1. Make sure that when you view their photos, you FEEL something. You are hiring an artist with a specific eye and heart. You want to resonate with how they see and capture the world around them- specifically relationships.
2. Ask to view an entire weddings worth of photos--the proofs. Any photographer can show you a slideshow of their best 50 photos they've ever shot and you will be impressed. But that won't give you a good sense for what your wedding photos will look like. You want to make sure they have good quality photos throughout the course of one entire wedding.
3. Make sure you like them as a person. Whoever you pick to be your photographer is going to be around you and your family for many hours on the best day of your life. So you want to feel comfortable with them and most of all, be able to TRUST them.
I'm good friend! Feel free to stock away. =) How funny that you read Melissa Jill's blog, we are friends. I met her through a church that I worked at in Arizona after graduation. She's an awesome photographer!