As a wedding photographer, you often have a lot to say when meeting with new clients for the first time. And while you do your best to pay attention to details while taking notes and trying to put follow-up questions together in your head, you may have already noticed this is not an effective approach. There's so much you can miss during that first interaction, and the client might not even have the details of their wedding day set in stone.
So why not sit back, relax, get to know your client and make a connection? Leave the heavy work to your pre-wedding photography client questionnaire. This is a great tool to get to know your clients better on a more personal level, and gather all the nitty gritty details of their big day. To help you create your own wedding photography questionnaire, we'll go over some of the main aspects you should cover and give some example questions to serve as a starting point.
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What Questions Should a Wedding Photographer Ask a Client?
Every wedding photography client is different, and each one has certain goals for their wedding photos. While you may have met with them already, you may still not have all the answers and details you need. Your pre-wedding questionnaire should cover as many areas of your partnership as you can, but remember, you don't want to scare the client away with endless questions. Keep the questionnaire brief and to the point.
Some of the main aspects you'll want to cover include the couple's love story, important details about the event, family dynamics, photo shoot preferences and of course, the wedding day timeline. Here are some questions you should consider asking the bride and groom to gather such details.
Love Story
- How did you two meet? Can you share your love story with me?
- Do any of the items you wore to your wedding have sentimental value?
- Are there any remarkable or historical locations for the two of you?
- What connects the two of you? Are there any shared interests or hobbies?
- How long have you been together?
- What do you both value most about one another?
- What one word would you use to sum up your relationship?
- Does the wedding attire have a sentimental value for you both?
Event Details
- Are you working with a wedding planner? If so, please provide their name and contact information.
- How many guests are attending your wedding?
- Do you plan to visit a salon or will the hair and makeup team come to you?
- Do you intend to do a 'first look'? If yes, where would you like that to take place?
-Do you have a particular location in mind for the bride and groom's and wedding party's photos?
- What is your first dance song?
- Will there be any flower girls or ring bearers?
- Where will your ceremony be held? (name of the venue and address)
- Are there any venue restrictions? (use of flash, photographing times etc...)
- Are there any particular guidelines to follow for your ceremony?
- Which mode of transportation will you use to get from the ceremony to the reception (if it's at a different place)?
- Are you planning a formal exit from the ceremony? If so, what kind?
- Do you plan to host a cocktail hour?
- Do you plan to eat a sit-down meal, a buffet, or a family-style meal?
- Are there any special events or surprises you have planned that I should be aware of in advance?
Family Details
- What are the bride's parents' names and marital status?
- What are the groom's parents' names and marital status?
- How many brothers and sisters do you each have?
- Do you have any unique family situations that I should be aware of? (Marriages, deaths, tragedies, etc.)
- Which family group photos would you want to have taken?
- Besides the immediate family list we record, are there any other family groupings you would like during the family photo session? (step parents, grandparents, etc...)
- Are you planning to follow any family special traditions or cultural custom during the wedding?
Preferences
- Do you have any photos that are "must-haves"?
- Should I be aware of anything unique or distinctive about your wedding day?
- Do you have any specific poses for the couple's photos in mind?
- What do you dream your wedding will be like?
- Are there any individual, group shots or decoration details you would like to capture?
- Do you have any music preferences for your slide show?
- Do you have a particular location in mind for the bride and groom photos?
- Is there a specific photograph style you prefer? (vintage, black & white, bright & clean, etc...)
- Is there anything I should know about you both in terms of the photos that will be taken? (are you shy? is there anything you dislike about getting your photos taken? Is there anything I can do to make you feel more comfortable?)
Wedding Timeline
- When will your ceremony begin, and how long do you anticipate it lasting?
- Please specify the order of events at your wedding reception.
- What time does the hair and cosmetics for the bride start?
- When do you leave for the service? How are you traveling?
- Is there anything else I should know about the morning plans on the wedding date?
- Where will the groom get ready, and when will that start?
- What transportation schedules are in place to get to the ceremony location?
- What is the schedule and time for the reception? What time are the speeches, cake cutting, canapés, and meals taking place?
- Do you have a flexible schedule? Would I be able to request more time if necessary?
- Do you predict there will be many speeches, and if so, will any of them be lengthy?
Create the Perfect Wedding Photography Questionnaire With Bonsai
Creating your own wedding photography questionnaire doesn't have to be a headache. Bonsai makes it simple with its lightweight form builder. Using our software you can quickly create professional questionnaires with customizable fields to add as many questions as you need and select your preferred response format (single choice, multiple choice or text). You can also add your own branding elements like wedding photographer (company) logo or industry-related imagery to make your document unique and easily recognizable.
Once your questionnaire is ready to go, you can share the URL link with your clients, send it via email or even have it embedded into your business website to streamline your onboarding process and get more leads. But why stop there? Bonsai helps you manage your business end-to-end with free templates for proposals, contracts and invoices as well as a complete tax and accounting software.
Start your 14-day free trial and see why Bonsai has quickly become a must-have tool for independent professionals across all industries.
