In a previous post we showed that photography and video are an important part of your wedding day. They are valuable because they help to curate family histories for the kids and grandchildren. Having these things to look at once in a while help to set the emotional tone for the marriage and give us a beacon for when we go through the troughs and squabbles.
Wedding coverage on a budget
Wedding photography and video haven’t always cost a pretty penny, but the expense has always been worth it.
My mother and father didn’t have a wedding album but they put out some money and now we have the “6 x 4” prints from their wedding. Those pictures have become family heirlooms now that our father is no longer with us. This is even more so considering the challenges we faced together as a family.
My maternal grandparents only got one staged “formal style” portrait done after their wedding. Now we have the chance to look at some history and imagine the lives that went before us to give us the opportunities we enjoy today.
Pay for a photographer, but don’t put yourself out!
These services are important, but they should be pursued within your means. We would love to work with as many clients as possible but we wouldn’t like for anyone to break the bank just to work with us.
While the ideal thing would be to go out and hire the best photographer you can find, there are several things you can do to bring the photography and video tab within your budget.
Crafting the budget
Have a discussion with your spouse and benefactors to come up with a figure that is right for you and then seek out the most skilled photographer you can find within that budget range. Be sure to make sure that he or she is one who shares the same creative vision as you do. Working on a budget doesn’t necessarily mean not being happy with your wedding photos.
Peeling back the onions – What goes into determining how expensive your wedding photographer, and the wedding package will be
There are several factors that affect the cost of what you get. There will always be a way to get value on a budget.
The skill, experience and shooting style of your photographer will always be significant cost elements. Those abilities take years to cultivate and a lot of money and time spent on education and self improvement. It is not unusual to find that this kind of photographer is usually devoted to giving you the best customer experience they can possible.
Features can be mixed within packages so you can have certain sizes or numbers of albums, frames, print outs, etc.
The cost matrix
After coming up with the budget, the difficult step is to run through the shortlisted candidates to weigh them against a few key things.
You should be looking for a photographer with a certain amount of skill and experience and whose shooting style you love. While doing this you want to be sure that they have a healthy mix of features within their packages so that you can pick something affordable.
Packages, features and prints
The features you can customize within the packages will usually be (a) number and sizes of albums (b) number and sizes of frames and prints (c) the paper and binding quality of the albums (d) the number of photographers (e) the number of days the occasion will last (f) discounts on reprints for orders for your parents and in-laws, etc.
Since there are loads of photographers out there with different offerings it would be hard to give you more detailed or practical advice on how to go about it, but if you have this loose frame work in mind, you should do just fine.
For our outfit however we have a flat price with the trade off that you can choose from a menu of items within our offering. Whether the photographer has “packages” or goes with an “a la carte” menu option like we do, you are bound to find something that works for you.
The “last last” option
You could also have your younger brother, cousin or your old friend from university shoot your wedding for you. Since they are friends or family, they will be willing to give you a healthy discount. But this topic will be the subject of another post in the future. This is because if you have to go down this route there are a few things to consider and we would like for you to be reliably informed and properly prepared on this one.
Signing off and signing out
Thanks again for reading and stopping by Iludio. We’ll do our best to bring you the best wedding inspiration we can and make this your definitive online wedding guide. We hope to see you soon again on the blog and please be sure to get in touch if you have any questions and comments.
PHOTO CREDIT: Ayede Film & Photography