Category — Wedding Photography

Question from a real bride:

“Hey Stephanie,

Feel trapped by inflated wedding professional prices?  You’re not alone.

I spoke with a bride the other day who is planning her wedding on a very tight budget.  She’s paying for it all herself and has eight months to save the money.

She’s having a reception on the cheap for 100 people.  On the hunt for a wedding photographer at local bridal shows, she was shocked to discover that most photographers were charging $3,000 for a basic package.

“My entire reception costs $3,000,” she exclaimed.  “How can I pay that for just a photographer?”

Which brings me to my question…

How much is too much for wedding photography?

If you go by the percentages suggested by most wedding planning magazines and my wedding budget calculator, her photography expenses should be somewhere in the neighborhood of $1000-1600.  But here in New York, most of the wedding photographers charging those prices have dubious reputations.

When it comes to determining your budget and how much you “should” spend, YOU are the boss.

If you really want wedding photos that will capture the emotion and beauty of your special day and make you look like a million bucks…you’re going to have to pay for it.  But how much you pay is up to you.

This particular bride wanted to stick with her budget of under $1000.  So I suggested a few things to consider that will help her plan an affordable wedding.

1. All Price Is Negotiable. You’re not in a supermarket.  You don’t have to pay the sticker price.  If you just ask for a discount, 3 out of 4 vendors will give you one.
2. Book Less Time. Consider booking a photographer for only the ceremony, formal shots and through the first hour or so of her reception to save time.
3. Hire A Professional Photographer Who Doesn’t Specialize In Weddings. Find a talented student or professional photographer who doesn’t shoot many weddings.  He or she may be willing to sell you just a CD of your images for under $1000.  Then you can take your photos to SnapFish.com or Blurb.com to make your own albums.

Will you regret cutting corners with your photography?  Well, of all the regrets brides have after their weddings, wedding photography–and the lack of it–ranks highest.

But only you know what’s best for you.  Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Wedding photographers will swear you’ll regret cutting any corners on “preserving your special memories” …because they’re more concerned about lining their pockets.  Take the time to figure out what’s most important to you and tweak your budget to fit it in.  If you are creative and flexible, you CAN have your dream wedding on a budget that doesn’t land you in debtor’s prison.

Ready to learn more ways to save and still get what you want?  Check out my eBook on How To Plan Your Dream Wedding On A Budget and download my free special report to learn how to easily save $2,500 on your wedding.

Photo by Michael "Mike" L. Baird bairdphotos.com

After reading the article “Eight Tips For Killer Wedding Pictures” by Hillary Harvey in Chronogram magazine, I wanted to some professional tips for getting the best wedding photos EVER.

1)  Add Extra Time To Get Ready - Allow extra time for hair and makeup.  Tell your hair and makeup artist that you need to be ready 1 1/2 hours before the actual time.  This way, you can relax and enjoy the day with your bridal party…instead of rushing around to get to the ceremony on time.  More time is ALWAYS better than less, and getting ready usually takes longer than you think.

2) Edit Your Must Take Photo List - While you should certainly have a list of Must-Take photos, you DON’T want to have to sit through endless formal portraits.  Write down the shots you “must” have…then pare it down so you can enjoy your day.

3) Consider Your Lighting - Good lighting is essential for great pictures.  If you want your outdoor wedding portraits to be gorgeous, consider the position of the sun at the time of day you’ll be taking pictures.  Avoid the mid-day sun if possible, and schedule your formals for before sunset.  Consult your photographer for help.

4) Don’t Forget To SMILE - Even when you’re nervous, do your best to smile.  Smiling is always more photogenic than a serious look.

5) Overcome Your Nervousness - If you freeze up and get nervous in front of the camera, focus your gaze on the photographer’s trigger finger instead of the lens.  This creates a flattering “angelic” angle.  If you are self-conscious about a body part, ask your photographer for posing tips to minimize your “flaws.”

6) Have An Engagement Session - One of the best ways to feel more comfortable during the photo shoot on your wedding day is to have your photographer shoot your engagement photos.  You’ll get familiar with how your wedding photographer works…and have the added excitement of seeing their work beforehand.  When you’re comfortable and having fun at your photo shoot, you’ll be radiant and happy in the photos.  If you’d don’t like your photographer…well, it’s gonna show.

What are you doing to guarantee unforgettable wedding photos?  Leave me a comment.

