500 Wedding Ideas
How much should you spend on wedding photos?
we are getting married in Hawaii and im not sure what to do.. fly out a photographer or use one there... wedding pics are sooo expensive! also, should I have the wedding videotaped?
Public Comments
- Here's an advice: Do not save on photographer! (and yes, do get it videotaped, also professionally) If the budget is tight, order cheaper food, go for a smaller hall or get a less expensive dress... Keep in mind, that 10 years from now nobody will remember what they ate at your wedding (unless you order very exclusive cuisine from celebrity chefs), or how the tables were arranged (maybe a few uncles picky for the details will), and your kids won't even know what was there. But your wedding photographs will be there for (hopefully) generations. That's the best memory you can have of your wedding. So if you have a great photographer you know of in mind - it may be worth flying one in! Because who photographs your wedding makes a huge difference in the result! As to average cost of photographer and everything else for that matter - here's a very handy guide. Just enter your zip code, and it will show you what to expect to pay, as it varies greatly from place to place: http://www.costofwedding.com/ LEM.
- Wedding prices are all over the map now a days. The big dividing line is often what is done with the photos AFTER the wedding. An amateur with a decent camera can often take some very nice photos at a relatively cheap price, but all you will get is a stack of loose prints, or prints mounted in a common, cheap clear sleeved album. Also, an amateur usually does not have backup equipment in case something happens, so you are risking having NO photos if he / she has equipment failure. A pro may or may not get photos that are that superior, but you will usually have the options of getting a very beautiful, upscale flushmount album with elegantly designed pages of photo montages. Also, the higher cost pro approaches this as a serious profession and will have back up equipment and insurance and contracts. The higher cost photographer will also provide touch up service to make you look your best. The amateur or low cost "professional" often does not have the skill to do this kind of retouch work on the photos. So to some extent you get what you pay for. It is up to you if you want a beautiful album of great photos, or you want to take a chance and use someone cheaper and have nothing but a bunch of snapshots or just a CD and subsequent consumer quality prints. You should budget at least a couple of thousand for photography, really in Hawaii, you will probably be looking at far more cost than that, likely in the $5000 to $7000 range. As for videotaping, that just does not have the same mood as good photography... at least to me. Plus, you can always look at photos anytime, anywhere. A video requires some type of player and may or may not be obsolete in years to come and be unviewable. A video just does not capture the moment in time like a photo does, but again, that is just my opinion. Many pros will offer both photo and video services. See what kind of deal you can get on the package. steve
- As a photographer who has done two weddings (and then swore off ever doing one again), I'll throw my two cents in here. Narrow your photographer choices by their qualifications and their portfolios. THEN, pick your photographer based on their organization skills and whether they have an assistant or not. I give this advice because weddings are INCREDIBLY stressful for the photographer, so he or she HAS TO HAVE IT TOGETHER! Weddings also have sooooo many photographic opportunities, and one photographer just can NOT get them all. That's why all the big names have assistants. Prices are steep, I know, but nonphotographers have NO idea how hard weddings are, not to mention all of the equipment and preptime required. Last thing to keep in mind: your photos will be your memories, so make sure they are good quality!! Good luck!! (and congratulations!)
- I agree it is worth it to pay for a photographer. You won't need to fly one in for a Hawaii wedding though. There are so many destination weddings done in Hawaii yearly that there are some wonderful photographers (and videographers) there who are great at what they do and love it too! I would recommend http://www.hawaii-wedding-guide.com/hawaii-wedding-photographer.html. Contact him, speak with him, and ask lots of questions. You'll know if you are a good fit. Good luck with your wedding.
