What to look for in Photography

I definitely have a certain style I am drawn to when looking at pictures. I really like when pictures look natural and not forced and I took that into consideration when looking at photographers.
I also needed someone with a personality I didn't clash with. I am very laid back and needed someone with enough of a voice to keep me focused.

Thanks for all the tips everyone! I'm not too worried about the budgeting since its an evening wedding so I wouldn't need a long time: just a couple hours before, during and maybe after so it shouldn't be too bad.

Are there any other costs one has to consider other than the hourly rate and tip? How did you cut these costs? (I'm a Vistaprint queen so I'll definitely use that for the album)

Photographers personalize your style and find what you wnat to do. Styles vary from classic to glamour. I was told to start a pinterest board and the individual can view it by letting them know your name.

Pros are they work towards your direction and giving best poses based on the area chosen for the shoot.

Cons are the package amount and non-refundable. Call many photographers to see if they can fo something towards your budget without the wedding album since i save half the amount doing it on vistaprint.

I only paid $1300 as oppose to $1500 that would have included the wedding album.

Same as the others have mentioned, the vibe and style is what you should look for (while staying within your budget), look through their portfolio, and don't be shy about asking for reference so others can tell you what it's like to work with them. If you're not comfortable with them, I think that might come through in the photos.

The photographer we interviewed (and booked!) showed us her profile of wedding photos and we fell in love. She did a great mixture of black and white photos but also had plenty of coloured ones. She had some distant photos and some close ups. She did both posed and candid (which we really loved because that’s where you see the true personalities of the bride and groom!) and she also told us that we put together a list of photos we want (like family ones) and also give her some poses we really want and she will do them for us.

It really comes down to what you want and what they show you they can do. Always make sure you see their profile and make sure it includes multiple weddings in it. If you like what you see and they are within your budget then it shouldn’t be an issue
good luck!

I agree with Holly! Style is a very personal preference. For weddings I typically look towards photos where you can feel the emotion between the people in it. I'm super fond of good composition in photos but then the focal point of the photo is the composition and being a GOOD photo over the contents within. I went more towards an emotional feel for our photos even though I know someone who takes amazing artistic photos but again the focus was less on the couple and more about being an amazing photo!
The only way you can really save on costs is to only hire them for fewer hours. Most charge per hour so if cost is important to you maybe limit to where you have the professional taking pics (ceremony/park photos) and dont have them during the reception where you can rely on guests taking photos!

When it comes to photography styles it's really based on your personalities. My fiance and I don't like the overly posed photos, so we want mostly of us just being us and having a good time. Out photographer does just that, she lets us do our own thing, she will capture candid moments as well as some "posed" photos too.
I don't think style will really be an indicator on the cost of the photographer. For cost it's what you want from the photographer.
If you want to pay under $1000 you'll be getting 4-8 hours worth of photography (approximately) and probably just the one photographer. Now if you wanted 8-12 hours and more than one photographer than the cost would go up according to that.
For us we got lucky, for $1700 we get unlimited hours, two photographers for the ceremony, one and an assistant for the rest, engagement session, all professionally edited photos with copyright. Unfortunately, prices go up every year, so booking asap is something I highly recommend!!
As for pros and cons of photography styles that is also mostly depending on who you are. For us pros of having a more relaxed, candid but still kind of posed photographer is that we get to enjoy the process without feeling fake or forced and posed.
Best of luck!!