My only suggestion is to practice great self-control when placing your final order for pictures. Prepare in advance a list of the photos you know you want for sure for grandma, etc. It's easy to get carried away and spend even more than that already-too-high price.

Don't forget we have the Wedding Forum with some knowledgeable people there who might not be checking it at the KT.

I am sure we shall love every picture taken Socks! That will be the hard part AFTER we recover from the prices! LOL I knew it was one of the more expensive things for the wedding, but holy moley here!!!!
I did go post it at the wedding forum just now, but its reallyyyy slow over there!

Another thing to watch for AND HEAD OFF AT THE PASS is the incoming inlaws asking your photographer for shots for them.
I've shot a lot of weddings and I cringe when I see the other mother (bride or grooms) approaching me with THAT look in their eyes. Make it clear to the photographer YOU are paying the bill and YOU will tell HIM what shots to take.

I don't know what to tell you.
People tell me I am dirt cheap and sell myself sort.
Maybe so but I don't have the special filters, lighting effects, etc to do good indoor photography so I don't feel right charging a lot.

Do you really need a professional?
Before you panic and say 'YES! YES I DO!" think about who you know or who is in your family with a good digital camera. Chances are, if a person has a good, high quality digital they know how to use it and will take good pictures for you.

I would suggest hiring a photographer for the portrait shots like the bride in her dress if these are the type of shots you want. If you do, you want studio quality.

Outdoor announcement photos are fun to take. I get a lot of work doing these because I don't formally pose the couple and take a lot of informal shots as they interact with one another.

At the wedding I would suggest asking several people to take picture from different angles. Same with after the wedding shots. I don't have a good eye for group composition but tall guys in the back, short guys in the front, little kids sitting on the floor and everyone standing around the bride and groom is a good formula for group pictures.

That said, remember I can't take a decent closeup photo of a flower but if it's running or bucking I can stop the action every time. Many people like my style as I don't focus on formal but the more casual shots; like aunt flo and uncle elmo laughing together, greatgrandma holding a sleeping
baby,the flower girl trying to tie her shoes without dropping her bouquet or the ring bearer sitting on the floor at the reception because he is tired.

My film prices were this: The first roll (of 24 exposures) was free; a wedding gift. After that, each roll was fifty bucks and they got the prints and kept the negatives. I could make more money doing the enlargements but I just didn't have time.

My digital prices are similar but more photos.
I do not make up the prints which keep my cost low so I can charge less. The first fifty pictures are free; after that each fifty picture costs forty bucks. I will print a thumbprint sheet of all pictures and burn everything to a cd.

Most clients limit me to a certain amount of pictures. I also ask them to put in writing the posed pictures they would like. I also expect a person to be my helper; a person who knows who should be in what picture and to round everyone up. If I had to do all that my prices would go up another twenty bucks as there is always someone who has to be difficult at wedding and they make everyone else suffer. My casual off the cuff photos at wedding and receptions are always the best loved ones!

Have I helped any?
I hope so...

Good luck!

I would seriously consider buying a nice digital camera and doing it myself. You can take fantastic pictures nowdays - just have a plan going in, and something that has a good flash. It would be great if someone in your family or a close friend really was into taking pictures.

Heck - get Lori out there!

Connie, I emailed you - wedding related but not about the photographer.

Maybe you should hire Lori and fly her in.

I like Lori's post and know whe does a beautifle job.
I got into doing weddings quite by accident years ago. I always called mine Candid weddings.
At first mine was family and close friends, Then others called and asked. I have done several hundred weddings. I always loved doing it.
I shot the pictures and got the film and pictures processed. I charged a set amount and gave them the negatives and pictures. I did a lot of great weddings.
I even did my sons wedding in Northern Ireland.

You might be able to find a budding photographer in your local high school or college photography class. Maybe ask the teacher if he could recommend someone? That would be a lot cheaper and if you let him/her keep copies of the prints for their portfolio I'll bet they'd do a great job too.

I'd have a back-up though (a friend or relative with a good camera) just in case things fell through at the last minute.

I forgot to mention too that I was the photographer for 2 weddings (a neice's and a friend's). I did one for free and the other I charged a very low amount (I think it was $50.). I personally wouldn't ask a friend or relative to do it unless they volunteered. It is very stressful trying to make sure you get all of the shots, get everyone smiling and with eyes open, don't miss the cake cutting, bouquet throwing or any of the other parts of the wedding. I couldn't enjoy myself at either of the weddings I did the photography for.

i agree about the number and quality of pictures...leave the candid shots to family and friends..possibly getting the disposable cameras handed out to a certain number of guests...don't bother with one for everyone..either people don't use them or take them home and forget them...

ds2 and dil had a really high number of pictures taken and while some were very nice others were "trash"...besides the cost it took them months to decide what to have made into a final album...

