How to Save Money on Wedding Photos

Wedding photography is a large expense in your wedding budget. It seems as though the cost of photos should not cost as much as it does, but this is the photographer’s profession and they can only do one wedding a weekend. One alternative is to forgo the professional photographer and let family members take the pictures for you. But there are ways to save money on your wedding photos if you still want the professional look.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• contract
• photographer

1. Have your wedding on any other day than Saturday. Saturdays are a prime time for weddings, and photographers can charge a higher price. Try getting married on a Friday.
2. Hire a photographer that works out of their home. The extra overhead costs of having an extra studio or office is passed down to you in the price of your photos.
3. Have a professional photographer for the ceremony only. Most of your wedding photos are taken at the church anyways, and the least amount of time is spent there. If you have a photographer that charges by the hour, this is the best option, since receptions run all night long. Have your friends and family take candid photos at the reception. These will be more fun and laid back, like the reception should be anyways.
4. Look for a student photographer. They are not considered professional, but some are better than professionals. A student photographer would be happy to do a wedding either at a lower cost to help build up their portfolio.
5. Wait until everyone has had a chance to look at your proofs before ordering the pictures. Many photographers will charge a minimum fee every time that you want to order pictures. Fight the temptation to order your pictures right away, and let mom and grandma pick theirs out also.
6. Buy the proofs or find a photographer that offers “you get the proof” packages. The proofs are where the money is. If you have the proofs, you can get reprints done at anytime and avoid having to go through the photographer.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider having your wedding on a non-traditional night, or in the off-season. Late spring/early summer is the prime time for weddings and photographers can charge a premium rate.
• Ask to see some of the photographer’s other work. Make sure that you like their style and the way the pictures look. Once your wedding is over, you can’t get retakes.
• Don’t purchase photo albums and frames from the photographer. The markup will be huge. You will probably get albums and frames as wedding gifts.
• Make sure that all costs are in writing. You do not want to be surprised when the bill comes and you were charged travel expenses. Get everything in writing.

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