Should I hire a Professional Wedding Photographer?

As a wedding photographer myself, you might think my answer to “Should I hire a Professional Wedding Photographer?” would be an immediate resounding “Yes!”, but I’m ready to admit that everyone is not exactly like me. That being said, I am going to amend my answer to a “Most likely, Yes!” ;P In all seriousness, this is such a huge question that many brides ask themselves once they start to see the price tags on a wedding, so let’s talk about all of the pros and cons of the professional photographer experience (as well as the alternatives).

Reasons for Hesitation

As society has progressed and turned into this writhing mass of individuals mixing with technology, I admit, the wedding industry has gotten a little lost and screwed up with it. Am I allowed to say that here? Well, too late. It’s true! Where in the past, weddings were all about the start of the marriage (with a little bit of that good ole family drama), it seems now that there are a million Pinterest boards, hashtags, social media posts, etc. to suggest that weddings have become a little more about making a show on the Internet. I’ve even seen where there are competitions for getting your wedding in with the “top weddings of the year” in different magazines, websites, you name it. It’s a little wild to me, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about. My guess is that if you’re here questioning to yourself, “Do I even need a professional photographer at my wedding?”, you probably fall in with me thinking you don’t want to be a part of all of that nonsense.

Let me assure you that the wedding industry does not have to dictate what you do or don’t choose for your wedding.

So let’s talk about your choice and see that you’re making an informed one. That’s what you’re here for after all! I’m going to start with some of the hesitations that you may be having and let you know that they are completely VALID <3

1. Budget

Naturally, one of the major reasons that people get fed up with photography – and the wedding industry in general – is money. Once you start looking at true professionals and what we charge, alarm bells start going off in your wallet, and you just want to go put out the fire to salvage what’s left of your honeymoon or house-buying budget! I get it. James and I got married at my home church right out of college and spent probably $1000 on our whole wedding. We already had student debts to worry about, started our business in the same month we got married, never had a honeymoon, and lived with my mom the first 8 months of our marriage. Believe me when I say that I understand just not being able to afford it.

On the other hand, I can tell you that as a small business ourselves, we literally charge as little as we can to make a living off of what we do. Unfortunately, a professional is going to charge what we have to in order to do the job that you deserve. Ultimately, the money issue boils down to a few things. What you CAN afford, not putting yourself in a bad financial place first thing in the marriage. What you prioritize in the wedding budget. And what you’re just not willing to spend on. We’ll talk more in the next section about priorities and reasons for spending on photography or not.

2. Not Into Paparazzi

Maybe you’re just not comfortable on camera? If you get nervous every time a camera is pointed at you, hate the feeling of people watching you, or hate the way you look in photos, the sound of a hired professional following you around all day and sending you hundreds of photos where you’re the star might not sound appealing to you. I mean, of the list of days you might want to deal with that, your special once-in-a-lifetime wedding day may not be your first choice. Totally valid. Honestly, I can understand the sentiment. I am a hyper-aware, self-conscious, awkward gal, and I didn’t like every moment of feeling like I was on camera either.

However, there are reasons you might want to consider getting coverage of the day after all, and professionals are great at what they do not just because of the results they can provide but because of the experience they create. If you’re suffering from the paparazzi panic, I’d say pay close attention to the Know Why You’re Hiring and Longevity of Investment sections to decide if it’s worth getting a little uncomfortable 😉

Bonus Note for my fellow introverts: If you do decide to hire a photographer, I would say that personality and approach are JUST as important, if not more important, than a photographer’s portfolio when you are hiring. What most people don’t know is that there are dozens of styles and approaches that photographers take when capturing weddings, and these make all of the difference in client experience. Something leaning more towards documentary and storytelling (Hey, that’s us! XP) might be a more comfortable experience for you than a formal or luxury approach. Take your time to ask your photographer how flexible they are with staying back and capturing/creating candid moments for you. You can find someone who is more or less invasive, all depending on what you are wanting.

3. Buyer’s Remorse

Another huge hesitation that I see a lot for brides is the feeling that you’ll never look at 99% of the album ever again. After all, why would you pay for 8 hours of coverage and schedule around photos if you will only ever look at what you could get in a couple session any other day of the year? This hesitation is more common than you think, but growing less so these days with phones and social medias where photos are relived in more different ways than ever. Honestly, I think for some, this has merit. If you really are a live in the moment, don’t ever look back sort of person, maybe photos aren’t as valuable for you.

However, since you’re investing in a marriage, my guess is that your relation together – what you’ve learned and how you’ve grown – may matter more to you than other memories you’ve had before. Of all photos to invest in, I think the wedding day is the most priceless because it comes with not only your story but valuable shots of all of your loved ones that may never be under the same roof again.