I'm with Susan, I love the disposable camera shots we sat one camera at each table. We got pictures of all the guests.

Gayle

I would LOVE to come and shoot the wedding!
Really..I would.
Let's think on it.

Eye-O-Way Girl has a great suggestion; do it yourself or have a friend/family member do it.

You didn't say how much a photographer would cost but I'm guessing it is much more or at least comparable as a good quality digital package with the body and two lens, isn't it? And you get to KEEP the camera afterwards.

Digitals are great cause it cost you NOTHING to learn what works and what doesn't. The basics are really simple; use a flash indoors at full auto, take time to compose the shot in the viewfinder and remember: it's better to cut someone's feet out of the shot than their head. LOL
Outdoor wedding are great 'cause you don't have to worry about the flash or the light bouncing off the walls or getting absorbed in the flooring. Late afternoon is the BEST time to take outdoor photos. The light is beautiful at that time of day. You can use the shade for many pictures as well as a semi-shaded area for closeups.

Lots of photographers are better than one.

It used to be the thing out here to have disposable film cameras on every table so the guests could take pictures. The bride/groom would pay for the developing and keep the pictures. I've seen some really BAD pictures from this method but some really good ones too.

The next to the last word of advice: KEEP IT SIMPLE.
The last word of advice: HAVE A PLAN.
Think ahead of what group shots you'd like and in what order.
Make sure there is enough time to take the photos you want but be flexible too.

Lori

Well I guess I should start taking notes! LOL
I will remember the in laws without any problem I know that and will watch now! LOL I hadn't thought about that.
Lori yes you were lots of help! How many miles is it from UT to ND? LOLOL You are right in my price range and heck I could even afford that extra $20! I do remember we asked the personal attendant at DD#1's first wedding to help line up everyone that was needed when their turn was coming up. She was a jewel and took her job seriously!
I want good pictures and I don't have to spend well 3/4ths of the entire wedding money we plan on spending just for a photographer! I know we'd love YOUR pics! We want a few of the wedding party as you mentioned, and a family shot of the wedding couple, plus us and oh man all 3 GB's! I know DD wants it also to be fun and not all photographers are! Some won't let anyone else snap pics as they are either, from what I see. I can understand that and can wait til they snap their shot if I want one I can tell everyone to hold it and snap quick! Mileage is 48 to 75 cents per mile from what I have seen so far! We are going to try the closer ones first, (45 miles) because the next town is 120 miles away and mileage alone will kill me from that distance.
I don't think our HS has a photography class. College is the same distance away as the photographers so might be worth checking out...
thanks everyone!

Curious if you guys will also hire a videographer.

We hired a professional photographer who was an old boyfriend of mine. He gave us a great deal because he knew a lot of the guests and hadn't seen them for a long while. XDH's nephew, high school age, loved using his parents video camera so he was the videographer. He did a pretty good job but when folks who weren't able to attend the wedding viewed the video they said they could tell it was the groom's family who videoed it.
We did our wedding on a shoestring budget and pulled it off pretty good.

What is a good quality camera costing now days? LOL DD#1 told me, I suggest you buy a $400 camera and take pictures yourself!
Photographers that charge $1000 to $3000 are wayyyyy to spendy for my tastes! I mean they may be good, just maybe too good for us. We are simple people and I'd just like "nice" pictures. I was thinking in the neighborhood of maybeeeee $700 we could get lots of shots...but I don't see much more than 35-40 pics for that amount. One gal (that is like 13 miles up the road) charges a $400 sitting fee, NOTHING included there, all pics are priced according to size and what you want.
I guess Heather is going to have to call around and get price lists and we will take what we can afford!
When the oldest DD got married she had disposable cameras on the tables too, we did get some cute shots and some weren't worth developing! LOL Did I see disposable digital Kodak cameras now??

