You guys - choosing a photographer is so hard. There are so so many talented photographers everywhere in the world and if you're anything like me, you're gasping in awe at all of their websites. Wedding photography is so dreamy that I was immediately drawn to pretty much every website I went to. After I found out which of the amazing Seattle photographers were in or near our budget, I scheduled coffee meetings with a few of my favorites. To me, chemistry is super importatn because I want to feel as comfortable as possible on our big day. Plus, with our long engagement we're working with our vendors for well over a year, so its important to me to bring together a group of people I really trust and consider friends. But, after having 3 great coffee meetings, I was still loving all their work.

In order to help me make the decision, I came up with a little trick. I knew that part of me was swayed by website design and personality, so I wanted to do something to make it a little more objective for myself to compare back against the chemistry portion.

So I made a shot list, and pulled my favorite of that category from the photographer's website and then put them in columns side by side. Here's the list:

- Couple Close Up

- Couple Long Shot (showing venue and atmosphere)

- Bridal Portrait

- Ceremony

- Couple Kissing

- Venue

- "Fun" shot (Detail, Candid, or photographic trick)

- Engagement Portait

Sources: Carina Skrobecki, Lifebox Studio, Stacy Jacobsen Photography

For me, this was such a great way to see the photographers style all together without other distractions. I asked my wedding party to weigh in (not telling them who was who), and we had fun deciding which style would be best for Erik and I. As you saw from our introduction post, we hired Carina Skrobecki and we have been SO SO happy ever since. I think all three of these talented folks would have been great, but Carina captures images in a way that is perfect for us, and she has become a friend along the way. I can't wait till the day I can share how she captures our wedding day.