There are certain steps you can take to ensure that all of your vendors play nice on the day of your wedding. Even in a world touted by professionalism, it is still possible for personalities and creative visions to clash, especially between your photographer and videographer. The last thing you want on your big day is an epic battle between warring vendors.

How Important Is It That My Photographer and Videographer Get Along?

The relationship between your wedding videographer and photographer is critically important. A strong, healthy partnership between the two professionals builds a bridge to:
* High quality photos and videos of your wedding day.
*Increased creativity rather than a tug-of-war between creative minds.
*A smoother work flow for you and your guests.
*A more fun-induced environment for everyone.

What Happens If My Photographer and Videographer Don’t Get Along?
Simple. The opposite of every positive entity listed above resulting in poor photos and videos, less creativity, stress and zero fun for everyone involved.

How Can You Ensure A Healthy Relationship Between Professionals?
There are four steps you can take to help create a positive relationship between the professionals you are hiring for your wedding day. These steps include communication, hiring experienced professionals, and ask for recommendations.

Communicate
Talk to your photographer and ask how they handle the relationship between themselves and the videographer. In turn, talk to your videographer and ask them the same question. Videographer Dave Bigler explains the relationship he looks to have with photographers he works with to make sure the wedding day sets sail smoothly: “The photographer is in charge of the shoot. When my team is shooting video, I make it clear that if we want to get a certain shot or do something with the couple, we talk to the photographer before we start directing the couple on what to do. It’s really distracting and confusing if the videographer starts directing the couple while the photographer is also directing. We have worked with photographers that openly dislike working with videographers; but after working with use for the day, their tone changes for the better.”

Bridal Tip: Begin the search process by talking to a wedding coordinator; they know what vendors are easy to work with and which ones tend to be more difficult.

Hire Experienced Professionals
Hire vendors that have worked in the area for awhile. The longer a vendor has been around, the more professionals they have worked with. The networking of professionals who know each other will work in your benefit to produce a shoot absent of any turmoil.  Entry level photographers and/or videographers may still be learning their gear as well as trying to understand how to work with others on a shoot. “If you hire an experienced, professional videographer and photographer you should not have any issues with either party getting in the way. Pros know how to work together to get a better end-result then either could get individually.” – said Bigler.

Bridal Tip: When you are meeting with potential vendors ask them if they have any stories of vendors who were difficult to work with. If they start rattling off a long list of difficult vendors, that may be a clue to you that the problem could actually be them and not the other vendors.

Recommendations
One of the best ways to ensure that you don’t get stuck with a grumpy vendor is to work with vendors that your friends, co-workers and/or family have already worked with.  If a vendor was great to work with at your friends wedding, chances are they will be the same at yours.  You can also ask your vendors what videographers/photographers they like to work with and why.

Bridal Tip : Talk to your friends, if someone else worked with a vendor and highly recommend them, then thats a great place to start.

Follow these few steps to insure THIS doesn’t happen to you: