FI doesn't want a Photographer....advice??

Amson19

Hey all,

I absolutely love photos, that's my number one priority for my wedding. I'd give up a full bar just to have them! My FI thinks that it's a complete waste of money and that we can spend the $2k on inviting more people to our wedding. His response to photographers is "I hate posed pictures, that doesn't help me remember my wedding. Our guests pictures will be just fine." Needless to say I flipped out and we had our first "wedding" fight.
We are on an extremely tight budget. He and I are paying for everything ourselves and it's going to be really tight.
Any and all advice is welcome!!

emmyg65

Many photographers have a "photojournalistic" style, so they document your wedding as it happens, in addition to taking a few posed shots. If you look at an article about what most brides regret, you'll see "not prioritizing photography" tops it. You can't expect your guests to catch all the special moments, especially during the reception when they'll be busy eating and socializing. Plus, how are you going to get your guests' photos? We set up a couple ways for guests to share pics with us, but people really didn't use them. Keep in mind that guest photos might also not be of sufficient resolution to print well.

photokitty

Advice…don't listen to him ;-p

I guess that's not helping, but I can't see how you can be happy if you don't have a photog.

Saving money options - hire a student from local college. Check with college newspapers or the art dept. Post on your local board on here and ask for recs for photos under $2K…you should be able to find several option under that price.

Remind him you want photos of the ceremony and key recp events to help you remember the day. Point out that you should not expect anything from your guests, they are your guests, and they are not there to take photos for you. That's why you hire a photog, so your guests can enjoy the moment along with you

GL!!

Amson19

Thanks ladies!

photokitty

Amson19 said:

Thanks ladies!

Happy to help

Jen4948

A good photographer is something I would pay for.  It's not realistic, or polite really, to expect family members, wedding party members, or guests be the ones who take all the pictures.

You certainly don't have to pose for every shot, but I think it's still worth the money to hire a professional who can capture the activity for you, rather than relying on the quick shots taken by amateurs among the guests (which you may never see).

emmyg65

Any update on this? Were you able to find a compromise?

hutchsl

You could save money by finding a college student majoring in photography. We did not get a professional wedding photographer. My sister graduated in photography 30 years before and we had her take some after the wedding and during as she could. We bought a nice camera for our wedding gift to each other and had our niece who is her yearbook photographer take pictures of the reception.  So we did not necessarily have the best staged shots or lots of them but we have pictures. It was good having family involved as they got pictures behind the scenes thata professional might not have thought about.  I have a friend who had a luxury wedding with 3 photographers and she was disappointed. Just a thought - money does not guarantee the best.

Amson19

Hey ladies!!
We have booked our photographer!!! I went on to New England School of Photography and filled out their event form. 3 photogs responded back and I had him choose one. We both really liked the same one so we went with her. She's done weddings before so it's not her first rodeo
Thanks for all of your help!!!

jacobsgorgeous

Yep choosing from those that are still learning helps reduce costs fantastically.