Ceremony ONLY Photographer

I understand budget concerns but if you end up regretting this choice there is no going back and getting those moments from the reception back again. There are other ways to save on the photos. You could for now only pay for the CD of images and wait until you can save up after the wedding to order the actual albums or photos. That way at least the images would be captured in the best possible way. And it would be double protection with the guests also taking photos.

I don't know anyone that's done what you're thinking of doing but I'm sure it's not unheard of. I just think its a BIG risk and maybe you could figure out another way to do it that won't risk losing the permanent record of your memories. If it's not important to YOU then that's the choice you have to make, we all decide where our money is best spent and what's important for our own weddings. Good Luck!

I am having a professional only at the ceremony. We bought cameras for each reception table, so guess can take pics of each other. My stepmother is willing to take pics of those "special" moments. She has had some classes but is not a pro

Sorry for the spelling error - GUESTS

My photographer and other ones I was looking at had a ceremony/official family pics as an option and it was usually a lot cheaper than the ceremony/reception packages.

I wonder how many photographers would give up a potential full wedding gig, for just a 2 hour job?

If they agreed to do your job, they would not be able to do a more robust (ie "higher paying") job for that same day.

Just random thoughts.

Hi Muffin !

I currently am an event planner and producer.. and we do offer brides photographers that will come and shoot the ceremony only.

Usually we suggest a photographer that is not a "WEDDING" photographer, but who is an outstanding portrait photographer.. same difference..1/2 the price. !

If your in Manhattan I can connect you with a few great photogs..

Good Luck !

I'm actually doing 2 weddings like this. I normally do more family portraits...so I'm okay not doing a full wedding. I'm sure there are people who would be willing to do that also. The pictures I love the most from my wedding are the ones from the ceremony and the ones that were posed before the wedding.

I booked my photographer for 3 hours. He'll be there a half hour before the ceremony, through the ceremony (which is a half hour), through cocktail hour and the first hour of dancing. When we sit to eat is when he'll be done. My friends always take lots of pictures, so they will take over from there! I'm going to do cameras at the tables too.

I agree with what is in the last post. I have worked a wedding in the past for just 3 hours. But I covered the "important stuff". Bride getting ready, the ceremony, family portraits, cake, first dance.... The couple and the family were happy about knowing there would be someone (me) around watching their every move and not missing a moment. I wasn't around when the dance floor officially opened, but girlfriends are good at photographing that!

I don't want to scare you into hiring a photographer for your reception, but if you can count on some family members "working" at your reception, you should be safe.

Good luck!!!

Thanks for all the responses and a lot of people in general say why not pay a little extra and have them shoot the reception as well. Umm my entire wedding budget is $5000.00 including our food, rentals, drinks, honeymoon, not to mention my dress. Everything has to be paid out of that $5000 and most photographers charge like $1000 for their low grade package (at least in San Diego) Unfortunatley I've done some more number crunching and only have $500 to put toward photography and that's not going to get me much at all. My FSIL has a friend who is in a photography class and we probably will have to let her do it to save money (not my fav idea but it's better finacially for us)but we'll see what happens though!!

I have definitely heard of this, my photographer haa a package for just the ceremony that you can book for 2 and a half hours. I thought about this as well it was a few hundred dollars cheaper. I think its a great idea and if you wont regret it go for it. I dont think you need pics of people eating dinner anyway but thats just me!

As a wedding photographer who is rather new to the scene and struggling to find a balance between making money and offering an affordable service I can offer my advice.

If you haven't already, you can always ask a photographer. I admit that $500 is still somewhat low for most photographers but it all depends on what the photographer is willing to do. Someone who is just starting out, like myself, if probably more likely to be open to the opportunity since they don't have as many prospective clients. I also agree with the previous poster who suggested buying a CD for the time being and ordering prints/album later.

If you can somehow afford it, I think having a full coverage photographer is ideal, but if you can't this is how I would rank the types of photos that most couples seem to order from their wedding pictures: Shots of the Couple, Close Family, Ceremony moments, Wedding Party, cake cutting, preparation, dancing, extended family, etc... I wouldn't COUNT on the guest cameras.

I am with you on this. Initially I wasn't even going to hire a photographer! But then I thought better of that. I'm getting my 3 hr package (including 4x6 prints and full rights to the pics on DVD) for $600. Keep shopping around...check places like Craigslist too...just make sure to see their work and check references!

This is a great question! I offer my clients the option to hire me for the "Ceremony Only." Not everyone has the budget to pay for a photographer all night long. The services are a bit more reduced for the price, and you may have to do a little more on your end to get the prints. However, we meet your budget and you get what you want. In the end you save money and have access to a selection of images that make you really happy. Think about supplying all of your guests with point and shoot disposable cameras for the candid images you desire of your guests. When you buy them in bulk you can save up to 30%!

Good Luck!

SeanOLearyWeddings.co

I think this is okay to do if you are okay with not having images from the rest of the day, but please hire someone who's work really appeals to you. I got into wedding photography in the first place because I always regretted skimping on my own photographer, and now enjoy offering my style to couples. She was good, but her style and mine did not match and so I walked away from the day with no photos that really worked for me all because I skimped on my budget. I wouldn't have minded less hours with a photographer I loved. You want a least a couple great portraits to put on the wall :-)

Most photographers have different packages. check out www.sandrphoto.com they did our engagement photos and we are so happy with them i cant stop saying good things about them. They were supppppppppppppper affordable. I have their price list in my wedding organizer. email me if you want it

Our photos mean a lot to us so it is one of the things that we are willing to pay for. I do hold to that you get what you pay for. What if something goes wrong? How does that person act? We just had

www.lovesimplyhappens.com do our engagement photos and we sooooo love them. She is definitely getting hired to do our wedding --the whole day. I figure when everything else is gone we will still have those pictures.

You absolutely can hire a photographer for ceremony only photos! I did exactly that. And I found her on Craigslist! I was going to ask family members to do it, but these are memories for a lifetime and I don't want my guests to have to work during the ceremony, so I started thinking "Where can I find a photographer who has some experience with taking photos but might be just starting out and willing to do it for less $$ to build a portfolio?" So I went to Craigslist...found an ad, emailed her and she sent me her a website so I could check out some of her work, get a feel for her style. She is doing 2 hrs of photos...before, during and right after the ceremony..for $225! Also, I wanted to make sure I'd be happy with her work, so we had her do an outdoor engagement session...she did it for $50 and edited all the photos and gave us a CD with the photos so that we could make any copies we wanted to. We don't have to order prints from her. Try local colleges..photo students~

I live in Yuma AZ(3 hours from san diego) but My wedding is in North County San Diego(carlsbad-ceremony oceanside-reception) and around there photogs charge way too much...but I'd still like some beautiful PROFESSIONAL pics of our day at least the ceremony!

Hey thanks lauralei39 I'll have to look at craigslist maybe someone in San Diego is looking to build up their portfolio, if so that would be awesome!! And you got a great price I hope I can get something around that price then I can take whatevers left from the photography funds and put it toward my dress LOL. Thanks to everybody for your thoughts and opinions by the way!!