Wedding photographer

This is a tough one as photography can be expensive but it is also one of the few things u get to keep after the wedding. For this reason we put a photographer as one of the vendor we were willing to spend more on, for example the photographer was higher on the priority list than the florist. As a compromise maybe u can look into a photography student or ask around in your friend group there is always almost one person who knows someone who dabbles in photography on the side. But it is true u get what ya pay for so there s a chance the photos may not be what you were hoping.

After the wedding, photography is going to be what captures all the memories. Having a reputable, professional photographer was important to both of us. I don't see the point in spending a bunch of money on a wedding if no real photographer. I'd stand my ground

If you can find a way to make it work in your budget, I highly recommend a professional photographer. If his parents are the ones taking the photos, they won't be in most of them, and they'll have to work at the wedding instead of celebrating with you both. And what if you aren't happy with the photos they do capture, or if they spend most of their time chatting with family/friends instead of taking photos, etc? A professional can capture photos while you and your families are all celebrating. After the wedding, the photos are what you will have for years to come, and I think it's worth it to leave that up to a professional. Like a previous comment mentioned, you can always look into hiring a photography student from a local college, or maybe someone who is just starting out in the wedding industry to help save some money, just be sure to look through their portfolio first to make sure you like their photos/style.

Are you talking about phone camera photos? Or an actual camera? I think hiring a photographer would be best. Your parents should be able to be guest and enjoy their time instead of trying to get all the right photos. I understand his point, but I’d check into different photography companies, most times they have really good deals going on especially for weddings.

Two things I would not cut corners on are food and photography. They are the most important elements of an event.

I would highly suggest putting your foot down on this and making photography a priority for your day. Once the day is over, photography is going to be what you take with you. The food will be eaten and gone, the flowers will wilt and die, decorations will be thrown away, your hair and make up will only last for the night, you will wear your dress only once… but photos and video will last a lifetime. No matter how present you are, or how great a time you have, details about your day will fade over the years. Photography can capture all those little details and jog your memory. Photogs also capture so many moments that you don’t see or experience during your wedding! Not to mention, it is really great to have beautiful, professional photos of all your loved ones dressed up, looking great, and having fun celebrating together. And once loved ones pass away, you will be grateful you have those photos of them.

In my opinion, photography is one of the most important things to spend your budget on. These pictures are ones you will have for the rest of your lives. Right after booking our venue, our photographers were the very next thing we booked because we wanted to ensure we got the best! A professional photographer can make all the difference. They know the best poses, shots, and can be creative where no one else can. Also, your family should be in those photos, not the ones taking them. You want to make sure their presence is remembered. Plus, they should be focused on being present and taking in this day, not distracted with picture duty. If there’s any parts that you can stand to scale back on, I would say, flowers, decor, accessories, or favors. You could cut appetizers/not have a cocktail hour, and cut videography too. Some brides ask their bridesmaids to take care of their own hair and makeup, so that’s an option as well.

My fiancé and I have been debating something similar. There's a lot of photographers in the area but it's been difficult to find one within our budget. Regardless, I 100% think it's worth the money and if you put in the time and effort, you'll be able to find one that's inexpensive and will deliver the results you want! Photos last a lifetime and you won't regret the money spent to be able to relive that day over and over! There are plenty of other ways to save within the budget to make room.

I think it depends on how important you think the photos will be to you in the future. Some happily married couples rarely look at them.

There are countless horror stories on the forum of skipping a professional photographer or going with a low budget vendor and they all ended up with either unsalvageable pictures or none at all. At the end of the day after all the food is eaten and the flowers die, your photos and memories are all you have and memories fade over time while pictures do not. If you are on a strict budget, look at local art colleges for photography students. Otherwise browse Instagram for your area and get a basic photo package from a professional photographer.

If this is not a small elopement, convince your Future spouse that his parents deserve to enjoy the wedding, and not be working for free. All your hard work planning should be recorded on film, and both of you should not be worrying about non-professionals on your special day.

This is tough because photography really IS so expensive but i also think some people are such good photographers. like my uncle did my grad photos and they were awesome and my bff did my engagement pics and they were awesome. i think it would be better though to just get a photographer and then supplement with whatever photos that your friends and family took on their own. i agree with PPs who said it's one of those things you can spend more on - what's left after the wedding are your memories and that's expressed as the photos or videos you get

Photography is probably the most common thing couples opt to invest more in because it's one of the parts of the wedding that will extend past the actual day. A good photographer can make sparse decorations look better, fix issues makeup couldn't, and capture memories that you may not have even thought to consider. There are certainly ways to get a less expensive photographer, but I think not having one at all would be a mistake. Like others have mentioned, his parents won't be in the pictures if they're the ones taking them, they either won't get to enjoy the wedding OR they'll miss key shots because they're chatting, eating, etc. (which they should be allowed to do), and any parts where they're both in (walking down the aisle, for example) there won't be any pictures of.

I'd suggest sitting down with your fiancé and outlining which areas you'd be willing to cut down on in order to have a professional take your pictures. There's plenty of ways to save here and there, and in the end you'll be glad you did.

Is wedding planner in your budget?
If yes and hired - ask your planner for recommendations on adjusting your budget for a photographer
If yes and not hired yet - consider Day of Coordinater instead to accommodate for photographer
I make all the flower decors myself and is planning on doing my own makeup. Thay saves about $500-$700. I have a day of coordinator, instead of planner, it saved $500+
This allows me to hire a photographer for about $1,000.

And no not the parents they are there to enjoy the wedding too.And if they dont have an update camera the quality of there's vs today's technology will be very off. This is 1 bug special day ☹let her have the photographers

Do not do this. First off, your parents should be enjoying your wedding and not working. Second, the photos will suck and may even get lost. A professional photographer knows how to get the best angle and not miss a moment. You didn't actually say the budget is tight but if it is, there are other ways to make it work besides sacrificing the photos that you'll have forever. My husband was also very stingy about photo and video, so I paid the majority of it, but I did convince him to contribute a portion and it was money well spent.

My fiancée's mom is a photographer so I can relate!

I would definitely get a photographer. You can just emphasize that the parents might want to enjoy the wedding instead of having a job to do. You could express that to your fiancée to make your point. I think a lot of people would consider it rude to ask the parents (or any guest). I know my future MIL probably would lol.

Here's an idea we came up with for ours: We are having 3 hours with a professional photographer from 3-6 (ceremony is at 4). Since we wanted photos at sunset and night also, we will ask MIL and maybe my sister to take some at sunset at night. This way, it isn't a huge burden for family members because it is more casual/fun time photos and not your ONLY photos, AND you save money on photographer by just having them do a few (you can even have them do just the ceremony and portraits after and get done in an hour if you want to save a ton).

In my opinion.. you have to have a photographer. I’m not wealthy.. struggling to pay my wedding off too. But.. family gets distracted. They take pics you didn’t want sometimes or not in focus. A professional will do effects and black & whites. They have lighting adjustments they can do. I completely get his perspective. I suggest this. Call around. Find someone small who works from home. Give them the scoop on your finances. I have an arrangement to pay a small down pymt of $200 to come. I’m giving her more following week. And balance 2 weeks after that. They will work with you. You won’t be disappointed either

Yeah I would STRONGLY suggest a professional. I understand wanting to save money as weddings are expensive and things add up but two things you should never cut corners on are photos and food like someone else mentioned. I would hold firm on this and cut back in other areas budget wise

We are going to hire a photographer for the ceremony only, and have disposable cameras for the guests to take photos during the reception. I have seen people post these pictures and they come out gorgeous. Its in the guest's point of view and many different angles. We will also get a snapchat filter and have a hashtag for other's to tag us in on their mobile photos. Your guest can photograph your reception, but everyone's attention should be on YOU during the ceremony. So if you cut photography hours, cut reception out.

Good luck