A wedding photography questionnaire is a list of questions concerning the information about a wedding photoshoot and ceremony that is sent by a photographer to his/her clients.
Both novice and experienced photographers who specialize in the wedding industry should implement some practices in their business to improve their clients' experience. One of the best ways to learn more about the future photoshoot to organize it correctly is to send a client a wedding photography questionnaire.
Such question sheets are designed to better understand the couple, the event, and the client's vision of the upcoming photo session. In the article, you will find both questions for compiling your questionnaire and ready-made templates created by experienced photographers.
Convenience. With a wedding questionnaire for couples, you will always have access to all the necessary information. You may rewrite some of the important information (time schedule and must-have photos) in a notebook or copy it onto a phone to have it ready if you need to look something up. I also recommend writing a wedding photography checklist.
Easier scheduling. It happens very often that there are some changes in a wedding timeline that you may not be aware of. As a result, it may lead to confusion and ruin your plans, not to mention the couple’s. Making up a list of questions to ask the bride and groom before the wedding will help you avoid problems with the schedule. Knowing the exact wedding plan, you will be able to arrange your work effectively.
Saves time. Wedding preparations are usually extremely time-consuming. If you have all the vital information at once in the questionnaire, you won't need to waste precious time searching for updates and specific details in numerous emails from different clients.
No more stress and worries. Preparations before wedding photoshoots are usually very nerve-wracking, which can negatively affect your mood. You may be preoccupied with what wedding photography styles to offer, what props to take, etc. But when you have compiled and processed a wedding ceremony questionnaire, you can finally relax. You may think about the photo shoot but not about the small details that you might have missed.
Eliminates mistakes. When a bride and groom fill in a question sheet, they are more likely to provide the correct information without making any mistakes, for instance, with the schedule or an address.
Helps you keep details in mind. A wedding is an event full of different but very important details. In case you talk about the details with a couple orally, it is possible that you accidentally might forget to write down an essential piece of information or put it down incorrectly.
It's up to you to decide which questions to ask, but don't forget to take into consideration the wedding traditions of a couple's ethnic background and your own preferences. I have created the questions for clients, I use. The list is certainly not short, but if clients complete the questionnaire, you and your team will be 100 percent prepared for such a momentous event!
1. Wedding date.
2. Groom’s name (for same-sex weddings, name of first bride).
3. Bride’s name (for same-sex weddings, name of second groom).
4. Phone number of the groom.
5. Phone number of the bride.
6. What are the names of the groomsmen and bridesmaids?
7. Will there be page boys or flower girls? What are their names?
8. What are the groom's parents’ names? What is their relationship status?
9. What are the bride's parents’ names? What is their relationship status?
10. Are there any specific family situations that shouldn’t be mentioned? For instance, deaths, divorces, etc.
11. How can I reach your wedding coordinator? What is his/her name?
12. Do you have a wedding planner? Could you give his/her name and phone number?
13. Could you provide me with the names and contact info of vendors, caterers, videographers, florists, cake and makeup artists, designers, and all other people involved in the wedding preparation process?
14. Are there any wedding rules, time limits, or peculiar religious traditions that should be mentioned?
15. Is there a hashtag for your wedding?
16. What are the theme and the main colors of your wedding?
17. Do you plan to provide both the first and second photographers with food?
18. Do you have any extra information you would like to share with the photographer?
19. When and where will Bridal Preparation take place?
20. When and where will Groom Preparation take place?
21. What is the approximate time you want a photographer to arrive for preparations?
22. Have you booked a visit to a hairdresser or makeup artist? When are you going to the service? Will you drive there or use some other means of transport?
23. How long does it take to get from the location of Bridal Preparation to the ceremony place? 24. What type of transport will be used?
