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Extra Hour or Extra Photographer

cherbeincherbein
First Comment
in Wedding Photography and Videography Forum
Right now I have one photographer for 8 hours.  I'm looking at my attempt to make a timeline, and that just doesn't seem like it's going to work to get all the pictures I want.  FI and I are not seeing eachother until the ceremony.  Call me old fashion, but I want for the first time he sees me in my wedding dress to be as I walk down the aisle.

The question is... Do I try to add an extra hour and have the photographer go get pictures of the groom and groomsmen pre-ceremony first and then head over to take pictures of me and the bridesmaids or do I bite the bullet and get the option where I have two photographers?  We're talking about $60 for the extra hour or $550 for the extra photographer for the whole event.

Please let me know your experiences and if anyone found a second photographer to be worth it or a waste!

I am an unashamed photoaholic and it'll be interesting for me to be at a major event and not be the one taking pictures for once as is Laughing
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Re: Extra Hour or Extra Photographer

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    sprat85sprat85 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I was very happy that we had two photographers.  That way there was someone taking photos of me and my girls while the other photographer was taking photos of the boys and the set up of the ceremony.  We did not see each other  before the ceremony, so while we were off taking pictures the second photographer was taking pictures of the cocktail hour.  Those are some of my favorites of our guests.  Then while one was eating (don't forget about vendor meals) during the reception we had the other take photos of our our guests as we went to each table.  Finally, I was really happy we had two because they each catch a different angle and some of the weird angles taken by the second photographer were my favorites.  But if it's not financially reasonable you will be fine adding an hour. 

    We also left after we finished eating to take a few more photos while everyone else was eating.  I felt with that additional 20 minutes we had plenty of time for photos. 
    Anniversary
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    GolfChick78GolfChick78 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We're going with a single photographer and forgoing FI's preparations.  We'll get portraits shots of just the men during the portrait portion of our day post-ceremony.  We were deliberate in selecting a photographer who works "full day" and not a specific number of hours for just this reason.  I didn't want to have to try to figure out what would fit or not or worry about being hit for a few more dollars right during my own wedding reception. 

    Only you know whether or not a second photographer is worth that cost to you.  Like I said, we decided no and our photographer's cost to add a second was about the same.  BUT, $60 to add an hour is a very modest fee.  If that makes the difference of whether or not you have to worry about things fitting in on your wedding day, I think it's a no-brainer to spend it.
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    Beachy730Beachy730 member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011

    I would go with the extra hour.  Our photog booked us for the day so he started whenever we wanted him too.  We had him go to where the guys were 2 hours before the ceremony and was there for a while, then came to my parent's house where I was with my BMs.  It worked out perfectly fine. 

    I can understand where a second photog is nice so that you can get pictures of everything, but we only had one and i don't regret it at all.  He was great about getting all the pictures, and so many of our friends have nice cameras that took some great pictures as well and sent them to us.  To me it would never have been worth it to pay that much for second camera.

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    fallbride1109fallbride1109 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I found the extra photographer to be worth every penny and would not change a thing.  But like the PP said, only you know what you can afford and what is doable.  At least do the extra hour though as that is very little money for all you can capture during that hour plus that is an hour you save after the ceremony.
    Planning the Meal
    With All the Trimmings
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    cherbeincherbein
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Budget wise I am actually doing very well, so I could afford the second photographer without killing my budget.  I got a great deal on my dress, my venue gave me a nice discount for being a winter wedding on a Friday (nice windfall as I picked the date since it'll be FI and my 6 year dating anniversary), and my photographer was very reasonably priced compared to most I saw out there and besides my album I get a DVD with all rights to reprint on all of the photos taken so I don't have to worry about huge print costs.  The only thing I apparently missed in my research was that there are some photographers that give you all day instead of a specific number of hours!

    I mainly just wanted to get some opinions to see if people found the second photographer worth it or if they ended up being redundant.  From what PP's have said, it looks like everyone who did hire a second photographer found it well worth the money.

    Thanks to everyone for their input!
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    AngDTRAngDTR
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    If you can afford the 2 do it. It will be well worth it in the end.
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    suneetasuneeta
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I had one photographer and didn't pay for the extra hours, and I regret both! At the time it seemed like an obscene amount of money, but in retrospect it's the one thing I wish I'd spent more money on. Our photographer was like a freaking ninja, and was jumping around all over to take pictures. In spite of his speed and agility, he still missed some shots we would have wanted - for example, close ups during our vows, or pictures of our guests during the speeches or dances. I'm now convinced you can only get those pictures with a second photog.

    I also wish I'd gotten more time. Our reception ran late because of speeches and a sick mother of the groom, and we didn't get many dancing photos because of it. If your wedding runs late for any reason, you'll really wish you had the extra time. And that's another reason to have a second photographer - they have to eat, so at least they can switch off and you won't lose 30 minutes of the evening while they eat!
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