photography .

DarthV8r · June 2015

So it looks like I way over budget for a little backyard wedding. I cut out dj, professional lighting ( I can d.i.y ) , fancy tiered cake, d.o.c and bartender. Will I regret not having a photographer ?

hutchsl · June 2015

I had my sister take photos as well as a cousins kid in high school on the yearbook staff. Both have knowledge of photography but not wedding experts. I wish I had looked at some photos to now better what t stage - like held my bouquet too high. See if there is a photography class/school in the area that you could hire someone inexpensive who has nice equipment.

wandajune6 · June 2015

That's entirely about you. Some people care about that stuff, others don't. I'm not terribly sentimental but it would bother me not to have pictures. Only you can know that.

Can you compromise with an inexpensive photographer? I'm betting you can find someone cheaply on Craig's List or Thumbtack who is willing to offer something scaled back for a lower price.

CMGragain · June 2015

Yes, you will regret it if you do not have photography. That does not mean that you must have expensive professional photography. Everybody has an Uncle Ed with a fancy-shmantzy digital camera. Ask Uncle Ed if he could take pictures for you.
My DH is the camera nut in our family. He took pictures at my sister's wedding. It stressed him out a lot, but the results were worth it. One caveat - it is difficult to control lighting at outdoor weddings.
Personally, I look at my wedding photos every anniversary. Our thirty-ninth is in a few weeks. Wow, I was thin!

Maggie0829 · June 2015

I think you would regret it.

What about seeing if you can get a photographer to come out for like 2 hours to do group shots and photograph the ceremony?

And I would rethink about cutting out the bartender, unless of course you have decided to go with no alcohol. A bartender basically covers your ass when it comes to people drinking. It is their job to watch the guests and cut people off when necessary. Also any liability that could occur due to people driving drunk, etc would fall on the bartender. But if you don't have the bartender then any liability will then fall on you.

cupcait927 · June 2015

I was all gung-ho about using a more inexperienced photographer for our wedding in an attempt to save money. I figured I wouldn't care that much about pictures, as long as I had a couple of good ones of H and I. Now - totally regret it. My pictures aren't that great. I haven't even put any up on the wall and I'm kicking myself for not spending more money on a good photographer. I still have amazing memories of the day but I wish I had amazing pictures to back it up.

@jenna8984 lost all of her pictures and was so grateful for the few candid ones she does have. I like @maggie0829's suggestion of seeing if you could have a photographer come and do just a couple of hours - get some shots before the ceremony and then the ceremony itself or do a few afterwards. No need for a whole day. I don't have any getting ready shots and could care less about those. I just wish I had better ones of H and I and of our families, and the ceremony.

aliwis000 · June 2015

I commented on a post awhile ago about a person who DID NOT hire a pro and had issues later. You can read her story linked below.

Unfortunately this is not an uncommon type of problem. Lots of times on this site I have seen regrets about not hiring someone to get photos and instead asking a friend/family member. Lots of problems can come from this set up.

Photos are the only thing you will have after the big day. If there is a way to hire someone, not the huge package, just even a few hours, I think that is what you should do. A pro will know how to handle wedding stuff and what looks best.

http://forums.theknot.com/discussion/1057807/post-wedding-photo-shoots

DarthV8r · June 2015

Maggie0829 said:

I think you would regret it.

What about seeing if you can get a photographer to come out for like 2 hours to do group shots and photograph the ceremony?

And I would rethink about cutting out the bartender, unless of course you have decided to go with no alcohol. A bartender basically covers your ass when it comes to people drinking. It is their job to watch the guests and cut people off when necessary. Also any liability that could occur due to people driving drunk, etc would fall on the bartender. But if you don't have the bartender then any liability will then fall on you.

I found a bartender for $250.00 on gig salad. I can swing that. I will take your suggestion of a 2 hour package and see if I can get a pro. Thank you for helping.

lachattefatale · June 2015

Maggie0829 said:

I think you would regret it.

What about seeing if you can get a photographer to come out for like 2 hours to do group shots and photograph the ceremony?

And I would rethink about cutting out the bartender, unless of course you have decided to go with no alcohol. A bartender basically covers your ass when it comes to people drinking. It is their job to watch the guests and cut people off when necessary. Also any liability that could occur due to people driving drunk, etc would fall on the bartender. But if you don't have the bartender then any liability will then fall on you.

*boxes*

This is my plan. We have a couple of hobbyist photographers in the family who haul their nice cameras to every family event ever, and LOTS of instagram addicts, so I feel like the candids from the reception are pretty well covered. I just want a pro to cover the ceremony and get some formal group photos.

From what I've found so far, 2-hour packages don't include many prints, but the base price is enough cheaper that paying for prints separately will still be a LOT cheaper than the "real" wedding packages.

