It's Monday! Time for our Top 5 Feature where fellow bloggers and budgeters share their top five tips on saving money on your wedding or new home. Anything from decor to recipes, these bloggers have some really good and do-able ideas that brides and newlyweds can replicate easily.Today we're so happy to have Sue from Suzanne Navarro Photography contribute some awesome ideas for wedding photos. She does beautiful work by the way, featuring everything from newborn pictures to musicians to weddings.
Please stop by her blog and check out her ideas, she's a very creative lady who will inspire you to get great pictures for your next life event. Take it away Sue!
How to cut wedding photography costs.
Weddings are expensive. Wedding photography can be a large slice of that expense if you let it. No one looks forward to paying thousands to have their picture taken. But, it’s one of the most important days of your life and you want it documented. So does Aunt Louise, who couldn’t be there to see it.
Before we explore ways of reducing the cost of this service let’s discuss your priorities. First, determine how important pictures are to you and your significant other. Do you place a high value on a large album of images that you imagine showing your children and grandchildren one day? Does your extended family rarely get together in one place and you’d like it recorded? Have you been dreaming of your wedding forever and you’d like a professional to capture every nuance as if it were your own personal bridal magazine layout? Or, would you be satisfied if Uncle Joe used your point and shoot to get the job done so you can spend more on your honeymoon experience? Of course there’s a lot of ground in between, but thinking about this will help you determine the portion of your budget that you’ll set aside for photography. Now that you’ve done that, call around to a few photographers (after you’ve internet stalked them to be sure you like their style) and get some prices. Be sure to have Kleenex handy because you’ll want to cry. Photography is expensive!
Now that you’ve determined your priorities you can focus on ways to cut costs in areas that are less important to you. Wedding photography packages are often based on the time involved by the photographer and the number of images you’d like to purchase. You can reduce both of these and still eat your wedding cake too!
1. Be extremely organized and punctual. Demand this of your wedding party as well. Have a list of poses and shots that you want taken and get them done. Don’t mess around. You can get a lot done if you use your time wisely. Enlist the help of your bossiest relative and make sure they understand the goal. Have that person rounding up the unruly groomsmen while the bridesmaids are having their shots taken. Just make sure that you, your photographer and your helper are all on the same page so no one gets crabby!
2. Place disposable cameras on the reception tables with instructions for your guests to take candid images throughout the party. You will be able to dismiss your photographer early and still get precious memories. You will need to put someone in charge of collecting the cameras at the end of the evening. Don’t expect perfection, but you may be pleasantly surprised at what is captured!
3. Set up a “photobooth” for your guests. It will be a fun, memorable activity and you will have images that you can share with everyone for a lifetime. You will need a backdrop of some sort, a tripod and camera, a few props and someone willing to man the booth. Your guests will have fun hamming it up for the camera! Have the DJ announce the booth several times to make sure it gets the traffic you want. Set out props such as hats and chalkboards for messages. Get creative and find props that match your wedding theme. You can up load the pictures to a gallery such as Snapfish or Kodak and your guests can look at them and order copies for themselves if they wish. Simply set up an account prior to your wedding and make info cards to hand out with instructions for the guests so they know how to access the pictures later.
4. Don’t be afraid to try a “newbie” photographer. Scour places such as Craigslist for photographers who are experienced, but looking to build their wedding portfolios. You MUST be diligent in getting a contract and calling references however, because while you want to get a good deal, you do not want to trust the most important day of your new life to a virtual stranger. Be sure to see samples of their work and discuss, in detail, how many images you can expect to receive, if they will be edited, how and when you will receive them (disk, thumb drive etc…).
5. Barter with your photographer for part of her services. I’m sure you have something you can offer. Cleaning, childcare, web design, catering… First you’ll need to understand exactly what it is that makes photography so expensive so that you don’t insult your photographer with your offer. It’s not simply the 6 hours that she is working while at your wedding. It is the multitude of hours she will spend editing the images and designing albums for you. It’s also the thousands of dollars she has spent on equipment and insurance and education so that she is in the position to be knowledgeable enough to do a great job capturing your images. Once you’ve considered all of that, get creative and make an offer she won’t refuse!
Be sure to share your experiences and ideas here in the comments! When it comes to saving money and planning a wedding, the more help, the merrier!
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