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Congratulations...you've just got engaged!
... he popped the question, you accepted, you've called all your friends and you're finally starting to get used to the idea of having an H2B in your life. Now the hard work of decision making and budgeting begins as you start to plan for what will probably be the biggest function you will host in your life.
First things first ...

Having recently married our advice would be; once the engagement celebrations are over, choose a provisional date for the big day as a priority. Finalize it as soon you have looked at venue availability and then confirm the venue booking as soon as possible. This gives you a starting point for all of the other arrangements that you have to make.
Then your photographer...

The next step is to focus on selecting your photographer. Blitz the websites, local bridal magazines and talk to your friends who have recently got married. Decide on the style of photography that you like, period of coverage, the final presentation and estimate how much you can spend.
We recommend short listing 3 photographers - call them, see samples of their work and get to know them a little. Make sure you both feel comfortable with them as you will possibly spend more time with them on your wedding day than you do with one another. After that the fun bits can be developed, i.e., the theme, wedding dress, wedding party selection etc.
Budget? What budget...

Sounding complex? When budgeting a simple rule of thumb is to allocate approx £150 per hour for the length of time the photographer will be covering your wedding. This hourly rate buys you the expertise of the photographer; their experience in handling difficult and unpredictable situations (the weather for one), their creative ability in capturing the moment in a non pressurized manner, being able to coerce people into groups and encouraging them to look their best regardless of the wind, pouring rain or blazing sunshine. Imagine the skill required to meet 150 guests for the first time, get their cooperation when excitement is at fever pitch and emotions are running high, stick to a very tight time schedule and still make every one look their smiling best (yes, we do try even harder with the grumpy, camera shy ones)!
So you've found a photographer you like, you've seen their work - now it's time to explore your optins...

Things to consider
Decisions you will have to make could include how long you want coverage of your wedding for, perhaps how many photographers you would like and what the final product(for example an album or set of pints) will be.
How much coverage is enough?

The wedding day can be divided into 4 main sections for photographic coverage purposes; the bridal preparations (bride getting ready at home or at the hotel), Church or Civil Ceremony venue(guests and groom before the wedding), Wedding Ceremony(the actual ceremony), and finally the Reception (the fun bit at the reception venue). Most wedding photography packages are divided up into coverage of these sections and then the final post production costs and presentation format (prints/album) is added on to the basic cost of approx £150 an hour.
Bridal Preparations
The bridal preparations is when the story of the day starts to unfold and these images suit a contemporary style of wedding photography, perhaps a storybook album or DVD slideshow. It includes reportage elements (bridal accessories, hairdo moments, makeup being applied and putting shoes on as examples) as well as an opportunity to do some more conventional pics of the bride with her mum, dad and bridesmaids. Special moments happen at this time, parents seeing their daughter as their 'little girl' for the last time or bridesmaids seeing you in your wedding dress for the first time. Allow approximately an hour for the photographer to be in your home discreetly capturing these moments.
Church, Civil Ceremony venue coverage
This is when the Groom's side of the story starts to unfold, including the formal groom portraits, reportage style shots with his best man and groomsmen or ushers and candid pics of the guests arriving. It also includes the details in the church such as the flowers, order of Service - all the little things that you put so much time and effort into choosing (remember all those huge decisions you made)and often some formal groom's family portraits are done now, e.g., the groom and his mum, siblings, good luck handshake from Dad etc. If the bridal prep is not being photographed this is usually where the wedding photographer will commence coverage, please allow for this to start approx an hour before the ceremony time. Solid time planning means less pressure on the day so we allow 5 mins for photographing the groom, 2 mins photographing the best man, 5 mins with the groom and the ushers, 10 mins with his immediate family and 7 mins for the unexpected such as buttonholes missing in action! By planning ahead it means that the pictures are safely taken and the groom is free to enjoy greeting the guests as they arrive.
Wedding Ceremony coverage
This means from the time of the arrival of the bridal party until the couple leave for the reception. Allow usually about an hour for the actual church ceremony or half an hour for a civil ceremony then each followed by 30 minutes for approx 10 group shots outside the church/civil ceremony venue. This is when we do the core shots e.g.; first couple portrait in the church doorway, the immediate family combinations with the bridal party. This has to be limited timewise as there may be a wedding following and there is often a time commitment for catering purposes at the reception venue. We usually wrap up the 30 mins with capturing the confetti throw with all of the happiness and laughter that this involves. This may seem very structured but it's part of the professional photographers time management experience that is being payed for. As every wedding is different the timings are something that is discussed individually at the pre wedding meeting. It is also important to remember that ceremony photographic coverage differs between different denominations and may range from unlimited coverage to only the entrance of the bride/signing of the register and the couple walking down the aisle together after the ceremony. As we respect the wishes of the couple and the policy of the churches we do not use flash during the service, we adhere to the guidance given by the clergy and aim to be as discreet as possible. During a civil ceremony we do have more opportunities to take photographs but again we respect the occasion and avoid flash where possible.
Reception coverage
We leave the ceremony behind and focus on the fun part of the photography at the reception. If covering this part of your day we take the balance of group shots (usually extended family groups and any special combinations that you may ask for), the bride and groom portraits (both conventional and in a reportage style) and the details of the reception room. We wrap up the day with a posed cutting of the cake picture. When planning timings we suggest about 30 mins for the balance of the group shots (depending on how many you would like) while your guests have their welcome drinks and then we spirit the bridal couple away for about 40 mins for their couple portraits. The advantage of doing this is that it gives the couple a few moments of privacy in a very busy day, so the photographer is there as well but you'll probably be used to it by then. Recording those natural first moments together as husband and wife set the tone for your album and as the interaction is so spontaneous there is little need for posing. We complete the couple session with the pics next to the cake and then photograph the details of the venue while the guests are going through the receiving line if you are planning one or seating themselves.
How many photographers are needed and are we all posers...

