Picture Perfect...or maybe not..

When planning your wedding, there are countless ways to save money- whether you borrow your veil and jewelry from a favorite aunt, or your sweet grandmother-in-law-to-be graciously bakes the wedding cake. In many situations, it is perfectly acceptable and common to utilize your friends and family as vendors for your big day; however, asking them to be your photographer is NOT one of those great, money-saving ideas. Sure, it is a way to cut expenses if you are on a tight budget but, like many times in life, you get what you pay for. The hiring of professional wedding photographers is a growing trend, sparked by increasing popularity of the photojournalistic style. It wasn’t until captivating pictures of celebrity weddings began appearing in magazines that people began realizing the importance of a professional wedding photographer. At the end of the wedding day, when all of the food and cake has been eaten, and all of the flowers are wilting, the pictures are what is left to show of the most amazing day of your life (hopefully!)- one that many women begin planning during adolescence. Of course, you will have memories of the love that was shared and the fun that was had by all, but forty years later it will be the pictures that connect you back to that special day. Is this an area in which you choose to sacrifice quality to save a buck? Remember, that even if you save money by having a friend take pictures at the wedding, you will end up paying much more in the end to have them retouched, edited, and printed. If you are among the lucky brides who happen to have an uncle who is a professional photographer- congratulations! You will have great pictures of your wedding day and won’t pay nearly as much as the rest of us will. For everyone else, bite the bullet and spend the extra money- I promise it will be worth it! Here are a few tips to consider when choosing your wedding photographer:
1. Ask friends, family, and your wedding planner for recommendations. Word of mouth is a very reliable way to get trustworthy, quality vendors that people you know and love have previously worked with.
2. Request to see complete coverage of a photographer’s work. Ask them to show you an album or two of an entire wedding that they were hired to cover.
3. Choose a photographic style that suits you- whether photojournalistic, candid, formal portraits, etc. Ask the photographer what different styles they are able to offer.
4. Consider the photographer’s personality. Make sure that you and your fiancé will get along well with him/her. Unlike the cake baker and the florist, your photographer will be around you all day long, taking close shots and asking you to pose certain ways- you want to make sure their personality isn’t going to clash with yours.
5. Check pricing of packages and, more importantly, what is included in those packages. Perhaps a package is more than you were planning on spending, but is all-inclusive of an album and 200 or more prints- which you would end up paying for later on anyway.
6. Lastly, schedule a follow-up meeting with the photographer you choose (and your wedding planner) to discuss what specific shots you want or don’t want taken, the schedule of when pictures will be taken, and how/when the proofs will be available to you and others to own or purchase.