Personal recommendations of friends or family are helpful but you must insist on seeing some of the work of a Photographer before deciding they are right for your Wedding Day! If you know someone who has used a good Photographer for their Wedding, ask to see their album and ask too, what they thought of the professionalism of the Photographer, their attention to detail and their regard for your own wishes.

You will have to sit down ahead of the Big Wedding Day with your fiance and decide on what type of pictures you want to have to record your special day and also, who is to be in the photographs. This is really important to do as it will avoid confrontations and upsets on the day.

For example, when you say a family shot, do you mean only parents and brothers and sisters?
Or partners of parents, brothers and sisters too? What about partners who are not married, are they to be included in a family shot? This may depend on the length of time a couple have been together or the seriousness of their relationship? You do not in 5 years' time want to have a family photograph on your living room wall with 3 'ex-boyfriends' or 'ex-girlfriends' there!

If your parents are divorced, think about how they will handle a family shot? If divorced parents have new partners, think about how they fit in to a family shot? You may have to speak to several family members ahead of your Wedding Day to clarify your wishes. And remember, although you should be sensitive to the wishes of your family, it is your Wedding Day!!

Think also about other picture permutations: do you want a shot with all aunties and uncles together or individually? Do you want a 'cousins' picture? Would you like a shot with all the female guests together or only female family or close friends? Would you like a 'boys only' or 'boys in kilts' picture?

Organising big group pictures is a Photographer's worst nightmare because Uncle Jim will be at the bar, Auntie Betty in the toilet, Robert will be outside having a cigarette, Helen will be on the phone checking up on her children and 10 other guests will be checking into their rooms! You need to think ahead if you want all the important people in your life captured in your official photographs, and put someone in charge! A Photographer can shout out the general theme of the picture e.g. all Groom's cousins but if the Groom's brother is one of the people in charge of helping organise shots, he can actually go and grab those required in the picture and can quickly identify who is missing! A nice touch is also to give your Photographer a list of the names of the Bridal Party and other important people, so they can call people to each picture by name - then they know who they are looking for!

Something else to think about is whether or not you would like to have shots at your house before the Ceremony, as you are getting ready and this is solely down to personal choice. Some Brides think it is nice to have a 'before' shot, some feel it an intrusion! Bear in mind that your Photpgrapher cannot be in two places at once, so if you want your Photographer to photograph you at home right through until you are leaving the house, he or she cannot be at the Church or Venue photographing the guests on arrival, unless your chosen Photographer works as a duo or team. This is something you will need to think about and discuss with your Photographer.

Do you wish your Photographer to be around to take a picture of the cutting of the Wedding cake or your first dance? If so, then you need to say, although you may be charged  little extra as most Photographers usually finish before the meal starts.

Don't be afraid to give your Photograher a list of the pictures you require, in fact, it is a must, and show your Photographer any shots you have cut out of Wedding magazines which you would like to recreate! You cannot go back and recreate you day so make sure your Photographer knows your wishes before the day!

Lastly, when discussing the cost of the photography package, be sure to get a list of the prices for additional reprints or extra pages in an album as this can be expensive!