Most photographers appreciate an extra hand on the day and so many offer two photographers, don't feel invaded - they work it out between themselves who is photographing what, the first is usually responsible for the really important stuff and the second is usually the assistant and takes direction from they key photographer(like climbing the bell tower). This often does not affect the final price of the package.
A brief thought on posing - we don't pose couples, it's your day - the magic belongs to you - however we do sometimes set the scene so that the magic can flow in a way that makes you look your best and so that we can anticipate the memorable moments before they happen (see the red carpet moments at the Oscar's - even Beautiful People do it).
Choosing the final package

The final package or presentation format is what you are left with once the wedding breakfast is digested, the honeymoon is over and any unwanted gifts e-bayed - it is what you will have to represent the beginning of your journey together for the rest of your lives.

Products range from a selection of prints, a cd of images with permission to reproduce them, a dvd slideshow of the day, a traditional album with a single image per page, coffee table style albums with single or multiple images per page and storybook style albums.
A bird in the hand...

The question of choosing what to do with the images comes next, to print or not to print - the answer is simple; an album in your hand is worth 300 jpegs on your laptop!

Prints/cd/dvd/album
Choosing a print package that offers a selection of prints for a fixed price means that you can choose your own album in the future and even ask for further prints as wedding presents. Opting for a cd of images(with permission to reproduce them) is tempting but can become expensive when you choose to print out 300 images and you may not get the professional quality prints that you anticipated. A nice add-on to your set of professional prints is a dvd -it enables you to relive the day as well as having a set of professional quality prints.

Finally, albums are the traditional form of presentation for a reason - they look lovely, tell the story, protect your images, and make a very strong statement about your day. In time they may become a family heirloom. In addition, matching parents or bridesmaids mini albums can be ordered which make lovely mementos and thank you gifts for the parents of the couple or the members of the bridal party.
Once the photographer has quoted you the basic of approx £150 per hour for the photography on the day this is where the further cost come in. Post production costs include the traveling and time involved in preparing the final product, editing of the photographs taken on the day, design and layout of the album as well as the cost of the albums themselves. Top of the range products are hand made, can be assembled in Australia and Italy as well as the UK and obviously this will put a higher cost on the wedding photography package although the investment is clearly worthwhile. The wedding album is what is left to show for the hard work, money and time that you have put into your wedding and it makes sense to do it justice.
Finally...

An engagement shoot and trash/cherish the dress?

Some photographers include an engagement shoot in the package - this can work well in that it gives you a chance to get to know one another, we get an idea of your best angles and you may end up with a portrait that can be signed by your guests as a memento on your wedding day.

Trash or stash?
Sometimes the suitability of your wedding dress to an outdoors photo shoot may be in question - in short it cost a fortune and you don't want to mess it up on the day - some photographers offer the option of a morning after shoot - it's up to you whether the dress is trashed or cherished - but as the ceremony is over you can relax and have a more casual and fun approach to your wedding pics. This does make a lovely set of images as an add on to the traditional album and introduces you to the world as a couple for the first time in a rather fun way..