Hello,
I need to know how brides find their wedding photographers, is it
through a search engine like google or a site like the knot.com?
Please list the top 5 answers.
Thank you.

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Clarification of Question by nikononly-ga on 05 Jan 2006 08:34 PST

Wow, I thought this was a simple question for all you braniacs out
there, so I guess it was the price? I doubled it, now please can
someone help, or tell me what's wrong with my question?

Just a free comment.  I rather thought that brides looked around
locally, asked their newly married girlfriends, got suggestions from
wedding organizers, and so on.
If you want to use the web, try searching with:  "wedding photographer" yourtown

Of course, you can go further afield by using the nearest larger city.
You should look at the quality of their work and be specific about
what you want and what it will cost you.  My daughter had a
photographer who started with her make-up and hairdressing sessions
and shots of the dress, riding with us in the car to the church ...
until the dancing stopped.  We got a good deal, it was a friend of her
girlfriend's, so that kind of service could be expensive, especially
if you have to pay for all the pictures you order per photo.

Good luck!

nikononly,

Raising your price certainly may help, but one reason why the question
remains unanswered may be that the data is either hard to find or
nonexistent. I searched for quite a while, hoping to find surveys or
studies that would provide the kind of information that you seek, and
I came up empty-handed. I hope someone will be able to locate such a
survey for you.

It didn't occur to me to think of a survey, a quality ranking.  I was
assuming that there is a lot of subjectivity involved in the choice of
a wedding photographer.  Our couple later laughed about the
photographer's insisting on making pictures of them alone and snaps
that showed their wedding rings, but many want such  - or at least
want a choice from the proofs.
Some photographers will have very strong ideas about posing everyone,
maybe more so if they are have or think they have a big reputation. 
This can turn the reception into a photo session  - fine for some, a
nuisance for others.
IMHO, the choice is a personal one based on taste, location and cost.

Thanks for trying Pinkfreud, I appreciate the explanation.

To myoarin, I am a photographer looking for the most efficient way to
reach brides, not the other way around, but thanks.

I got (re)married a year ago, and we did want someone, not a relative,
to record the event, so we looked for a reasonably priced photographer
and, in the end, were  very disappointed. However, that's not the
point. The point I'd make is get a website, yes, and be listed in
directories, of course, but mainly emphasize your flexibility, not
your directorial skills. I remember being VERY put off by one fellow
who wanted us to leave the chapel and go down to the park for pictures
before going to the restaurant for our dinner/reception. When I tried
to explain to him that I didn't *want* pictures in the park since we
weren't getting married in the park, but that I wanted a record of our
wedding as it actually occured, he didn't even seem to hear me in his
soliloguy on the beautiful light down in the park ....  so I'd say to
you: try to be open to what people *really* want vs. what you *think*
they want, or worse, what you think they *should* wnat, and then make
that flexibility known. If you do, I think you'll have a lot of
success. Good luck!