Photographic Style
The beautiful thing about art is that it is subjective and different. Obviously the imagery of the photographer needs to speak to you. Everyone has their own style! Finding a unique photographer that isn't like everyone else and makes you go "wow" takes some time but remember these are the photo's you will be viewing for the rest of your life. It's worth investing in! Most of what you will pay for on your wedding day will last for only one day or used for only one day. So find the photographer who's work you love! The photography will be what you have left after the day is over. It will be viewed and enjoyed even more than the video as well. Not that video isn't important but I have personally only watched my video once and I view my photo's hanging up everyday
Personality
Maybe not something that you would think about at first but obviously you want someone who you will get a long with. Most couples will spend more time with the photographer than any other individual on their wedding day. Looking back on my own experience I never even knew my wedding photographers name and never even had a conversation with him. This was before I was a professional photographer but knowing how much fun I have with my clients I have come to realize how important this is.
Turn around time
Everyone has a friend or know's someone who had to wait 6 months or more to get their wedding photo's. In my opinion this isn't a good experience. No one want's to wait that long to see their photo's. Not to say the expectation should be the next day either. A lot of behind the scenes things happen with the photo's that take time. 2-4 weeks is a good rule of thumb and something you should ask about.
Products they offer
Products matter! Albums matter! These are heirlooms and they matter! Make sure your photographer is offering the things that you and your family can enjoy for many years to come. If all you are getting is a cd with your name written on it that gets put in a drawer you are not getting full service. An album is something that allows you to view your images in a beautiful way and bring out the emotion of your day. It goes by so quickly and so much is put into your wedding and beautiful imagery on great products is how you will remember it. Canvas prints are a classic look that will always stand the test of time. Metal and acrylic give an amazing modern high end look and feel. Personally I love my acrylics and I love my metal prints! 16x24 is a great size for most homes but 20X30 or larger and splits (multiple displays for one image) are great for larger art pieces in your home. So great products make a big difference!
Total experience
Finally all of the above adds up to the total experience. Choose a photographer that provides an end to end solution for you. Gives you amazing images, art pieces and albums! Someone who provides a great experience for you since they will most likely be the one you spend most of your day with. At the end of the day you deserve it! Knowing their name is nice too ;) Hopefully this was helpful in finding the right wedding photographer for you!