This DD wants things very simple with lots of friends and family having fun. The other DD wanted everything! LOL
This DD doesn't want pew bows and the fancy wood mail box on a stand twined with greenery and flowers for cards at the church. She wants a nice basket or bowl. She doesn't want to rent candelabras or decorations, no cake,so no wedding knife etc (we are having mini cheesecakes in 3 different flavors), no unity candle, she loves the idea of wedding sand, which I do too, no guest book, (but the photo mat thing, another great idea of hers!) no bubbles,no rice thrown, no videographer either, which I thought would be nice to have, she is thinking fall leaves and gourds on the tables as centerpeices, since they are only on the tables here til you're done eating and then cleared away for the dance, she doesn't want to ask people to do the coffee or punch pouring, she wants everyone to come and have fun, not work. there are lots of things we aren't doing this wedding that she doesn't want which is great. She wants love in the air is all! LOL

Hire a pro. I could have taken the pictures at my DD's wedding. But the professional photographer organized everyone before and after the wedding, also stayed until 11:30 pm for candid reception pictures. We did have a videographer and had disposable cameras on every table. Make sure you check out the photographers copyrights.

My daughter spend more than a fortune on the flowers and the pictures. FORTUNE! I tell you. When I think of my wedding.... There was NOTHING as cheap as my whole wedding cost at Lori's wedding. It's really ridiculous how spensive that stuff got.

Moni

We have heard too many horror stories about wedding photographers. I was interested only in looking at someone who was recommended by friends or the wedding consultant. We used a photographer who did friends' wedding as well as our consultant's. (The hotel requires you to use a consultant, so we had one.) He did a fabulous job. Yes, he was quite expensive, but others were even moreso.

Wed also opted not to have a videographer.

I liked that he had proofs for us of all shots but that he also has a website on which he put all our pictures. We had a password to our wedding photographs, and that way anyone who wanted to could order pictures, and THEY paid for them, not us. He was costly enough that I wanted to pay for the couple's pictures and an album for us, but if anyone else wanted pictures, including his family, they could purchase what they wanted.

Photographers that charge $1000 to $3000

Hold me...I'm scared.
Three GRAND to shoot a wedding!
Good grief, I have been cutting myself short all these years, haven't I?

My CAR didn't cost that much and it's my 'go to town' car too.
Three thousand dollars is HALF A GOOD BARREL RACING HORSE!

A year and a half ago I bought my Nikon50 package for just under a thousand dollars. The package included the body, a short lens, a long lens, a good camera bag and two years of insurance. 2gb cards came with it as well as some rebate cards and free picture coupons. Prices have come down considerably since then. Later I bought a big (costly) flash but I need that for ball game and after dark rodeos.

You can get high quality digis for less money.
I just prefer a regular sized camera. I have broken many point and shoot film cameras over the years as well as I smaller Olympic digital. I shoot so many rodeos, ball games and horse stuff I need something that'll take a lot of abuse. A good insurance plan is important for me too.

I don't know anyone who video taped their wedding who would do it again. Most didn't watch the video. None knows where the tape is now. Unless you think something wild enough to send to America's Funniest Home Videos (LOL) is going to happen I'd just let anyone and everyone take videos and put them all together later on.

You'll do fine.
It'll be a beautiful wedding!

Lori

When hubs and I got married, we did have a videographer, and I am so glad we did! (And I know exactly where the video is -- it's in the wall unit in the family room.) We watch the video on our anniversary every year. The guy got some great stuff -- the entire ceremony, which was a blur to me at the time; and at the reception in addition to the standard stuff like us cutting the cake and feeding each other a bite, the champagne toast, the garter removal and toss, the bouquet toss, etc., he set up a little "interview station" and would take folks over there and record them recounting funny stories about us (some of the made-up stuff is hysterical), wishing us well, etc.

And we have some incredibly fabulous wedding photos, taken by a professional photographer who specialized in weddings.

After all, once the wedding is over, you have to realize that the majority of the money was spent for other people's enjoyment. The bride and groom are only TWO people out of how many meals that were paid for? The flowers wilt, dry out, and fall apart, the gown is never worn again, etc.

But the video and the photos are there FOREVER to be enjoyed, especially by the bride and groom.

FYI - those disposable "digital" cameras are just the regular disposable cameras. When you develop the film, they put the pictures on a disk so you can open them up on your computer.

I don't think the quality of those disposables is very good anymore. I used to think they were pretty nice, but what I have seen recently isn't so hot.

To bad you can't get all us picture crazy KT'ers there - you would have thousands of pictures! LOL!!

