Like every wedding discipline your professional wedding photographer is most likely to be able to provide the best possible results for a bride's big day. But sometimes the realities of life make it necessary to find ways to trim the budget. This can mean anything from cutting back on the wedding pictures we end up with a little bit to doing away with pictures entirely.

How much a couple cuts back is up to the couple and their budget. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.

Here are six ways to save money on wedding photography along with the known pitfalls:

1. Limit the hours the photographer is needed: I mentioned this yesterday. Since labor is one of the biggest costs of the photographer, by saving him / her time a bride can save a good amount of money. Avoid the temptation to have them follow the bride or groom as they prepare and simply have them meet the wedding party at the church in time to get the pictures the couple really wants. Compensate by having the attendants bring (and use digital cameras) as the last minute preparations take place and during the bulk (or even all) of the reception.
2. Check Craigslist to find affordable photographers – of course, look at their portfolio, references, and see if their personality clicks with yours to decide if they are a good choice for your wedding.
3. Post an ad at a local college or university. There are lots of young people who would love an opportunity to practice their craft at a wedding. The problem here is that a couple is likely to run into some very talented young people with no track record as well as some, well, not so talented people who really need to be doing something else.
4. Make your own wedding album. This can save hundreds of dollars. Make sure to research how best to preserve the photographs.
5. Go digital. Instead of a proof sheet (or book) you can get the 'photos' on CD. Then make use of an online photo editor/developer. The risk here is less control over the quality of the print – but then you can always get it printed again down the road when the budget is not so tight.
6. Go digital… and forget the professional all together, if a couple feels brave. Instead ask your guests to bring their digital camera and go ‘snap happy’. After returning from the honeymoon they can email all the pictures to an email address the couple specifies (I’d open a separate email address for this) and then they can use that online photo developer (like Shutterfly) to print their wedding pictures. The advantage is that angles and moments will be captured that one photographer would never catch. The disadvantage is that the quality will be diminished - especially in low lighting settings.

Ultimately the choice is up to each couple. Fifteen years down the road some people really cherish their wedding photos. Others never look at them. Will they in another fifteen years? I think that is up to the individuals which is why only the couple can decide how much to spend or not spend on their wedding photography.

Wedding Photography Elements

In yesterday's post I included a list of the photographs that most brides consider essential to capture the day. Now the question is how to accomplish this without spending as much on the wedding photography - or even is the wedding photography a place that the couple wants to cut back.

Assuming that the couple has decided to attempt to cut back in the area of the wedding pictures we need to consider what you are paying the photographer for:

• Technical Knowledge: This is obvious. It is also the least important aspect since there are any number of people qualified in this area. Still, to find someone that is really skilled a couple needs to look at a portfolio of ENTIRE WEDDINGS, not just a collage of the best of a variety of weddings. Take enough pictures and anyone can put together an album of great photos.


• Interpersonal Ability: A couple gets the best value from a photographer that sets them and their family at ease because the posed pictures will look most natural.


• Time and Labor: This is where you can save yourself the big bucks. If a couple keeps their photographer all day, it is going to cost more. That is obvious. Schedule the wedding day in such a way that it gets the photographer in and out and the price should be less. Is there a need to keep the photographer throughout the reception? Usually the first half hour is enough and some have found that the photographer need not be at the reception at all (see tomorrow).


• Popularity: Like anything else, the most popular photographers command the highest prices. Find one that sets the couple at ease, has good skill, and is relatively unknown and the couple should be able to save money.


• Memories: Ultimately, when we buy wedding photography we are buying a tangible recording of the wedding day. How much is that worth? Only the couple can decide that.

Tomorrow I will discuss options to dramatically cut the cost of wedding photography even more - if the couple is brave... or desperate.

Wedding Photography - 21 Tips for for Amateur Wedding Photographers

I don't recommend using an amateur photographer, but every couple has to decide what is important to them and in some cases saving the money and / or having the wedding photography done by someone that is close to the couple is more important than having professionally polished pictures. In such cases this checklist is a good place to start planning the photography.

Getting hitched? Shooting people getting hitched? Check this checklist out to avoid an angry bride hunting you down...

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