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Budget wedding and photography

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HamzicBride Posts : 178 Registered: 12/28/09

Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Feb 9, 2010 8:53 PM; Well here we are, no not engaged quite yet but we do have the ring AND in a safe. I am just waiting for the right time to come up :)

Being on a tight budget we want to try to do most of the things ourselves, I am trying to learn some of the tricks of the trade, things to ask or not ask, best times to have a wedding to save money on photography(if it makes a difference).

So asking for help and advice please :)

january_2011

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AmyJustin2010 Posts : 201 Registered: 1/18/10

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Feb 9, 2010 9:02 PM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride; The best way for you to save on a photographer would be to have it in the off season (January 1-mid March)

You might also consider hiring a student or a professional who has a limited portfolio for weddings and is looking to expand.
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Amy & Justin--Buffalo Sabres Fanatics :)

upstate_hudson_valley , june_2010 , january_2011

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BrighterThanSun... Posts : 854 Registered: 10/17/08

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Feb 9, 2010 9:26 PM Go to message in response to: AmyJustin2010; Do you have any family or friends who are photographers?

If not, I would recommend going to a local college like Amy suggested and seeking photography students. They usually have a great eye and are super affordable considering they are also gaining from shooting you--through expanding their portfolio.

Some of the best wedding photography done in my area is done out of the local arts college.

upstate_hudson_valley , june_2010 , january_2011

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HamzicBride Posts : 178 Registered: 12/28/09

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Feb 16, 2010 1:54 AM Go to message in response to: BrighterThanSun...; Great suggestions! thank you very much. We do own an excellent camera (Canon Rebel), but I am unfortunately, the only photographer in the family. I do have a sibling who might be able to pull it off but I think I would be so worried that they didn't turn out.

I will definitely look for some art schools in the area. Thank you so much for the suggestions, brilliant ideas :)

upstate_hudson_valley , june_2010 , january_2011

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ArtBride Posts : 4,841 Registered: 5/9/07

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Feb 16, 2010 9:31 AM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride; We got a fabulous deal on a photographer who was just building a portfolio as a wedding photographer. We paid less than half the normal price for photographers in our area, and she threw in tons of extras, including free engagement pics, she attended my shower and the rehearsal to take photos, she was with us from about 10am to nearly midnight without any extra fees, and she brought an assistant without any extra charge. I was VERY happy with the deal we got from her, and her photos were great.

Personally, I met her through a friend. I called a friend who is a photographer (who does not do weddings) and asked him whether he knew anybody who does. He recommended a friend of his who did not have a lot of experience doing weddings, but was trying to get into the business. I checked out her photos and liked her general style, met her in person and felt that she would be nice to work with, and decided to take a change with her. Craigslist might be a good resource for finding a photographer who is trying to build his/her portfolio.

I would not trust a non-professional with wedding photos, personally. At the least, you need someone who is familiar with their camera, lighting, how to position people, and has preferably done at least a couple other weddings before and knows what to expect. There's definitely a learning curve, and I know that our photographer learned a lot from our wedding and probably does some things differently now. That's fine with me, as nothing major was messed up - but keep in mind that an amature could easily miss key shots or even accidentally erase everything on the camera. Also remember that a professional (even a professional who is new to weddings, like my photographer) has backup equipment in case something breaks. I had no idea at the time, but our photographer shot most of our wedding pics on her backup camera, as there was some unforeseen issue with her normal camera.

Here's my advice: If money is tight, consider hiring a professional for a limited amount of time - for instance, have him/her take photos during the ceremony and your posed photos, but leave the candids at the reception to a friend. My brother took a TON of photos at our wedding, and some of his candids are as good as the ones the photographer took (though the quality is not as good, even though he used a pretty high-quality camera for a point-and-shoot). What I liked about the candids my brother took is that he knew WHO to take photos of. I found it rather amusing that many of the candids we got from the photographer were of the last people we would have wanted photos of! But because my brother knew most of the people at the wedding and knew their relationship to us, he knew who to hang out with at what times to get the best photos. A professional who doesn't know your family and friends will only get those great candids if he/she happens to be in the right place at the right time, whereas someone who knows your crowd will know that Aunt Sally only dances to one song, or that Dad dancing is a HUGE deal and needs to be immortalized, or that a certain group of friends is likely to try to balance spoons on their noses before the cake is cut.
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january_2011

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Rose217 Posts : 475 Registered: 8/9/08

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Feb 21, 2010 10:33 PM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride; Checking a local college for photo students is a good idea; also, don't rule out student newspapers or your local paper, a lot of photojournalists shoot weddings on the weekends to supplement their income.

