Long after the band has stopped playing and the last piece of cake has been eaten, your wedding photographs will remain with you. So choosing the right photographer is extremely important to many couples.

"It's one of the few elements of your wedding day - other than your happy marriage - that will be preserved forever," says Susan Lee Smith, author of "Wedding Vows" (Warner Books).

But that doesn't mean hiring the right photographer has to be a long and arduous process. Experts advise couples to follow three simple rules when choosing a photographer:

1. Love the photographer's work.
2. Like the photographer.
3. Consider the price.

Couples should start looking for a photographer as soon as they set their wedding date and choose a location.

"The sooner you can get somebody locked up, the better," says Smith, who adds that couples should hire a photographer no later than four months before the wedding.

Begin with the Yellow Pages and newspaper classified listings, and ask friends, family members and other wedding professionals for recommendations.

Smith says couples should ask to look at albums of work that are comparable to what they hope to have done. If you want formal photographs, don't evaluate a photographer based on pictures taken in a journalistic style. If you want black-and-white pictures, don't look at color albums.

During the meeting, consider the photographer's personality. Do you and your future spouse click with this person?

"Part of what leads to great photography is a rapport between the photographer and the bride and groom," Smith says. "Very often the photographer ends up being kind of an assistant wedding coordinator. They're a pretty key player."

Once you decide you like a photographer and her work, make sure to call a few of her former clients for references. If you're dealing with a studio, find out whether you're guaranteed to have the photographer with whom you've met.

Next, it's time to talk about the fee.

Alan Fields, the co-author of "Bridal Bargains: Secrets to Throwing a Fantastic Wedding on a Realistic Budget" (Windsor Peak Press, 1998), says couples spend an average of about $1,200 on photography. If you can't afford to have a photographer cover your entire wedding day, Fields suggests asking for a package that includes only formal shots and ceremony coverage. That approach can often save you as much as 30 percent. Ask friends and family members to take candid shots at the reception.

But Fields advises against scrimping too much on pictures, because it could lead to a lifetime of regret over an important moment that was missed.

"There are opportunities to save here," Fields says, "but they're ones that have consequences."

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