If you’re questioning whether you’ll ever look at all of those photos again, check out the Longevity of Investment section <3 If you don’t see anything that you think would matter to you down the road, then maybe just invest in a next-day couple session with you and your boo 😉 Way cheaper and you get those few photos to hang in your home and relive over and over!

Don’t Fall to Peer Pressure – Know Why You’re Hiring!

As I said before, the wedding industry these days is crazy. Your family might be too! 😛 At the end of the day, the most important reason to hire a wedding photographer is because that’s what you want. We have been hired by MOBs before, where we assumed it was a special gift for the bride but showed up to find out that the bride really wasn’t on the same page about having everything covered that day. That’s super awkward, so we can genuinely tell you NOT to hire us if you’re just doing it out of peer pressure!

Now that that’s out of the way, I’m going to spend the rest of this blog gushing about all of the reasons that I believe wedding photography is one of the most important things you could get for any type of wedding celebration! If anything that I’m saying resonates with you and you think you would regret not hiring a professional down the line, then please please please, just do it! Don’t regret missing out on one of the only investments that will last long after the wedding day.

Longevity of Investment

I’ve said it already, and I’ll say it again. The most important reason to hire a photographer is because of how long you can treasure this investment. Think of the other things that you pay for in a wedding celebration. Venue – super important because the celebration can’t happen without a place that holds all of your people and allows for everything you want to happen. Once the celebration is over, you’re not going back there whenever you want. Catering – you get to enjoy a meal with everyone and keep them around for longer. Once the food is gone, you’re not seeing that again. Florals – simply magical. I truly love a fantastic floral display. Aside from a few cool trinkets that you can get your bouquet preserved in now (super cool!!), most of the rest of that bill is going back to Mother Earth one way or another.

Do you see my point here? All of these things are so wonderful and truly make a great day/party. I’m not saying they don’t matter a whole lot for how everything looks and feels because they do. But the fact remains that all of the splendor of things outside of some trinkets is lost within the month of the wedding. Everything except photo and video. That’s what I mean by longevity of investment. Photos and videos last longer than anything else you could buy for a wedding and keep the memory alive for the rest of your time together.

Professional Wedding Photographer Vs. Hobbyists/Sessions Photogs (The Hard Truth)

Now, I’ve talked about all of the reasons to have a photographer at your wedding. Ultimately, that’s the first and most important decision. But I’ve only barely touched on reasons to hire a professional vs. alternatives. These alternatives include a family member or friend who is into photography, disposable cameras for all of your guests, one camera passed around for candid shots, and maybe even starter photographers that are just getting into the industry (though, this is the best choice if you don’t have the budget or don’t mind taking a little risk with it!)

There are, of course, pros and cons for each of these. Pros: You save money. You’re already comfortable with a friend or family member (hopefully). You can see your wedding through guests’ eyes. I’m sure you already know the reasons you are considering going with alternatives rather than hiring a professional. What I’m here to talk about is the hard truth: if you don’t hire a professional with WEDDING experience, you will not get the quality of a professional.

I feel like that goes without saying, but nevertheless, it is a real and harsh reality that you have to be okay with before passing on a pro. Weddings are a whole different ballgame then just about any other type of photography. Not only is it a special time that you can’t get back, the technicality and high pressure can also be a nightmare to someone who is not experienced in weddings specifically. On the technical side, they require fast lighting changes, limited control of the environment, often a wide variety of locations. They force photographers to think fast on their feet or miss the moment. They require an attention to detail and eye for the shot that allow a photographer to turn any location into a stunning photo op. It is not studio or a 1-hour session. It’s not even regular event photography. It’s being at the exact right place at the right time and working with whatever amount of control or light you have there.

Now, I’m not saying that all pros are perfect or that we always get every shot right all day long, all 50+ weddings in the year. We don’t. Sometimes, equipment entirely fails and there’s nothing that anyone on Earth could have done about it. We just have enough experience and back-ups to prevent most of the mistakes and hopefully have a work-around for the ones that slip through ;P

Rule of Thumb: If you’re doubting at all whether you will regret not choosing to hire a wedding photographer, chances are: at some point, you will. If you’re worried about going with a friend that does photography as a hobby or has only done sessions, maybe let them work alongside a pro so you get both? If you have read through this whole article and your heart never skipped a beat, congratulations! You can safely say you don’t need to hire a professional photographer for your wedding 😉

Also considering if you should hire a wedding videographer? Read more about that from my husband in this blog post! Or browse for other wedding tips and tricks <3

Ready to pull the plug and secure your memories? Heck yes! Browse our wedding packages and contact us today to check on availability and get your date on our books! I can’t wait to meet you all.

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