Professional photographer alternative idea

I think photo and video costs are absolutely worth it. Once the day is over, the guests go home, the decor is taken down, the flowers wilt, etc, the photos and videos are what you will have remaining for the rest of your life. Having memories that accurately document the day are priceless. There are ways to save on the cost though: you could check with a local community college or local university to see if any photography students are available to photograph your wedding. They would likely be much cheaper than a professional, and their work can still be amazing. You could also cut down on the number of hours that the photographer is there for. Also negotiate on some things: if the package includes an engagement photo shoot and you don't want to do engagement photos, see if they can remove that from the package and lower the cost.

Photography wasn’t a huge priority for me, but I didn’t want to regret not having any nice photos. I’ve never loved photos of myself but I knew I’d want something to show for all the work I put into the wedding! And figured some pics would be important to other family members. SO, I went with partial day photography— I hired a photographer to come for ceremony pictures and portraits (I ultimately ended up adding getting ready pics too and I’m glad I did— they’re my fave!) only! They left before the reception. Saved a ton of money that way, but might have gotten lucky finding a photographer willing to dk it

We had to have photography! I wanted videography but it was way too expensive. I thought I wouldn’t go back and look at the pictures as much, but I have almost every week and I couldn’t be happier about our decision to have it. Even if you don’t get both, I would definitely say get the photographer.

Photos are the one thing from your wedding that will last forever and allow you to look back on the day once you start to forget the moments. I would say cut back on other things like flowers, decor, favors, or don’t go too overboard on the food, etc.

View Quoted Comment Good ideas! Thank you.

So we wanted decent photography, but it didn't need to be insanely insanely good, but regular professional level. And I was absolutely shocked at the market pricing for a lot of companies, so we ended up getting some word-of-mouth referrals to individual professional photographers. As in a person who has their own small business, not a big company. There were a few advantages in this approach: 1) were cheaper than the companies, 2) I knew someone who had worked with them, so I had that reassurance about their skills (though, always review their portfolio to make sure it's what you're looking for), and 3) I know exactly the photographer I'm working with. With some of the companies, I really got the runaround trying to see a particular photographers portfolio. Each artist is different, so I wanted to see their work. Going with an individual, I got that. And I know exactly who I'm working with.

I hope you the best of luck! This was definitely the vendor I had the hardest time figuring out.

View Quoted Comment Thank you! Yea we’ve cut back on everything pretty much. This is the only area that’s still pretty pricey even with a short amount of time though.

View Quoted Comment Yes I completely understand. We’ve cut back everywhere but it seems the price is the price for professional photos and video 😩. Thank you!

View Quoted Comment Ok. I was actually debating on one or the other. We booked both at this point but I can’t stop thinking about the money that I’d like to have saved on these two. Thank you

View Quoted Comment Yea I was not expecting this area to be so challenging. I came into the planning process not caring about much of the specifics I just knew I wanted a photographer and possibly video. I got a rude awakening in my area when I saw the prices for these two combined was the same cost of my entire ceremony and reception. We went with a place that offers both but I’m still like geesh on the price.

View Quoted Comment Definitely get you there! Are you wanting both? If so, I’d recommend searching for someone that does both and offers a package deal.


We thought about that at one point, but the guy we were looking at in our city didn’t have the style of photography we liked, and he said he only took clients that were going to order both photo and video from him.

One thing is potentially to ask for a photographer for an hour or so only to take some professional portrait style shots of you and your spouse. That will likely be way cheaper than having them for the whole day.

View Quoted Comment We only have them for a few hours and it’s still pretty ridiculous. I didn’t even consider the full day, sounds exhausting lol. Thanks

Photography is expensive, for some people its worth it for others its not you. Personally I love having pictures to look back and feel like its one of the few things from the wedding you get to keep but my dad always says yes in theory thats true but how many times you do you actually look at them he says after getting their wedding album he never looked at it again, he doesn't think it s worth the cost. One way to cut costs is to hire a photography student but just know you might not get the quality of photos you are hoping for. It really depends on what you and your partner are looking, if the photos aren't that important to you then maybe just have hired photographers for a small chunk of the day, ie the ceremony and maybe some family photos after but not the reception. My sister in law says the photo booth photos are actually her favorites she looks at those more then the wedding album. You could do a dyi photo booth set up and while the days of disposable cameras are gone those pictures were never great anyway maybe instead you can put out a few of those fuji instant cameras or polaroids those are always fun. Another option is to set up a a link/album for people to upload any photos they takes so you can have those. Best of luck to you!

A student photographer may be able to frame pictures well and may have skills in editing the pictures for enhanced color or sharper images. The advantage of a professional photographer would be a keener eye for the better photo opportunities. Plus they would have in mind a greater number of poses. And, they would have more pre-planned angles for pictures during the ceremonies. They may even have certain scenarios to put the groom and bride into add more fun to the pictures.

Don't pay for video -- you'll never watch it. You do want a halfway decent photog, though. I was on a budget for my wedding but splurged on the photog -- and I was glad I prioritized that.

View Quoted Comment Whitney I thought about having no video long and hard… but while I know I want tons of pics for myself and close family I feel the video would be most entertaining for distant family and our social media connections. I skip over post & text with too pics often but will fully watch a 2 min video. And my FH and I watch the videos in our phones pretty often. Also I have no video of my first wedding and I really wish I had some actual footage of the day for my children. At this point I have both booked I was just curious as to what others decided to do. Thank you.

My wife had to work to convince me on a professional photographer. I met with a couple different photographers and vibes well with a pair. They were out of our price range and let them know as much and thanked them for their time. They reached out and asked what was more in my budget and what items were most important (engagement photos, ceremony, reception, dinner).
I responded and made it clear that I wasn't trying to devalue their work and didn't want to insult them with a low offer (I have a number of friends who work in different art mediums and I know this is an issue).

They surprisingly agreed to my budget with everything I wanted. The only thing was that the pictures would be digital only. I'm glad to say that we ended up with more financial support than we thought for the wedding and we're able to give a nice, slightly larger than normal cash tip.I think if after meeting with the photographer, if you aren't convinced by the service for the price you should look for someone else. I am pleasantly surprised with how happy I am with the photos and look at them frequently Thank you R and K