CMGragain · June 2015

My daughter had a professional photographer who gave her the disk with publishing rights. She could make as many prints as she wanted. That was a great deal! She made small albums for the parents, and a larger one for herself to keep.

klk111415 · June 2015

If you aren't sure if you have any friends who do photography for a hobby, I would post something on facebook or you could even post on craigslist. I actually needed to find a lawyer for legal advice for dirt cheap and found one... people are always looking to make an extra buck. You never know, you might find someone who will do it for cheap and just hand over the SD card when they are done. Even getting the raw images would be good because you can get them edited after the wedding when you able to afford it. But if you go the craigslist route, meet the person first.

julieanne912 · June 2015

I agree w/ cutting the amount of time down will help a lot. I was looking at doing that (hiring someone for 6 hours instead of 8) but then I found my photographer who was more affordable.

How I found mine was posting on a Facebook buy/sell/trade group that was more local to the area I was getting married in. 3 or 4 people recommended her and she ended up being $1650 for 8 hours, and includes a second shooter. The 6 hour girl was $1850. When I googled "photographer Denver" (which is the largest nearby city, they were all way out of my budget. The girl I went with would have been under $1000 if we were only doing a 4 hour day with her.

MesmrEwe · June 2015

Yes! I have friends who used "the photographer friend" and 100% of the pictures turned out blurry, but WORSE than that, they never got a good picture of just themselves as a couple on their wedding day! (they didn't want the rest of us taking pictures with our little point & shoot's because of this person doing the pics, and they quickly regretted it once they got the pictures back (this was before the days of digital)... Another friend hired someone who was starting out with cheaper rates and the person didn't take the time/energy to make sure people were looking at the camera or the bride/groom had their eyes open. She got a grand total of 8 pictures she even wanted to have printed.

This doesn't mean you have to spend $500+ on a photographer though! You can have a good local photographer in for an hour or two to do the key and posed pictures without breaking the bank. That doesn't mean they stick around for dinner or any dances you do, but to get the posed pictures of you two, possibly the ceremony, key pictures.. Also, many photographers also will work with you to get the prints/files at a later date if you don't have the money right this second for the prints but they get paid their time so they're ahead... Of anything you're going to take away from your wedding day, it's the pictures that you'll look back on the most...

Knottie25481578 · June 2015

Our photographer just graduated college with a journalism/photography degree and has a large portfolio. We're paying $900 for six hours and two photographers, a much better deal than anything I've come across. Maybe you can find young photographers who can cut you a deal as well.

MaggyGF2812 · June 2015

I'm having a high school friend who is now a young photographer do mine for cheap. Check with any local universities or even community colleges to see if you could hire an art/photography student. Since they're less experienced and need to build up their portfolios, you could probably get a pretty good deal.

britneydel · June 2015

MaggyGF2812 said:

I'm having a high school friend who is now a young photographer do mine for cheap. Check with any local universities or even community colleges to see if you could hire an art/photography student. Since they're less experienced and need to build up their portfolios, you could probably get a pretty good deal.

I highly suggest this. Look at students, or very recently graduated.
The photographer that we are using is just finishing up her photography degree and is charging us half the cost that "professional" photographers would in our area- $2,000 for an engagement shoot and full day wedding coverage plus all photos on a disc so we can print on our own.
There's a good chance that you could find somebody for a lot cheaper then what we are paying, photography in my city is ridicoulsly expensive.

[Deleted User] · June 2015

Yes, I think you'll regret not having nice photos. Photos are all you'll have left once the event is over. I'm not sure where you live, but affordable photographers are everywhere. I live in a suburb of NYC and I found an up-and-coming photographer for just under $2,000. This is a steal considering the average cost of photos in my area is anywhere between $3,500-$5,000. Go to your local Knot board and ask for suggestions.

iloveu4ever · June 2015

Photography is something that I would regret. My photography is around $1700.

[Deleted User] · June 2015

You can save money by limiting the amount of time you have the photographer there. You can have family & friends take photos of you getting ready and of everyone at the reception. Hire the photographer for say 4 hours to get the ceremony, family shots, bridal party shots & if you are doing toasts & cake cutting, to get that. If they aren't there at the end of the night to get a photo of your drunk cousin being funny, it's not the end of the world. A good photographer can be a big expense, but a good photographer will give you amazing photos to remember your special day for the rest of your life.

redheadbride15 · June 2015

Two photography-related bits of advice that I received that were really, really helpful:
1. Hire a professional rather than using friends/family. You will really want good photos because you won't remember the day due to sky-high adrenaline levels. This is one budget cut you will regret if you chose to make it.
2. Find a photographer whose style you like even if they are out of your price range, and then ask them if they have colleagues or trainees or other recommendations that would fit your budget. It IS possible to get really good people at a discounted rate.

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