea of how they work and if you mesh well. Also if you can I'd get e-pics taken. If you DJ agrees to follow your do not play list and you chat with them over the phone I think you should be ok.

felicia220

I also have to agree.  Your Photographer is going to be following you around all day, and you want it to be someone you like and personality wise get along with.  I would want to meet both the DJ and Photographer in person.  

Reilly626

Absolutely! Definitely the photographer. Unless your good friends recommended used your dj, I went on good friends recommendations for photog and dj but met them in person.

ellev

Thanks for your input everyone, it's very much appreciated as usual. By "well-regarded" I just meant the folks who consistently come with everyone's highest recommendations, Josh Lynn, Jason Rhee, etc.

hcer0708

I agree with prior posts...

uppereastgirl

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_choosing-photographer-dj-oot-important-meet-person?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:aa23bfe3-019f-4f4d-b123-91e5ede6ab7ePost:2cd5dbf9-7a7c-4b89-8ce9-f69974b6f1d1">Re: Choosing a Photographer and DJ from OOT - Important to Meet in Person?</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks for your input everyone, it's very much appreciated as usual. By "well-regarded" I just meant the folks who consistently come with everyone's highest recommendations, Josh Lynn, Jason Rhee, etc.
Posted by ellev[/QUOTE]

<div>But even so -- I think only one bride has actually used Jason Rhee for her wedding so far, so while he does get high marks here, a lot of it is from "He was nice to talk to and can't wait for my wedding!" or "He did a good job on my e-pics" (which are a very different practice than wedding shots).  I'd take pre-wedding reviews (of any photographer) with a grain of salt.  Also, there are very, very few people on this board who know much about photography, so being very popular here doesn't mean that the photogs are necessarily well-regarded by people who are more aware of the technical aspects of photography.  There are some photographers who get recommended here who have lots of out of focus photos on their websites (which should in theory showcase the best photos s/he took -- so that's kind of scary).  Which is why it is important to sit down with these people yourself and figure out that you really do love their style (beyond the super edited photos on the website) and to make sure that you're okay with an entire wedding that was shot (remembering that any photographer is going to show you the proofs from the very best wedding they shot, so the quality you get very well may be lower).</div><div>
</div><div>And there are a TON of excellent photographers who never ever get mentioned here, so I wouldn't look only at photographers you've seen mentioned on this board.  It is a place to start, but not the be all end all.</div><div>
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vjt730

i booked jason rhee hes awesome and wont kill your budget!.. my band i just watched a dvd i didnt meet with them.. im sure your going to pick from a group of vendors that have great reviews.. you cant go wrong

kwilkinson14

I am also planning a wedding in NJ but from another state. I did meet with all the vendors especially the photographer and videographer. They were the most important aspect of the wedding to me. You definitely should meet in person to see if you like their personalities, work, etc. I know it's tough but will be worth it in the end.

jaimelody

I planned my wedding in NJ from GA - DH and I wanted to interview DJ's and pick ours because I think a big part of the reception is the party/DJ aspect of it. I would say make some appointments for while you're up. Photographers are the same way although you can view a lot of their work on line and narrow down your choices.

My mom and sister interviewed a florist for me and we chose her. I picked a make-up person based on what I heard from TK and LOVED her. Gina Brozon. Same thing with our favors and grooms cake. If you have someone that you know knows your style, I would have them do the early footwork for you (if they can) and then you come up and do the final interviews.

ellev

Well, we're definitely going to meet with our photographers starting over Thanksgiving. Thanks again for all your constructive comments and suggestions, ladies!

 It did make my FI and I finally choose a date and book our venue! Woohoo, March 13 - yay, Lucky 13!! In response to uppereastgirl's comment that there are plenty of outstanding photographers that are never mentioned on here - I present the Wedding Photojournalist Association website http://www.wpja.com/index.htm. A lot of you are probably aware of it, but it's a good place for people who are just getting started to get ideas. Cheers!!

kellybee83

We met with Todd Laffler (and his adorable daughter Zoe) last week.  I am really glad we did, but it just made me like his work even more.  I think I got a really good idea of his style and personality from his blog, so if you can't meet with your photographer I don't think it's the worst thing.  Are you guys going to do engagement pics?  If you found someone you were confident about you could do engagement pics when you are here for Thanksgiving (if you and the photographer could fit it in your schedules).   

We also met with Vanessa Joy who was great as well.  I know I would feel so comfortable with her as our photographer. 

I like Monika Broz a lot too, but haven't met her in person. 

ellev

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_choosing-photographer-dj-oot-important-meet-person?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:aa23bfe3-019f-4f4d-b123-91e5ede6ab7ePost:a6c9f215-daf1-48c8-87bf-b509253919f7">Re: Choosing a Photographer and DJ from OOT - Important to Meet in Person?</a>:
[QUOTE]We met with Todd Laffler (and his adorable daughter Zoe) last week.  I am really glad we did, but it just made me like his work even more.  I think I got a really good idea of his style and personality from his blog, so if you can't meet with your photographer I don't think it's the worst thing.  Are you guys going to do engagement pics?  If you found someone you were confident about you could do engagement pics when you are here for Thanksgiving (if you and the photographer could fit it in your schedules).    We also met with Vanessa Joy who was great as well.  I know I would feel so comfortable with her as our photographer.  I like Monika Broz a lot too, but haven't met her in person. 
Posted by kellybee83[/QUOTE]

Cool, I'm glad he's as great in person as he seems on his blog. Are you going to go with him? My head is sort of spinning (and my computer is overheating) from looking at wedding pictures and at this point I'm not even sure what I want anymore. I haven't heard back from Todd, but I'd like to meet with him, Josh Lynn, Marc Matteo and John Arcara.

I'm torn on the e-pics. I'm really freakin' unphotogenic and because of it, a little camera shy. I dated a photographer for years before I met my FI, he took pictures of me all the time and I have about 10 or 15 that are good. On the one hand, it would be good to have a dry run with a pro photog and get an idea of how my wedding day makeup looks on camera (I'm optimistically convinced this will make all the difference in making me photogenic). On the other hand, I'm afraid our pictures will be terrible and then I'll be terrified about our wedding pics.