Photography is the part you keep
The flowers last a weekend and the cake lasts an evening. The photographs outlive both by about fifty years, which is worth remembering when the budget gets tight.
Every budget goes through a round of cuts about four months out. Photography is a tempting target because the invoice is large and the deliverable is abstract. It is also the single line most couples tell us afterwards they wish they had protected.
What you are actually paying for
Not the day. The day is maybe a fifth of it. You are paying for the years of judgment that let someone stand in the right place before the moment happens, and for the two weeks of editing afterwards that make four thousand frames into eighty you would put on a wall.
A photographer who has shot two hundred weddings knows that the grandmother will cry during the second reading and will already be looking at her. That is not luck and it cannot be bought cheaply.
Three things to ask before you book
- Can I see one full wedding, start to finish? Portfolios are highlight reels. A full gallery shows you what the ninetieth frame looks like, which is most of what you will receive.
- What happens if you are ill? The answer should be a named colleague, not a shrug.
- How long until we see them? Six to eight weeks is normal. Six months is a warning.
Give them the time they need
The most common reason photographs disappoint is not the photographer. It is a schedule with thirty minutes for portraits between a ceremony that ran late and a dinner that cannot move. Build in an hour, put it somewhere with shade, and treat it as part of the day rather than an interruption to it.