You could ask family and friends for recommendations of budget friendly or budding photographers, attend bridal fairs (sometimes the vendors offer discounts if you attended or even book them then), look for a local photo club, etc.

Like a PP said, having your wedding in the offseason or even an off day of the week (any day but Saturday) might help you find lower prices.

Finally, don't rule out the "expensive wedding photographers." Still look at their portfolios and websites and if you really like one, contact them, they might be willing to discuss prices. Good luck!

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BloggingBride1212 Posts : 25 Registered: 1/11/10

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Feb 23, 2010 3:02 PM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride; 1. Weddings on friday, sunday or even saturday afternoon tend to be less expensive that Sat night.
2. Cutting your guest list can save you a lot of money
3. DIY as many projects as you can.

Here's some more info
http://www.soulfulengagements.com/1/post/2009/11/staying-under-budget.html

www.soulfulengagements.com

new_jersey , january_2011

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Rose217 Posts : 475 Registered: 8/9/08

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Feb 23, 2010 10:31 PM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride; I just want to add that with photography, very often you get what you pay for.

Consider this when you determine how much you want to spend on photography-- less money could mean lower quality photos. I'm not recommending spend a fortune, but consider how important photos are to you and how much you're willing to pay. Look at a variety of photographer's work and decide who's style and talent match your budget.

I've heard very few people say they wish they hadn't spent so much on photography; most couples say they wish they'd spent more because at the end of the day, photos are one of the few tangible items you save from the wedding.

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Kimberly212 Posts : 2,211 Registered: 9/12/12

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Sep 17, 2012 4:27 PM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride; A-line Gold Strapless Sweetheart Layered Sequin Short Prom Dress
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davidzwick Posts : 1 Registered: 10/3/12

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Oct 3, 2012 6:28 AM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride; First of all congratulations that you are getting married soon. These days so many professionals are available who provide the photography service in a very cheap cost. There are so many benefits of hiring them as they know all the techniques through which you can capture the best moments.
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jackielaws Posts : 1 Registered: 10/5/12

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Oct 5, 2012 1:54 PM Go to message in response to: davidzwick; Don't forget booking the venue in much advance can give you heavy discount.

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walkertiffany618 Posts : 26 Registered: 8/13/12

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Oct 5, 2012 10:09 PM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride; When it comes to wedding photos, you only have one chance to get them right�a key reason to leave

this work to a pro, not a snap-happy friend. Top professionals work with equally top-notch equipment.

They�re everywhere, not missing a moment, capturing the magic of your day... which is why their fees

are lofty. On average, professional wedding photography costs $1,853, according to

theweddingreport.com. Still, there are discounts to be found�even from the top pros, who share these

tips.

The Basics

1. Ask about price breaks if you�re having your wedding in slower months such as November, February

or March, or if your wedding falls on a Thursday or Sunday night. The pros we spoke to tell us to

expect between 10 and 20 percent savings.

2. Hire local talent. Most photo and video professionals base part of their fees on travel time to,

from and in between locations, but, if asked, will often grant discounts if you�re having your

wedding and reception in the same location, or if your sites are close to one another.

3. Don�t skimp on fees or food by eliminating photo assistants. These key technicians help set up

the lighting and sound so the photographer can spend her precious time shooting you.

4. Ask about discounts based on referrals.
If a friend books a photographer or videographer based on seeing initial proofs or footage from your

wedding, many pros will knock as much as $500 off your final payment.

5. Always mention who referred you. J.B. Yong, CEO of Sweet Dreams Studio Photography in Washington

DC says, �I offer special discounts based on referrals.� (Case in point: He�ll offer $100 off to

Bridal Guide readers if they mention this article.)

Did You Know: In big-ticket regions, such as New York City, average costs can be as high as $3,345 to

$4,460 for a photographer�s time, with added albums, prints and slideshows bringing that total up to

$6,201 to $8,268. And for videographer services plus editing in NYC, costs can reach an average of

$2,169 to over $5,000 for more extensive editing. In Chicago, you could expect to pay between $2,451

and $4,085 for photography and videography in total.

Before you book your photographer
6. Plan your package: Photographers offer different packages (often called Budget, Gold or Platinum),

based on time frames such as five or seven hours of shooting, plus the number of proofs, albums and

other items wanted.

