When you are planning a wedding, the decisions can feel endless. I know that choosing a photographer in a city like Savannah in particular can feel incredibly daunting, considering your Google search will bring up over 100 photographers. Yeesh!

So how do you manage those kind of numbers and that kind of important decision?

Well, I think I accidentally stumbled across a perfect method for choosing a wedding photographer when Phillip and I visited the Candlefish store in Charleston for the first time recently. (This is going somewhere, I promise! Stick with me.)

Candlefish has over 100 made-in-house candle scents, and when you walk in and see their Fragrance Library takes up an ENTIRE WALL, it feels SO intimidating. How the heck are you supposed to smell ALL of those candles and then actually pick one??

But I didn’t need to worry–they anticipate this decision-paralysis and developed a method to make it so perfectly simple:

STEP 1: EXPLORE THE CATEGORIES

Smell 10 candles that represent the different categories of scents and choose which ones appeal to you. Phillip and I chose two categories of scents that appealed to both of us.

STEP 2: NARROW IT DOWN

Once you’ve chosen which categories appeal to you, then they pull 3-4 more candles in those categories. Smell test again!

STEP 3: FIND YOUR MATCH

Choose your favorite from this set of candles. And according to the sweet Candlefish ladies, people are often surprised by what they actually like. And I can vouch for that! We choose a patchouli-based scent I never would have reached for on my own. 

So, how exactly does this tie into choosing a wedding photographer? Think of your “Savannah wedding photographer” Google results or #savannahweddings Instagram hashtag search as the wall of scents at Candlefish. 

STEP 1: EXPLORE THE CATEGORIES

Go through the first 5-6 pages of Google results or the first few scrolls on the Instagram hashtag page, just briefly looking at each photographer–not in depth, but just to get a basic sense of which styles of photography appeal to you.

For example, are you drawn to light and airy or dark and moody? Posed or candid? Traditional or artistic? Go with your gut here, and you’ll start to see a pattern in the styles you are drawn to.

STEP 2: NARROW IT DOWN

From the ones you’ve marked as possibilities, look deeper into those search results pages to find more photographers who shoot in the style you love. 

STEP 3: FIND YOUR MATCH

Once you’ve found a handful whose wedding portfolios give you butterflies, start digging deeper into their sites and social media profiles. Can you get a sense for the photographer’s personality? Do you feel like you could picture them by your side on your wedding day?

Once you’ve found a photographer who has both the style you love and a personality that makes you smile, send that inquiry email! You’ve likely found your perfect match.

Who knew choosing a candle scent and picking a wedding photographer from the huge number of options would be that similar and that simple?? Thanks for the excellent lesson on simplifying decision-making, Candlefish. <3