25. Where does the ceremony take place?
26. When do you plan to begin the ceremony? Will be any reading or similar things at the wedding?
27. Will there be a receiving line after the ceremony?
28. Will there be a formal exit from the ceremony? What kind?
29. Where and when does the reception take place?
30. How much time does it take to get from the location of the ceremony to the reception?
31. Could you provide me with the names and contact info of the venue owner?
32. Could you list the order of events at the reception?
33. Will there be a cocktail hour? If so, when?
34. Will you have a sit-down dinner, family style, appetizers, or only desserts?
35. How many guests do you expect at the reception?
36. Are there any “must-have” shots you wish to get?
37. Are you going to do a first look? If yes, where and when it will be happening?
38. When is couple and group shooting supposed to start?
39. Where do you wish for the photos of the couple to be taken? Do you have any wedding photography ideas?
40. When is it more suitable to take family portraits – before or immediately after the ceremony? (Before is advisable)
41. What kind of family group photos do you wish to have?
42. Would you like a photo booth to be set up at the wedding party?
43. When will the cake cutting, dinner, speeches, and first dance begin?
44. Are you going to toss a bouquet and/or a garter?
45. Do you have any specific wedding photography poses in mind?
46. Is there anything I should be aware of for a successful photoshoot – special location or specifics of family politics?
Through your website, Google Docs, or email. Sending wedding questionnaire for photographers electronically is probably the most appropriate solution. This is the easiest way to store and retrieve information. It would be a great idea to customize it to match your brand and include modern conditional logic functions (where some questions are offered because of previous choices).
Communication via phone. The phone is one of the most convenient ways to communicate with your clients, asking them all the questions that interest you and getting the answer in an instant. Besides, it provides the ability to specify any detail and offer the couple some alternative variants if the previous one is a bit inappropriate.
A personal meeting. If a couple has a desire and time to meet the wedding photographer, and you have time to get to know the future newlyweds closer – this way of communication is suitable. Print out photography questionnaire and bring it to the meeting or fill it with a couple during the meeting. Another option is to record the whole dialogue to make sure that no detail is missed.
My recommendation is to share the questionnaire with clients at least 2 weeks or better one month before the wedding ceremony. Give the clients some time to think and discuss all the issues, especially if the question form is too long. This time is also sufficient for clarifying details, and suggesting changes if they seem more appropriate. The main thing is to make sure that the span of time between the date you've sent the questionnaire and the date you need to have it completed.
Sometimes clients fill out the questionnaire several days before the celebration. If it happens do not get desperate and fully make use of it, hoping that everything will go according to plan. A great idea is to print a copy of the form to clarify some things right on the wedding day.
In addition, you need to prepare wedding photographer questions for clients in advance and ensure that clients understand them and answer them as effectively as possible so that you will not have any additional questions.
Learn more about the couple's love history. They may have identical tattoos or some symbol or element that represents their relationship. Such details can give you inspiration for incredible wedding portraits.
Include only the needed questions. It is recommended not to include all the questions for wedding photographers you may find, but look through them carefully and choose the most suitable ones or use them as a basis for creating your own. Every couple needs a certain approach; therefore, the questions for new clients should differ. The questions should match your client's aims and your shooting style. Such questionnaires should, first of all, simplify the wedding photography process.
Establish a deadline. When a bride and groom receive a wedding photography questionnaire, they will ask you when they have to have it filled in. Never reply with anything like “As soon as possible!” or “Whenever you can!” They are likely to forget about it because a couple has tons of other arrangements they have to take care of. Tell them a specific date on which they need to submit a finished questionnaire and note it down in your personal organizer.
A few days before the established date, send the couple a letter or text via e-mail or messenger to remind them about the upcoming deadline.
Take your time to examine the answers. Note down if something is unclear. Maybe you misunderstood or didn't catch the meaning and you need to clarify particular details. You'd better contact the couple once again to clear everything up and do it in advance.
Make sure nothing has changed before the photoshoot. It might be a good idea to arrange a final meeting with the clients in order to do a wedding photography consultation checklist and make sure that nothing has changed. Very often last-minute changes or additions may be made and a couple may forget to inform you about them because of their wedding preparation bustle.
If you don't feel like making up your own personal wedding photography client questionnaire or you don't have enough time to do it, I’ve designed three free photography questionnaire templates with all the necessary information to make the process of questioning a bride and groom easier.