7. Choose the optimum number of hours. Discuss your itinerary and shot list with your photographer to

determine how many hours you�ll need. You could save hundreds of dollars by not getting the seven-

hour package.

8. Choose a package that offers fewer proofs. It�s far easier to choose your final selects from 300

fabulous proofs than from 1500!

9. Choose a simpler package. Emily Schlipf, a wedding photographer at Michael Grecco Photography in

San Francisco, says, �Look for packages that don�t include an excessive number of albums, thank-you

cards, proof books and more. The final fees will be far less.�

10. Go � la carte. �Brides on a budget might choose to skip certain types of album covers or a large

canvas portrait from within a package,� says Yong. Ask if you can remove some pieces from an overall

package for a price break.

Hot tip: If you book both your photography and videography from the same company, they may throw in a

photo booth for free!

After the Wedding
11. Make big plans for free print proofs. �Proofs� are small, often 3x5 or 4x6-inch unedited prints

of a select number of your wedding photos. If your package offers 100 free print proofs, use some for

framing and for making albums for parents and grandparents.

12. Skip the proof book and review proofs online. Photographers offer an optional spiral-bound proof

book, which can cost an average of $168, according to theweddingreport.com. If you review your proofs

online you�ll save that extra cost. Plus, you can always order a proof book later if you really want

one.

13. Ask for low-resolution images on disk. Professional photographers mark up the prices of high-

resolution images for print quality, so ask for a disk of �low-res� photos to share on your

Facebook page. The savings, says Schlipf, can be 15 to 20 percent less than high-res.

14. Ask for a free brag book. Many photographers throw in a free, small photo album (called a �brag

book�) containing a few dozen photos.

15. Know which special effects are free. With digital photography, most experts won�t charge for

sepia effects, black-and-white, soft-focus and other easy accents.

16. Be patient. Rush or same-day editing costs over $300 extra.

17. Order smaller prints. When you order from the photographer�s image gallery, choose budget-

friendly 4x6 or 5x7 prints rather than larger sizes that can be twice the price.

18. Ask about extra freebies. Some photographers will throw in buyone- get-one-free prints for

parents� albums.

19. Lose the leather. The average cost for a leather-bound photo album is $464. Look into alternate

materials, like canvas, that cost close to half the price of leather and still look lovely.

20. Go magazine style. A traditional hard-page album in flush-mount style (with one image glued to

each page) costs on average $746, but a glossy magazine-style photo book with images on both sides of

the page costs $400 or so from a pro, and $20 to $60 from a discount online photo company like

Shutterfly. Plus, with a magazine-style album, you get more photos per page.

21. Stick to one album style. Schlipf says, �60 to 80 percent of the cost of the album is in the

designer�s work to lay it out and retouch it. When you design your album, get an exact, smaller copy

for your parents, which costs less than designing and editing a separate album for them.�

22. Skip the fancy detailing. Don�t pay hundreds extra for add-ons such as gold edging and rounded

corners. Choose a standard design and let the photos shine. Plus, many experts will throw in a gold

or silver monogram for free on the album cover.

23. Choose archival-quality photo albums. Don�t skimp with inexpensive store-bought albums as a way

to save money. Quality albums protect and preserve your photos with acid-free papers and cover

materials that will protect your precious prints for years to come.

24. Order thank-you card photos later. Unless they�re included for free in the photo package, it

often costs far less to order wallet-sized photos from discount photo-ordering sites.

Find these tips from other website, hope it can help you.

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kalama Posts : 851 Registered: 7/26/12

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Oct 12, 2012 2:19 AM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride; If your ladies want to do a budget wedding ,you can do some DIY,and buy some cheap but high quality things online!!! I often think a lot of do a budget wedding for my wedding ceremony,if you want to purchase some cheao things,you can have a look of the website which I often look! Here is the link http://www.asapbay.com/

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Catherine88 Posts : 740 Registered: 7/26/12

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Oct 12, 2012 11:00 PM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride; http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/weddings/budget/wedding-budget-worksheet-00000000009135/index.html
http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/
http://weddings.about.com/library/blbudgetworksheet.htm
Hope the sites would help you!I think the last site is the most useful and hope it can inspire you!

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ares Posts : 1,229 Registered: 7/23/12

Re: Budget wedding and photography: Posted: Oct 16, 2012 10:41 PM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride; Want to buy the most beautiful wedding dresses ? Want to buy the best quality wedding dresses? Want to buy the cheapest wedding dresses? What are you waiting for, go try here - www.yafex.com .Let the important day in your heart forever!

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