Photographer/bridesmaid

Your friend shouldn’t be working at your wedding. She should be enjoying this joyous occasion with you!

100% agree with Kenisha.

View Quoted Comment Trust me, I said the same thing. She refuses. She will be taking pictures whether I like it or not. Her words ha-ha! I'm actually not (I know wedding fail right here) too worried about photography at the wedding to begin with. I wasn't going to pay thousands for this and was probably going to hire someone not really that experienced. She loves taking pictures and wants to do that for my wedding present. She's hard headed but seriously the best friend a girl could ask for.

View Quoted Comment So have you discussed the logistics of the day with her? I just worry she won’t be able to enjoy the day because she’s trying to capture it.

If you’re set on having her do it and not paying for photography, I think you should have her husband or someone else do the photography for the whole ceremony so she can stand next to you and enjoy it, and then she can take over afterwards. Alternately, could you hire a photographer just to do the ceremony?

View Quoted Comment I will definitely be paying her. No matter what. That was my idea, just let her husband take the pictures. I'm perfectly okay with that. I even told her I was going to hire a photographer JUST for the ceremony and she said No, she wanted to do it. I'm going to tell her that her husband or photographer - not her!

View Quoted Comment Oh that’s not what I meant, by “not paying for photography” I meant to say “not paying a separate photographer” whoops sorry I phrased that terribly haha. Yeah I agree if she really wants to take pictures for most of the wedding then let her, but she should be in your entire ceremony and let someone else do it then! And for a few bridal party pictures after so she can be in those too

View Quoted Comment Thank you! That's a great idea.

How will she be in your bridal party shots if she's taking the pictures? Keep in mind that any picture she's taking she won't be in. If this was my best friend this would bug me. One of my favorite pics from my wedding is one our photographer caught of our whole bridal party with their arms around each other singing our hearts out on the dance floor.

I also think it would be quite distracting to your ceremony to have a bridesmaid running around taking pictures. Part of a good photographer is their ability to blend in and not be noticed, but that's pretty hard in bridal party attire.

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Her husband would be the second photographer. We would just have 1 for the ceremony it looks like. If this is my best friend's passion, I'm going to let her do whatever she wants. She will kind of blend in because I have a big wedding party (I'm one of those girls with 10 Bridesmaids).

I'm going to send her a message and give her the options to not take pictures again. I will definitely hire someone, she just wants this to be my gift from her. I tried telling her not to take pictures and she will whether I like it or not, in a dress or not. Lol. She's hard headed.

There’s being hard-headed and then there’s being unreasonable.

One of my BMs is an amazing flower designer. I used to joke with her that I was going to have to fire her from the bridal party so she could do my flowers. Even though she could have done everything ahead of time and we wouldn’t have had the ceremony complications like you will with photography, I told her she would not be doing my flowers. On my wedding day, she is my BM, not my florist. She was a little disappointed, but she respected my decision.

I don't see how she can be a bridesmaid AND take photos. I also don't necessarily think it's fair for her husband to be working on your wedding day rather than just enjoying the event as a guest.

It's obviously up to you but if it were me I would politely decline because it would personally be too anxious/stressed about that situation.

Her persistence would also likely add to my stress.

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If you hire someone they will likely have in their contract that they are to be the only photographer. I've never seen a photographer not have that. They don't want to be competing with someone else for shots all day.

My photographer was a bridesmaid in her brothers wedding. She took bride & groom portraits, and they hired a photographer to take the rest. Maybe that's a good option.

View Quoted Comment That's a great idea!

View Quoted Comment Oh, crud.... Even if I just hire them for ceremony only?

View Quoted Comment Nothing that girl does adds to my stress. She's only trying to help me save money. Her and her husband are the most giving, selfless people I know. She is an amazing photographer, one of the best I know. I told her I was going to hire someone - and she said she would be taking pictures no matter what and that kind of scares me about the contract thing saying no one else could take pictures.

Followin
my best friend and maid also wants to do photography for “free” but I’ve been declining

i just want her to enjoy the day

realistically there isnt going to be one for budget and person choice reasons

i personally hope that she just brings her camera is she really wants and if she happens to get some good candid shots that’s amazing but I don’t want her to have a job ... same reason I’m going no MOH

Although your bestie is very sweet, she should enjoy your wedding day being your bridesmaid and not work at the event.

View Quoted Comment I agree with this. As it is, it's not reasonable to expect to be able to do both. I understand she is insisting out of the goodness of her heart but it's unreasonable for her to think she can be a bridesmaid AND the photographer. Perhaps have her take your e-pics?