Monday 4 July 2011

Wedding photography is like wine

 

A large part of being a wedding planner is helping a couple have the wedding they want. So even if a couple want something I personally wouldn't have, as long as they can afford it and it 'works', it's not my place to tell them whether they can or can't have it.

Except when it comes to wedding photography. As I'm sure my couples will attest, this is one area of wedding planning I am forceful about! Quite frankly, scrimping on wedding photography just ain't allowed.

Wedding photography is like wine. In that bad wedding photography is like a cheap, chardonnay. It seems like an okay idea at the time. You kid yourself it will be fine when you see it on the shelf and hand over your £3.99 but inevitably when you open it it's horrible and you chastise yourself for your bad decision.

Lots of people have friends who fancy themselves as amateur photographers and offer to take wedding pics as a present. Or are even inviting a professional photographer as a guest who say they'll take some photos for mates rates. And it's definitely tempting when you consider the cost of a good wedding photographer.

But, there are many reasons why I wouldn't recommend this, from having seen it ruin friendships,(seriously), to hearing of one too many people saying they wished they'd hired a pro, and a pro they weren't friends with. Or at least a pro who is there as a pro, and not a guest.

There's a whole other blog post here about friends and wedding help, which I'll do another day. This is just to say, your wedding pictures you will look at forever. So pay the maximum you can afford. For someone whose work you love. Following on from my appalling wine analogy... the chances are, if you go for the £3.99 chardonnay of wedding photography, you will know it. And probably regret it.

14 comments:

  1. ...theres another analogy about a cheap wine hangover in here somewhere too. great post and so true!

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  2. I completely agree with this post! Photography is going to be the most important thing to me if I ever marry and I imagine I'll spend a huge chunk of the budget on it. At the moment though I can only afford to buy cheap wine so it's a good job I'm single ;)

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  3. I think it's because we see so much good photography on blogs so we're spoilt! And now have super high expectations. Recently engaged couples probably haven't spent as much time as us seeing what a difference a creative and genuinely amazing wedding photographer can do.

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  4. Oh so true Josie, some of our best friends had a friend of a friend do their photography. I wanted to weep :(

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  5. You are so right on the money! It's worth the investment :)

    Hope you had a great weekend, sweetie! xoxo

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  6. I think if you have the budget for it then pay for a professional. Also there are a number of options I have heard some cases of paying a professional for an hour or core parts of the ceremony.

    And they after that if you want it to be amateur night, then it is all good. But, as the saying goes some people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. And for such a once in a lifetime experience (we hope) isn't it worth shelling out the duckets for a good photographer????

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  7. If I hadn't the money to pay a professional I would postpone the day of my wedding only to save the money for it :P I'd consider it as a top-priority along all the things that needs to get sorted for the wedding! Photography is the only thing that will allow you to remember your special day exactly how it was - special.

    Oh, and my wedding's photographer will be Marianne Taylor, every time I see her photos I get all excited, just like a child in disneyland!

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  8. How many times do we wedding photographers try to make this point, it is so good to see other wedding professionals making the same point. Thankyou!
    To pick up on the wine theme, a poor or inexperienced photographer could well result in a hangover that lasts a lifetime and no one wants that ;-)

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  9. Very true but I would add the caveat that expensive isn't always equal to good and cheapish is not always bad.

    Difficult to judge, I know.

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  10. I also totally agree with you... It is always sad to see when a couple invests so much love and time (and, obviously, money!) in their wedding day, and then have no pictures they love to remember it by.
    But I also agree with Anna that expensive isn´t always equal to good! The thing is, you have to not only invest money, but often also quite a bit of time to find a good photographer that really fits your taste and personality...
    Nobody said it would be easy! :)

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  11. I think it that we see so much good photography on blogs. And now have super high expectations. Recently engaged couples probably haven't spent as much time as us seeing what a difference a creative and genuinely amazing wedding photographer can do.

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