One of my friends loves photography and does it as a hobby. She specializes in weddings, pregnancy pics, and family shots. She charges $100/hour at the venue and does the editing at no charge. She gives away a disk with all the pictures and all the rights to the photos. That is the best deal I have seen. I helped her at a wedding once and it was a lot harder work that I was expecting. I wouldn't want a guest or family member to take on that kind of responsibility. I would ask a photog teacher at a community college if they could recommend a student that has the talant and would be interested in doing it for less than pro rates. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: My friend's site. Check out the gallery

Iowa girl, thats good to know about the digital disposables. I sure wish we could get some KT photographers there, I KNOW there would be beautiful photos! And fun which is what DD wants!
Yep, Lori you sell yourself wayyyyyy short in the photography dept. I've seen enough of your work to know you do a fantastic job!
Naughty Kitty I can't get in! But that sounds like a wonderful deal and would love to have someone like that here, we will be doing some checking around definitley!

I'm in the beginning stages of planning my wedding, but unlike you a wedding photographer is not even an option for me. There are absolutely no photographers in my community that will do them. I live in a community of about 4000 people, which means my options are very limited.

One suggestion that I found while searching was to ask guests bring their digital camers and after the wedding upload them to a photo sharing site. I liked this idea because you'll get tons of pictures and only have to print the ones you want. This is also a good way for guests to be able to print pics as well. The only downfall to this is that if no specific person is designated to take pics you may miss out on some of the 'must have' shots. It would be a good idea to ask one or two people who are handy with a camera to take a few important pictures.

I also read somewhere that leaving disposable cameras out for guests is very hit and miss. Some guests may take pics that you do not want. You get stuck with having to develop all of the rolls of film, not knowing what could possibly be on them. This can be a large expense if the guests wasted the film or took 'joke' pics. Also if the the camera has not had all of the pic taken, 1/2 the roll, then you have to either wait until you have the opportunity to use the other 1/2 the roll,or develop the roll wasting the other 1/2.....

So many decisions to consider..... I hope you find the answer that you're looking for. And have fun with the wedding planning process!!!

Our Daughter was married 15 months ago. We are on Cape Cod, a location that many, many people come to get married...the home of many 'destination' weddings so, we knew any wedding on the Cape could be big bucks...we were right. When it came to the photographer, we were very surprised at the prices. We thought we could get pictures of the wedding for about $1,000...wrong. Many people here will pay between $7,000 & $14,000O...soup to nuts...no joke. Our daughter found one with a style she liked - 'photo-journalist' - who offered a good package. In the end, we paid $2,500 for 7 hours, 800 finished 5x7, color photos. 150 5x7 black and white photos. Three discs of all the photos taken and an album for the bride and groom. As it turned out, this was very reasonable.

Knowing what I know now, I would NOT skimp on the Photographer. Pictures are as important as the dress. They are what we have to hold in our hands long after the cake is gone, the dress is cleaned, the thank you notes are written. They are the wedding, all over again, each time we open the album.

This might not be exactly what you were looking for but, it's what we paid on Cape Cod, 15 months ago. And...I would do it all over again! Enjoy this time of planning for your daughters wedding. As you well know, it will be here and gone before you know it.

sooey

At a friends wedding they put disposables on each table at the reception-each had a little poem about how the guests could help capture special moments that the photographer might miss. This was a really good ideal, there were a lot of pictures that are so special to them now that otherwise wouldn't have happened. They did hire a photographer to come in and do the more professional looking shots that they wanted-he did all the photos before the wedding started and the I do photo and then he left. His price was reasonable because he wasn't there that long and he really only took about 30 photos. This way for a good price they got all the great wedding shots that everyone gets plus they have a album full of candid, unposed shots that they will treasure forever.

I don't want to advertize here, and it is only a hobby for her, but since you couldn't use the link, her site is www.photosbystacy.com. Click on "enter this site" and the flash site will pop up in a separate window. Perhaps you can get some good ideas from her gallery.

While not downgrading the cost of professionals... you might check around & see if your local schools have a photography class -- The high school teacher at ours did wedding photos & I don't believe he was nearly as expensives as the 'studio' people [not paying the overhead is a plus]
Do NOT do it yourself -- you will not enjoy the wedding -- too busy taking photos! Plus you'll have lots of other stuff to be doing...
But do plan a list of what you do want.. Bride-groom; B&G with attendents; separately with attendants, with family & with families separate... the hands/rings shot..
I do think setting up a site for everyone to share is a great one for the 'candid' shots
If you end up with someone who charges a lot -- you should end up with the proof shots, final photos & negatives - in my opinion...

The groom's mother put disposable cameras on each table at the rehearsal cruise dinner. They cost a small fortune to develop and were not only poor quality but also of people the couple did not particularly know more often than not. And shots they might have especially wanted were not taken. Not worth it was the conclusion.

