Cutting cost- Photographer

View Quoted Comment Same! My photographer will only be there for 5 hours and I am mostly wanting pictures of me and my FH. What’s your timeline look like for the day? I’ve been trying to figure out when my photographer should get there.

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I'm skipping any getting ready pictures. We have the venue from 4 to 10. So I will start hair and makeup around 2, arrive at the venue at 4 (same time as photographer) and she will snap me slipping into my dress then immediately do first look with FH. Will do some family pics beforehand also. Ceremony starts at 6. Cocktail hour from 6:30 to 7:30. Then dinner and dancing. Photographer will leave at 9.

Good quality photos are important to me.
That being said, some group shots before the wedding, ceremony, group shots after the wedding, and some photos during the major portions of the reception are important to me.
We're coming in, doing cake cutting, eating, first dances.
We know that we want our photographer for 7 hours. But if we didnt have a 3 hour gap from ceremony end to reception beginning, it would be less.
I'd say map out your timeline and see how long you want your photographer for. Then go from there.
Our reception is from 7-11, and I think ours will probably be allowed to leave by 9pm.

I did this basically and it was PERFECT for us. We hired a photographer for Ceremony & Formal
Portraits (bride & groom, and with wedding party, and with immediate family) — the ceremony pics were for me basically, and the portraits really for our family— I knew they’d want them be we’re not big photos-of-us people and don’t have much use for them. Ultimately, after much debate, we added on “getting ready” photos— candids & details pre-wedding (much more my style! So I’m glad we went for it in the end. Some great touching genuine moments captured there.
We did NOT have any pro photography for the reception (and no regrets! We have plenty of guest photos of important moments and didn’t have to have paparazzi all night! It was perfect for US, and we’re thrilled with what we got and have no regrets.

The only “issue” is you might have some troubles finding someone willing, since they could likely potentially book someone else for a full day (and full fee!) . But it NEVER hurts to ask! I reached out to a couple photographers and explained what I was looking for and the budget I was looking to stay with in. I didn’t get a positive response (or...response at all...) from *everyone* but did find a really wonderful photographer and absolutely lovely woman who was willing to work with me! It’s worth noting she had also never done a partial wedding. So there were a few things we hashed out together and a few details that needed negotiating.
B ut, it was perfect, everything was awesome, I LOVE having some really awesome pictures but i *also* loved saying goodbye to the photographers and getting to focus on our PARTY for the rest of the night.

If you want to save money, hire a better photographer for a lower amount of time. I used to work as a second photographer at weddings and I can tell you rarely did anyone purchase photos from the reception. Everyone enjoyed looking at them but no one put them in their albums or purchased any prints of reception photos. We even photographed weddings where the bride and groom did a fake goodbye with sparklers when our time was up so we could photograph it and then went back to the party when we left.

You can def work with your photographer and see what they can work out to be negotiable on the pricing and how many hours/what photos you want. Most are very pretty flexible but to their own limit. I worked with a few potential photographers by telling them what I wanted and they gave me a quote on what they could do. Just make sure you don’t sign any contract until the specifics you are happy with are worked out.

I am doing my own wedding photography given that I don't want to spend $1500 and up when we want a 1hr outdoor session. I have the gear so why not? I think a photographer is not something to cut out but I totally understand if its not affordable. You could do it yourself or ask a friend.

The photographer we are planning to hire cut down his standard 8 hour package to 6 hours of coverage to make it work for our budget. We’re not planning a big send off and have a guest list if about 60 max, and he said in his previous experience doing small weddings 6 hours was plenty. He will show up and do a few getting ready shots after we’ve done hair and make-up right before I get my dress on, and will stay through cake cutting. He brought his package price down $750 for cutting out those two hours. Since we have a very tight budget, I’ve just been honest with photographers upfront about what I can afford and some have said they can’t help us but others have been willing to adjust their packages.

Photography is an area we were not willing to skimp on! It’s the one part, besides your video, you’ll have forever. And if your photographer is good, they will make you look amazing regardless of how photogenic you are! If you don’t want to spend a ton in the extra hours, just have them leave after an hour or so of your reception. But you don’t want to miss all of it! First dance, father (or parent/sibling)/daughter dance, entrances, etc... those are important. You will want that documented!!

View Quoted Comment A fake goodbye for send off pictures is a good idea. Our photographer will be leaving after we cut the cake, so this would be perfect if we decided we wanted to do something. Thanks!

Hello; my fiancé and I have spent the most on our photographer! It is the one area we chose to not cut corners. At the end of the day you will want the photos. Most likely no one will remember the food, that seats, the decor etc. but the one thing you will ALWAYS have is the photos!