Why do you need a professional photographer?

You're planning your wedding, there are a ton of things to pay for, how do you decide what to allow for each item? You need to decide what is a priority for you. Is it having a designer dress? or will you hunt on ebay or thrift stores for a bargain? Will you choose a beautiful hotel or resort for your site? or will a local park or a family members yard be OK? Will you hire a professional caterer? Or have a potluck?Visit with a florist? Or go out and pick wildlfowers? Only you know what is important.


DIY most certainly has a place in your wedding planning, and there are many items that you can do yourself and they will be beautiful and personal.

Photography is not one of those things.
Your images from the wedding will be one of the few things that lasts beyond the day. Flowers wilt, food is eaten, the dress is put away....

One of the most important things that should happen on your wedding day is to have confidence in your vendors.
Whether it's a florist that you've used for years, or a caterer whose food you've tasted many times, you know that you'll get what you pay for. You may have a friend or relative with a great camera, and maybe you were going to invite them to the wedding anyway, so maybe you're thinking about asking them to take pictures too. That's all well and good, and they should take pictures at your wedding. But they should not be your wedding photographer. Your wedding photographer has experience, and equipment on their side. They have backup cameras just in case. They know where to stand and what to do during the ceremony. They either have been to your venue or will check it out ahead of time. If they're like us, they have 2 photographers covering different angles during the whole day. We don't lure you in with a low rate and then charge extra to upgrade to a second photographer. And we much prefer to be there for your whole day. To get to know and work with your whole family. Make sure that you're comparing apples to apples when pricing out photography companies. Do you want a disk of your pictures? An album? What sort of album? Medium priced? High end?
Look at galleries, does someone have a style that appeals to you? Is there a mix of formals and candids that tells the story of your day? Check to see if they have insurance. Are they a real business, registered to do business. