2010-07-30 07:00:00 by SMARTBRIDE
Expert Budget Tip: How to Save on Professional Wedding Photography
What are your options if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on your wedding photographer, but want to hire a pro to capture those memorable wedding moments?
You’ll be relieved to know that it is possible to save money and end up with the high quality wedding photos you want!
Image Courtesy of Shannon Kelley Photography
We spoke with a few of our photographers on SnapKnot to get their advice on how they best serve their clients on a budget.
11 Tips to Help You Save on Your Wedding Photography:
- Put someone in charge of keeping the family together and ensuring your friends and family stick to the photo schedule. This will save the photographer’s time, which saves you money and gets you to the reception faster!
- Meet with the photographer in advance of your wedding, so you can go over the day-of schedule and create an action plan.
Image Courtesy of Amanda McMahon Photography - Hand out your photo schedule at the rehearsal dinner, so everyone knows where they need to be and when, which again saves you time and money!
- Consider booking your wedding on any day other than Saturday. Many photographers offer discounts or specials for other days and if it isn’t offered up front, ask! Shannon Kelley Photography throws in a free engagement session to couples who are getting married on any day aside from Saturday!
- Schedule the bulk of your couple shots after the honeymoon! What do you gain from this? Well, you don't have to worry about the dress, you’ll have lots more creative freedom, and you usually get many more photos and more bang for your buck!
- Skip the smaller family shots. Do you really need a photo of you and each one of your cousins individually? Opt for a couple larger family shots, then you with your immediate family and call it a day!
- Get pictures done when the natural light is good! If your bridesmaid pictures are shot at high noon you’re limiting the number of locations you can use and it will take longer because you'll have to work around the sun and shadows.
Image Courtesy of Scott McNamara Photography - You don’t need to hire a photographer for 7 - 8 hours. You’ll probably only need your photographer around for the time you’re getting ready, for the ceremony, and for the main events of the reception which usually take place in 1st hour.
Book your photographer for 5 - 6 hours. This way there will be more than enough time for him or her to get some great shots, and will cut back on your costs! - Don’t book the second photographer. If the package you're looking at comes with an additional photographer, but is not within your budget, ask if you could have just one photographer. This should save you a few hundred dollars.
- Invest in the art. Choose a unique style that you love and make the investment based on who you align with stylistically. Albums are great and I encourage you to purchase one if you can afford it, but if your budget doesn't allow for it then cut it out.
Put off purchasing prints and albums until after the wedding when you can put some of that gift money to good use designing your heirloom wedding prints and albums. Invest your money in an artist you’ll be happy with and focus on those prints and albums later. - If possible, hire a photographer in close proximity to you. This way, you won’t incur travel costs because your photographer won’t have to travel far to get to your wedding.
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This post is brought to you by Snapknot:
SnapKnot is a website dedicated to helping engaged couples find the perfect wedding photographer. You can search by location, budget and visual style, and contact photographers who interest you. SnapKnot is fast, free, easy, and fun to use!
Thank you to contributing photographers:
- Amanda McMahon
Snapknot: Amanda’s Profile
Website: amandamcmahon.com
Blog: AmandaMcMahonBlog.com - Scott McNamara
Snapknot: Scott’s Profile
Website: scottnmcnamara.com
Blog: www.scottmphotoblog.com - Shannon Kelley
Snapknot: Shannon’s Profile
Website: shannonkelleyphotography.com
Blog: shannonkelleyphotography.com/blog/
