How To Save Money On Wedding Photography
Weddings can be incredibly expensive, and how much you decide to spend on your big day is entirely up to you. Some people want a big white wedding with all the trimmings, whilst others just want a small ceremony with their close friends and family present. Even if you do want to go all out, there are things you can do to bring the cost down. In this post, I’m going to share my top tips on how to save money on wedding photography.
Research and know your budget
First of all, you need to have a realistic expectation of how much a wedding photographer is likely to cost. Prices vary dramatically depending on the time of year, the amount of coverage you want, the day of the week, the current level of demand and the area.
Once you have an idea of how much a professional photographer is likely to cost, you can then start to think about how this fits in with your wedding budget and how much money you are prepared to allocate to your wedding photographs.
Opt for one of the basic packages
When you start to look into the costs involved in hiring a photographer for your wedding, you’ll find that most photographers offer different packages to suit different budgets. A basic package is still going to give you professional looking photographs. If your budget won’t allow you to go for one of the higher end packages, then don’t let that upset you!
Book your photographer early
As with many companies in the wedding industry, some photographers will offer a discount if you book early.
Also, booking early gives you more chance of securing a good photographer at a price that suits your budget. As your wedding date gets closer, you’re likely to find that professional wedding photographers are already getting booked up leaving you with less choice and less chance of finding a photographer, particularly if you’re working with a tight budget.
Only book for part of the day
It makes sense when you think about it, but the less time the photographer spends at your wedding, the less it’s going to cost you.
Think about the parts of your day that you really want to be covered. Do you want them there when you are getting ready right through to the end of the evening reception? Or are you happy just to have amazing photos from the ceremony? You could save a lot of money by just having the photographer present for part of the day.
Get digital photos
Getting your professional photographer to send photos to you digitally is a great way to save money whilst still having the benefit of professional wedding photos to look back on.
When you have your photos digitally, you can usually choose to have them sent to you on a USB stick, on a disc, or sent to you via email so that you can download them. A lot of the cost involved with getting professional photographs comes from having them printed off or having them made up into a wedding album. If you want to cut back on the cost, then choosing a digital package is one of my favourite wedding budget hacks. You can then create your own album when you have the funds by using a far cheaper online photo printing service.
Ask your guests to take photos
If you want to cut the cost of a wedding photographer altogether, then you could just ask your wedding guests to take photos for you. Most smart phones have incredible cameras these days and you’re bound to get some stunning wedding day photos.
You could also put disposable cameras on each table during the reception and ask your guests to use these to take photos too. This is a great, novelty way to get some photos and you’re bound to get some great photos, particularly once the drinks start flowing! You’ll have great fun looking through the photos when you get them developed too.
Hire someone local to your wedding location
Just like anyone who works in the wedding industry, wedding photographers need to cover their costs. If you hire somebody who is based a long distance away, they will need to charge more in order to cover their fuel costs, so it makes sense to hire a photographer local to you. It’s worth bearing this in mind for other wedding suppliers too when you’re going through the wedding planning process.
Have your ceremony and reception at the same place
Having just one wedding venue for your ceremony and your reception can also help if you’re trying to work out how to save money on wedding photography. It will cut down on fuel and transportation costs for your photographer (and for you) and it will also mean that you have more time for photos as you’re not travelling from one place to another.
Opt for a mid-week wedding
Having a mid-week wedding is a great way to cut back on wedding costs. Saturday weddings usually come in far more expensive and you’ll pay a premium for photography on Saturdays too as they are so sought after.
If you plan to have a mid-week wedding, you will save money on pretty much every aspect of your big day, including the photography. Just give your wedding guests plenty of notice if you plan to use this wedding budget saving tip so that they can book time off work to be there on your special day.
Get married in the off-season
Like most things, some times of year come at a premium when it comes to weddings. This will vary from location to location but peak season is usually over Christmas and during the Summer. If you’re happy to get married in the Autumn or the beginning of Winter, then this off-season wedding could save you a lot of money. Make sure you do your research and get some quotes for a few different times of year so that you can compare prices. Venues will also likely be cheaper off-peak too as there are less couples competing for popular dates.
Negotiate
Finally, as with all of your wedding expenses, it’s worth trying to negotiate with your photographer. Just be sure to do so in a way that doesn’t come across as offensive and make sure you know the average cost of a wedding photographer so that you don’t try to negotiate too hard.
Your wedding day is a day that you will want to look back on for the rest of your life and choosing a fantastic wedding photographer will help you to do just that. But if you’re trying to plan a wedding on a budget, then it’s definitely worth trying to find ways to cut back. Your wedding photographs will be just as special if you choose one of the basic packages on offer by your photographer as they will be if you choose one of the higher end packages. You don’t want to regret spending too much money on just one day and then having to pay that off for the next ten years. Take some time to work out the best option for you and hopefully these ideas of how to save money on wedding photography will set you on the path to finding the right option for your budget.