Do NOT plan on taking them yourself, you are the mother of the bride and have your own tasks - that should not be one of them.

Do NOT count on disposable cameras - very poor quality.

Do NOT call the HS or college photographer and tell them you are looking for a cheap photographer - it is an insult! Ask what they would charge. And, I would not recommend a student to do it either.

I think both sides of the family need to be included, even though the brides family is paying. The bride is the primary subject, but please don't forget the groom and his family, too.

You should be able to direct the photogrpaher to take this photo or that, using a list is handy, but if there are too many itmes, the photographer may be overwhelmed. Really highlight the photos that are really important for you to have.

I agree that a formal portrait session is a good idea, lacking the ability to afford much more.

Expecting professional results for anything less than $1,000 is laughable. Please hire a professional, these need to last a lifetime.

You might try to find an "event" photographer, just because they don't advertise as a wedding photographer, doesn't mean they don't do weddings.

Some ways you may be able to save $$ is hire by the hour and schedule 2-3 hours, You don't really need the 30 photos of the bride and her entourage getting ready. Or another 50 of a bunch of drunken guests.

Candids are great, formals are necessary. I do really like the "photojournalist" style, but not at the expense of the formally posed. I would be sure to ask for both, time allowing.

Also, be sure that you get the negatives or CD of images. That way you can reprint without paying the exorbitant mark up. And any color photo can easily be converted to BW.

Maybe try your local newspaper photographer.

BTW, I am the college photographer that people call for a "cheap" job. I might offer you a good deal, but I ain't cheap!

Good luck!

We went into shock when we searched for one for DS's wedding 4 years ago.....we decided to do them ourselves and got some really good ones! They were really happy with them. DIL's family wasn't too involved and they had to pay for most of the wedding themselves, we helped out quite a bit but still the photographer was way out of reach for them. We were really happy with the ones we got. DS #2 is getting married in October this year and they lucked out and found a lady neighbor in her mom's condo that is an aspiring photographer and showed them her work and gave them a huge discounted price. The decided they don't need 100's of pictues...just nice ones of the ceremony and the tradtional ones after, then count on everyone with cameras to get the reception shots.

Thats great Vikki! Geepers they are so expensive, whenever you can save I do it!
DD just said someone volunteered to take pics (a cousin of DHs) I don't know what we will do yet....keep looking for now! I think the prices are bad enough here in the boonies I can only imagine what they are in bigger cities!

The lowest we found 4 years ago was $1500.00....this time DS and DIL (to be) found some for as high as $4000.00 and as low as about $1500.00 Her dad made them an offer they can't refuse....he'd make a sizable down payment on a house for them in lieu of the wedding. They of course are taking him up on the offer and paying for the wedding themselves, so it has now become a "budget" wedding LOL....her dad says he feels the weddings are so overdone and a waste of money, I tend to agree. At the end of the day they are still married just the same. Many of her friends are telling her to not go crazy, they were sorry they all did....looking back they wish they had saved the money for things they really could use later. She is taking all of this advice. They are getting married at a golf course and it's really pretty! The cost will be about $7000.00 total if all goes as planned! LOL....we all know that usually doesn't happen but we're keeping our fingers crossed!

How far away from the colleges are you? You might ask if they have photography classes--and sometimes the students/teachers will do pictures to earn extra money. If you are near Grand Forks, I have friends there. One is a dentist, and one works for the schools, and one is a beauty person. These are relatives of a real good friend here in ND and a neighbor. They would know someone. There is also someone in Washburn ND that did my GD's senior pictures that really turned out good, but she was just starting out and I don't know if she is still in business.
Let me know what city you are near, and I can ask people here who they know also.
Good luck

Always good to have a back up. I was a guest at one wedding. The grooms brother was the photographer and his camera had jammed. If it weren't for my pictures they wouldn't have had any.

This might work...it did for me once.

I was booked for a wedding several years ago and got hurt and couldn't make it. At the time I worked for the newspaper. The editor was a friend and he shot the wedding.

Perhaps you could call (or go into the office) the local paper and speak with their photographer(s). Then ask what they'd charge to do the wedding. What's the worse could happen? They'd tell you no?

Velleen, what you just suggested is a good one!
Weddings make me nervous.
Especially when I was shooting film.
What if the camera didn't work?
It was a high stress thing for me.
Now I'm digital I can check the quality and reshoot.

Lori

You know I did wonder about the paper office, they are small, but thats a possibility!
Back up plan is a must too!