An alternative to professional photography....

doyalnr

I was thinking of a way to avoid spending$1,000 or more for wedding day photography and it occured to me that I could get our guests involved and have disposable cameras at the reception. What's your opinion on it? Does it take away from the fun for the guests? Is it tacky? I am going to ask one of my friends who's very artsy to use his digital camera and take the ceremony pics. But I don't want to oblige him to do the reception too.

irishdancer

I definitley would not do that in place of a professional photographer unless you completely don't care about wedding day pictures.  Plan on most of the pictures looking like crap.   Just my two cents though.

tallon617

It would be fun to do but in actuality you'll end up with a lot of pictures you can't use. I mean think about your guests getting drunk and taking pictures at your wedding. Or even better taking the cameras home and not using them as intended. Things can happen and you'll be unhappy. Photos along with the food are things you don't skimp on when it comes to a wedding.

rmfriedman

My FI's mom and stepdad did that at their wedding and they said what ended up happening was kids collected most of the cameras and took silly pictures. They said that the 10% of the photos that were attempts of nice pictures didn't turn out well at all. I can't say that's true in all situations, but you may consider that.

jgilberg

I had a friend do this, and many of the cameras went home with guests. Also, she ended up with nothing really usable. She also did not have a photographer. She ended up with not very much.This is one thing that I would spend money on. It was pretty much our splurge. There is a big difference between a photographer's pictures and your friends. Also, there will be a big difference between the quality of an SLR that can shoot RAW files vs. a consumer level point and shoot digital camera.Try looking on craigslist and asking around. I am sure that you can find a photographer that might do less hourly coverage (like 3, rather than 6), but give you something nice.

becky5858

I wouldn't count on that instead of a photog.  Most of the pix will be really really bad.  We did this for our wedding and didn't even get all the cameras back.  I have been looking at wedding photos non-stop since my wedding.  It is the only thing you have left after all the pomp and circumstance.  Although, I do think you can find a cheaper photog.  I did ala carte with Caitlin's Creations and spent less than $1,000.  There are other photogs who can do it cheaper too if you only care about a few hours of wedding day coverage.Good luck!

BeccaC1234

I agree with pp.  My brother and sister-in-law did this, and it turned out horribly!  My mom spent a fortune getting the pictures developed (although now you can get them on CD) and most of them were crap and got thrown away.  Enough people now have digital cameras.  Just set up a photo sharing site and get candid/guests' pictures that way.  However, I would not skip out on a photographer altogether.

slharbi94

At the end of the day all you have besides a new wonderful husband is your photos. Maybe try cutting somewhere else? The photos are so important.

marisa39

Please, please do not skimp on photography.  I know a few girls that have done this and they end up regretting it in the end. Hard as it is to think of spending $1000's of dollars on this one thing, at least shop around and see what is out there.  Photpgraphy can really range in price and I'm sure you could find someone you are comfortable with. As previous posters said, disposable cameras do not work well and I would never recommend them for a wedding.  They don't get used and for those who actually do take the pictures, they are really poor quality, grainy, blurry, etc.  My friend did this at her wedding and only got a handful of usable pictures.

mtcwilliams

I have seen that fail many times. My mom used Kow Music they have a photographer and it was less than $500 and the pictures came out great!!! Here is their email kowmusicsa@yahoo.com and their phone number 210-455-0787.

jgb2000

I wouldn't depend on just those disposable cameras for all your pics. And if you don't want to oblige your friend, hire someone. My brother is getting started in event photography (has a great portfolio) and is charging 500$ I believe. email me at bonitajennita@hotmail.com Jen