Let’s face it, weddings are expensive, I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that. Anything and everything is going to cost you money. So when the time finally comes for you to sit down to prepare your wedding budget it’s important to understand which areas you should and shouldn’t try to save a few dollars on. One area, in particular, is wedding photography. Today, I’m going to tell you exactly why you shouldn’t cut costs on wedding photography.

Wedding Photography is an investment:

This is one of the most fundamental things to remember when it comes to selecting your wedding photographer. It’s important to look at wedding photography as an investment, something which is going to appreciate in value (to you) as time goes on. You are not going to get any do-overs. Unless of course, you have deep pockets, even then it probably won’t be as special as the second time around. This is also one of those rare occasions where you are to going to have all the people which mean the most to you in the one place at the one time. Which is why it’s important to make sure that each and every moment is documented by a professional.

Why it’s important to hire a professional:

We live in a time where everyone has a camera in their pocket. Most of us probably also know someone who is an aspiring photographer. But just because they have a camera and know how to use it, doesn’t mean that they know how to photograph a wedding. The reason it’s important to spend the money and hire a professional wedding photographer is because they shoot weddings regularly. They know exactly what moments are about to unfold and how to capture them. As well as knowing exactly where to be and when. A wedding photographer also understands which photos they need to capture in order to best tell the story of your day. This fundamental knowledge can’t be gained without hands-on experience in the industry. Allowing a wedding photographer to photograph your day will also give you the confidence to ask your guests to be present in the moment. Rather than looking at you through their phone screen.

The downside to using friends:

Have you ever thought about what you would do if the photos your friend took weren’t all that great? This could be a rather tough and touchy subject to approach with a friend. One I think most people would rather live without. Had you hired a professional wedding photographer, this would have been a much easier subject to bring up.

Find a photographer whose work resonates with you:

Have a browse through some past work of wedding photographers you like. This gives you the opportunity to see their photographic style. This will give you a fairly good idea of how your final images could look upon delivery. Using an inexperienced wedding photographer, where you can’t gauge their style from past weddings can also create unwanted stress on the day. Using a professional, however, will give you confidence and peace of mind in their abilities. Its also better to seek out a photographer whose work resonates with you, rather than requesting a photographer photograph differently to what they are used to. As this can create creative blocks and inevitably leave them feeling a little anxious towards the way they are shooting.

Pricing can be a good indicator:

You should always do your own due diligence when it comes to selecting a wedding photographer. But the price a photographer charges will often be reflective of the quality of service they will provide. A price can be indicative of the amount of experience they have, the quality of the equipment they use, the quality of their final product or the lengths they will go to in order to impress you. Personally, I feel its easy to tell the difference between a slightly cheaper photographer vs someone slightly more expensive. It’s not always the case but more often than not you will usually get what you pay for. That is exactly why you shouldn’t cut costs on wedding photography.. especially when it’s for a once in a lifetime event.