Bad wedding day photos

Knottie59389506

Long story short: wedding basically didn't go as planned. We didn't take photos at the nice park that we had planned for due to unexpected issues so we stayed at our decent looking venue for photos. The weather was also cloudy and it sprinkled a bit. I won't get much into details but when we got our photos, we were not satisfied with them. That's pretty much all you need to know. I'm also not bashing on the photographer by any means. We saw a pretty good album that he did so he's not bad. He did his job for us but it's just that the final results were not what my spouse and I had hoped for. I just feel like as a whole group (my spouse and I and photographer), we just had a bad photo session. Yes I know it sucks and I have to move on but I can't help and feel a little sad when I see other couples especially my friends and siblings, proudly posting their album while mine is just collecting dust. There are maybe a few portraits that I kind of like but the overall album did not make us happy. We have a lot of photos too and that's what makes me even more sad. There are so many photos in our album but yet very few if none at all have made us happy and satisfied. We haven't printed and framed up any photos yet and don't plan to. We also haven't posted our photos for our family and friends to see and don't plan to as well. Any other people that got photos they weren't satisfied with and moved on? Advice? Do a reshoot? Have a couples photo session to make up for it?

ILoveBeachMusic

I experienced this with DD's photos. Their B&G shots were wonderful but group and family shots weren't so great. Was I disappointed not to have a family picture to put in our Christmas card? You bet! You have every right to feel the way you do, but move on. I wouldn't do a reshoot. Focus on the photos that you do like. Get one of the printed and framed. You won't be looking at the album everyday -- believe me. I've been married 33 years and have looked at my album just a handful of times.

kimmiinthemitten

Knottie59389506 said:

Long story short: wedding basically didn't go as planned. We didn't take photos at the nice park that we had planned for due to unexpected issues so we stayed at our decent looking venue for photos. The weather was also cloudy and it sprinkled a bit. I won't get much into details but when we got our photos, we were not satisfied with them. That's pretty much all you need to know. I'm also not bashing on the photographer by any means. We saw a pretty good album that he did so he's not bad. He did his job for us but it's just that the final results were not what my spouse and I had hoped for. I just feel like as a whole group (my spouse and I and photographer), we just had a bad photo session. Yes I know it sucks and I have to move but I can't help and feel a little sad when I see other couples proudly posting their album while mine is just collecting dust. There are maybe a few portraits that I like but the overall album did not make us happy. We don't have any photos printed or framed up. We haven't also showed the photos to any friends or family and don't plan to. Any other people that got photos they weren't satisfied with and moved on? Advice? Do a reshoot?

What about guest photos?  Lots of Knotties here have said that some of their favorite photos were taken by their guests and not their photographer?

Could photoshop help with some of them?  Maybe hire a photo editor and have them work on 10 or 20 that you can put into an album.

For what it's worth, I'd be sad too. 

Lurkers, this is why you don't have "unplugged ceremony."

Knottie59389506

I was more disappointed at our B&G/wedding party portraits. Our venue was a church. We wanted to have a B&G/wedding party photo session at the nice park. Though of course, the weather wasn't good and there were some unexpected issues that came up so we did the sessions inside the chapel and in the yard of the church. The chapel had some bad lighting so I guess there was nothing that could have been done about that. Also, the yard of the church was the last place that I would have wanted my B&G session at. As for Photoshop, I have done some editing myself to get rid of some of the small things. Nothing really went well that day other than getting married to my spouse.

ernursej

I would feel however you want to feel for a good day. Be absolutely miserable and then work towards moving forward. Most of my friends don't love all their photos and have a 1-2 favourites that they used to Christmas cards and framing. If you don't like anything, see if an experienced editor can work on your least hated photos to alter the things that you don't like. Don't do this yourself if you are not an experienced editor. If you still don't like anything, I wouldn't side eye if you did a non-trash (I really hate a trash) the dress session. Perhaps do something where you are doing everyday things in your wedding clothes (i.e. making dinner, watching tv, sitting in the car or looking through other photo albums of great memories over the years). Then you might have a few funny photos that would hopefully replace the feelings with the original wedding photos.

bleve0821

OP, I have no advice, but it was super cloudy on our wedding day, and once it started raining, it was too cold to go outside.  And I felt the same way you do about our pictures--major disappointment, even though there was nothing anyone could have done about the weather.  We got some great shots, but very few of the ones I wanted (and hired our photographer for), and that was no one's fault.

I'm still bummed, but I recently went through the pictures of a wedding he shot where the weather cooperated for a different bride and groom.  Maybe I'm biased because my handsome husband is in our pictures (and because I looked amazing), but I would not trade the shots we got with the weather we had for any one of the photos the photographer captured for the other couple.

That being said, we haven't posted any of our photos on social media.  Even though our photos accurately captured our wedding day, I look at the gorgeous sunset shots my best friend got, and I look at my photo of the same pose, with the sky overcast and gray, and it just makes me a little sad.  But I have always hated social media for that reason.  Someone's selfie is always better than mine.

I am sorry you feel this way, and I understand how you feel.  It has taken me longer than I wanted it to to accept that these are the pictures I got.  We won't do a reshoot.  It won't be the same.  But as my husband keeps telling me:

"We have our whole lives to take pictures with each other."

ILoveBeachMusic

AtomicBlonde said:

OP, I have no advice, but it was super cloudy on our wedding day, and once it started raining, it was too cold to go outside.  And I felt the same way you do about our pictures--major disappointment, even though there was nothing anyone could have done about the weather.  We got some great shots, but very few of the ones I wanted (and hired our photographer for), and that was no one's fault.

I'm still bummed, but I recently went through the pictures of a wedding he shot where the weather cooperated for a different bride and groom.  Maybe I'm biased because my handsome husband is in our pictures (and because I looked amazing), but I would not trade the shots we got with the weather we had for any one of the photos the photographer captured for the other couple.

That being said, we haven't posted any of our photos on social media.  Even though our photos accurately captured our wedding day, I look at the gorgeous sunset shots my best friend got, and I look at my photo of the same pose, with the sky overcast and gray, and it just makes me a little sad.  But I have always hated social media for that reason.  Someone's selfie is always better than mine.

I am sorry you feel this way, and I understand how you feel.  It has taken me longer than I wanted it to to accept that these are the pictures I got.  We won't do a reshoot.  It won't be the same.  But as my husband keeps telling me:

"We have our whole lives to take pictures with each other."

So true! Sounds like your H is a great guy!

GlamQueenBride

Could you afford a re-shoot? Honestly, I find nothing wrong with doing a re-shoot of you and your husband. People do bridals after the wedding sometimes and this is really no different. A lot of photographers will go back on-location with you to do another shoot.

cstar1015

@ILoveBeachMusic all of this. Same thing happened to us last year (June 27th! Must be not a good weather weekend). I get sad when I see my venue in my photographers pictures of the perfect beach sunset or the pictures on the dock I was looking forward to, and it's a year later. However, as time passes, it becomes less and less of an issue, and the more I realize how great we had of a wedding, hiccups and all!

(edited because I didn't realize it cut my entire message off!)