Long before the stag and hen nights take place most brides and grooms-to-be will have planned the details of their big day, chosen their guests and worked out where everyone is going to sit.

Once the venue has been booked, the next thing on the list is usually the wedding photographer. Budget plays a huge role in who the couple will eventually invite to cover their wedding photography for them, but while it is useful to know how much you want to spend, depending on how much value you place on having great wedding pictures, the resulting satisfaction has a lot to do with the personality of your chosen photographers. They have to love what they do, as smiles are catching and frowns and stress equally so. The right wedding photographer for you is usually the ones who you enjoy being with, and trust to do everything within their power to make you happy.

You might choose to buy the biggest oranges because on the outside they look perfect, - and you know the smallest ones, though more in a bag, tend to always be sour - but when you get them home, away from the special lighting at the supermarket, they no longer hold the same appeal, as they are, simply too bitter to eat, so imagine how hard it is to chose the right wedding photographer – particularly if you've had to pay them everything upfront! Sometimes you see what a friend has and like it, and because you know it worked for her, and you share some of the same values/tastes, you go along with her choices, so asking friends who they had for their wedding or who they have seen at other weddings they have been to as guests, can help a lot. Look online for reviews or comments about that person's name or company too, as things that are hidden can often come to light on the web!

If you just see a few perfect photos on a photographer's website, how do you know what a whole wedding will look like? Most photographers can get a few good pictures – posed family groups or natural shots - but brides nowadays want more than that. They want to see the emotions, and they want to see the fun – the story of their day - but they also want to have time to chat and time to live the day, so look for photographers who have all day, whole weddings - on their site too – not just hidden away for the guests to see, but for you to get a better idea of what you are likely to get to choose from at the end of your wedding day!

If you are lucky, you might even find a wedding photographer who will also cover your hen-night or stag do. That would be the ideal way to take away all the tension on the day, as you will all have bonded before the big day arrives, and be sure of everything going to plan.