Choosing the right person to capture your wedding is a huge decision. And with approximately eight million photographers on Instagram all showing you their best 15 photos, figuring out who is actually the right fit can get overwhelming pretty quickly.

Of course you need to love their work—but there’s a lot more to choosing a wedding photographer than finding pretty pictures. This person is going to be with you for a huge part of your wedding day, help keep things moving, deal with whatever lighting or chaos gets thrown their way, and capture moments you don't get to redo.

So before you book, here are seven things I think you should actually look for.

1. Look Beyond the Highlight Reel

Instagram is great for getting a feel for someone's work, but remember—you're looking at their favorite images.

Ask to see more than the perfectly lit sunset portraits. Look at getting ready, ceremonies, family photos, indoor receptions and dance floors. A wedding photographer needs to be able to deliver consistently throughout the entire day, not just when the light is perfect.

2. Make Sure You Love Their Editing Style

Photography trends come and go, but these photos are going to be around a lot longer than your Instagram feed.

My own editing style stays true to life with a little flare. I want skin tones to look like skin tones, your dress to look like the color it actually was, and your photos to still feel like your wedding years from now.

There's no one style that's right for everyone. Just make sure you genuinely love the photographer's finished work before you book them.

3. Find Someone Who Can Handle Different Lighting

South Florida can give us gorgeous golden-hour light—and five minutes later we can be inside a dark ballroom with flashing DJ lights.

Your photographer needs to know how to handle all of it.

Look for examples from different parts of a wedding day: bright sun, indoor ceremonies, nighttime portraits and receptions. Beautiful photos shouldn't stop when the sun goes down.

4. Choose Someone You Actually Want Around All Day

This gets overlooked way too often.

Your photographer can be with you for eight, ten or even twelve hours. They're there while you're getting dressed, during emotional moments with your family, when you're stressed about the timeline and when everyone finally loses it on the dance floor.

I basically become your wedding-day hype girl. I'm going to fix the stray hair, fluff the dress, straighten the boutonniere, tell you when you look amazing and probably make you laugh when you're starting to stress.

You should actually like the person you're hiring.

5. Pay Attention to How They Handle the Details

Taking the photo is only part of the job.

I'm constantly watching what's happening around you—the dress that needs fluffing, hair across your face, something distracting in the background or a detail that's slightly off.

Those little things make a huge difference in the finished photographs, and I'd much rather fix something in two seconds while we're shooting than have you notice it later in your gallery.

6. Make Sure They Can Help With Your Timeline

You shouldn't have to spend your wedding day checking your watch.

An experienced photographer should be able to help you figure out how much time you'll realistically need for getting ready, first looks, family photos, wedding-party portraits and photos of the two of you.

I help my couples build enough breathing room into the photography timeline that we can get everything we need without making the entire wedding feel like one long photoshoot.

You focus on the “I do.” I'll worry about what's next.

7. Make Sure Their Style Gives You Both the Big Portraits AND the Real Moments

I love an editorial moment. Give me the gorgeous dress, beautiful architecture and a little Vogue energy and I'm happy.

But I don't want your entire wedding gallery to feel staged.

Some of my favorite photographs are the ones nobody planned—the belly laugh during a toast, Dad trying not to cry, your best friend losing it on the dance floor or the look between the two of you when you think nobody is paying attention.

The posed portraits are beautiful. The unscripted stuff is what makes the gallery yours.

So, How Do You Choose?

Look at the whole picture—not just someone's follower count, a few beautiful Instagram posts or whether they show up when you search for photographers near you.

Love their work. Look at complete weddings. Pay attention to how they communicate. Make sure they're experienced enough to handle whatever your wedding day throws at them. And most importantly, choose someone you trust and actually want standing beside you during some of the biggest moments of your day.

If you're planning a South Florida wedding and think my approach sounds like your kind of vibe, take a look at my South Florida wedding photography and see if we're a good fit.