Photo by William Hoiles

When you’re planning your dream wedding on a budget, CREATIVITY and FLEXIBILITY are key.  Saving on your wedding professional photography is no exception.

CAUTION: There is no one solution that will fit everyone.  You’ve got to weigh the pros and cons and decide what’s important to you…then make your choice.  Everybody’s going to have an opinion on this one: wedding event photographers will tell you you simply MUST hire them or you’ll regret it forever; your parents will demand an album; guests will push you to let them take photos instead.  Only YOU know what’s right for your wedding day.

Now it’s time to get creative…

If you have your heart set on gorgeous, once in a lifetime wedding photography…but you just can’t make it work for your budget…try this idea on for size.  This is courtesy of Nina Callaway’s blog on About.Weddings.com.

The “Day After Session” - Save on photography the day of your wedding by hiring a budget photographer or asking your friends and family to take photographs on your wedding day.  Then, either before or after your actual wedding day, hire a more expensive wedding professional to shoot your portraits.

PROS: You’ll get a second chance to wear “the dress,” you’ll be relaxed and unhurried when you shoot your formals another day.  AND most wedding photographers will charge a much smaller, per hour fee…easily less than 20% their regular rate.  (If you use my wedding savings techniques, you can get a discount of up to 50%!)

CONS: You won’t have those same gorgeous photos of your actual wedding day.  A budget or amateur photographer may or may not catch those great moments on your special day.

Remember to figure in the additional cost of hair, makeup, and dress cleaning for a “Day After Session” when you decide if this option works for you.  But this could be a creative way to get the wedding photography of your dreams at prices that fit your budget.

To learn the 3 big, easy ways to save on wedding photography…and many other ways to save on your budget wedding, check out my eBook.  And don’t forget to download my FREE special report!  Reading it will be the most important 15 minutes you could possibly spend when it comes to saving on your dream wedding.

Photo by Randy Son of Robert

These days everybody thinks they’re a photographer.  Including Aunt Betsy here.

Your wedding day is no exception.  Between your wedding photographer, the kids with bulk disposable cameras, and the amateur photographers among your guests, you’ll have your own personal paparazzi.

It’s become the fashion to buy those cute, cheap wedding cameras and plunk them down on each table at your wedding with a note asking guests to please take photos for the bride and groom.

But is the cost of bulk disposable cameras really WORTH it?

The short answer is, NO.

Most brides after their weddings report the cost of cheap wedding cameras was a waste of money.  By the time you add the cost of buying the cameras ($1.55 x 15 tables = $23.25) to the cost of developing the photos ($10.69 for the first 2 plus $3.29 each additional =  $53.46) you’ve spent $77 total.  Most of the photos will be unusable, the groomsmen are going to take them into the bathroom to share a “special” moment with the camera…if you’re lucky, you’ll get 6 photos you like for all the money and hassle you’ll spend sorting through 300+ grainy pictures.

However, if you’re a huge fan of disposable cameras and you’ve got the room in your budget…go for it.  Just assign each cheap wedding camera to a responsible guest you know will at least attempt to take decent photos.

On the other hand…why not take advantage of your wedding paparazzi?

You can easily create a wedding photo share site at a website like Shutterfly.com or Pictoma.com.  Your guests can upload photos they took of your wedding for FREE and you can view and print them if you choose.

Another way to capture your guests’ images is with the Canditto, a computer based kiosk that lets your guests download their photos into the device.  Remind your guests to insert their camera’s memory card before they leave, and you can take those photos home on a flash drive to view right away.

The Canditto is a bit pricey at $650 to rent it, but it’s sure to get cheaper in the future.

Are you for or against bulk disposable cameras at weddings?  Leave me a comment.

One way to save on your wedding photography is to create your own album.

Back in the day, I would have said this is a BAD idea.  That was when you had to be a designer to pull it off right.  Otherwise you’d end up with something that looked like a second grader put it together.

No elementary school art projects for my wedding, thank you!

Fear no more: it’s Blurb.com to the rescue.

Blurb.com makes it easy to create high quality wedding books all by yourself in 3 easy steps.

1) Download the software.

2) Add your photos and choose your artwork.

3) Order as many as you like.

Prices start at just $12.95 a book.

This can easily cut your photography budget in half…AND let you hire a talented professional photographer  who will take outstanding images that you’ll cherish forever.  Spend money on what you CAN’T do yourself–gorgeous, artistic photos of your wedding day–and save by finishing the rest yourself.