You wedding photographer in action
This entry is from our Expert Guest series where wedding and honeymoon professionals share their best tips on creating memories that last a lifetime.

Time and time again I am so overly blessed by my clients¦ whether it be through words, actions, or a physical gift. I have friends and clients saying to me I really want to thank my photographer for what they did and how they captured us! What can I do for them? So, I decided I would put together the top 5 things that clients have done for me in the past that made me feel like a million bucks!

Five Ways To Thank Your Wedding Photographer

Wedding thank you toast

NUMBER 5:  Thanking them at your wedding!

Wow, just last weekend a bride and groom got up after speeches and gave the proper verbal Thank You’s to all their friends and family for all the work they put in¦ THEN they didn’t stop there¦ they literally said to their guests  You have seen our photographers running around all day and we want to thank Tonie Christine Photography from the bottom of our hearts for being more than just a photographer, but a confidence booster, a dress fluffer and such a joy to work with from start to finish ¦

Queue the jaw dropping right there! I was so so so honored to be mentioned by name on their wedding day that I fear I looked like a Miss USA Contestant fanning my dropped jaw¦ but really, people,¦ even a hand written note mailed to us after the wedding, or a shout out at the wedding goes SUCH a long way!

Photographing the bride & groom

Number 4: A TIP!

Many people don’t realize how much a tip means to us as photographers! The money that you invest in us is a big deal and we are so thankful you chose US¦. but here’s the thing¦ a tip speaks volumes to us. It says

1.) You value the hard work we do before the wedding, at the wedding and then after the wedding and

2.) It says We want you to treat yourself to something nice with this tip and not just put it back into your business!

This means we have the freedom to grab a massage, manicure, or that new top we have been eying and not even feel guilty about it! Not to mention each time I am given a tip, it makes me melt inside. It’s certainly not necessity, but if you feel like your photographer went above and beyond, it’s never to late to mail them a little note and a small tip! I am not even talking about a certain percentage or a package price or what you would pay a server¦ I just mean whatever is on your heart to bless them with DOES NOT go unnoticed!

Thank you flowers

Number 3: Something Personal.

One of my favorite things to do is scour friends’ Instagram accounts and Facebook pages for things they love, not just Starbucks gift cards, camera paraphernalia or something generic but to really look and find something unique that you see they LOVE! (Of course, it’s not a bad thing to do a Starbucks card as we as photographers frequent coffee shops!)

Knowing that your photographer’s favorite candle came from Anthropologie, or that they eat all the time at a certain restaurant in town near you, or better yet, that they love to display certain colors in their home, can really go a LONG way when buying them a small gift that makes you think of them!

My favorite example of this is a bride of mine last summer who knows I have an undying love for all things black and white and gold¦ After her wedding day, she literally went back to the boutique where she bought her bridesmaids gifts, and bought an additional black and gold necklace just like  she bought for all of them and mailed it to me with a card that simple read I felt like you could have been a bridesmaid all day with us, and instead you were working all day. Thank you for being not only our photographer, but our friend WHOA¦ queue the tears! (Thanks Ari!! )

Promote your photographer on social media

Number 2: Social Media Shout Outs And Rave Reviews Online Anywhere!

These go a LOOONG way with us as photographers! We send you your gallery of images that we have worked hard on ,and we wait, holding our breath, wanting to either hear back from you via email or see a totally rad post online somewhere! When you tag our businesses (not us personally) on Instagram or Facebook and leave our website addresses when you post wedding photos, your friends and family respond to that! They look us up and they follow us too! This is how we gain our advertising and new clients which leads to my number one gift to give your photographer¦

We love referrals!!

NUMBER 1: REFERRALS!

Past Clients, we can’t thank you enough for being our clients and when you send us a referral of a friend or two, we know that we did our job and we did it well. It’s truly the BEST thing you can do for your photographer. To simply tell your friends and family about the experience you had with us and what it meant to you!

It’s my hope that my clients NEVER feel obligated to do any of these, and that they flow naturally from our relationship that starts at the consult all the way through the end of your shoot and wedding day that leaves you with great anticipation of seeing your photos when they are done. I am truly and constantly blessed by our clients!

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Bio: For the bride who doesn’t just walk the aisle, but blazes her own trail, Tonie is a Seattle-based photographer who travels to where you are. Her heart desires to work with brides who are not afraid of stepping outside their comfort zone for a dance in the rain, a romp under a waterfall or a blustery day that might put wind in her hair! She isn’t afraid of logistics on her wedding day, and wants to make her photos a MEMORY and not just settle for what is right in front of her. Find out more about her here at www.toniechristine.com

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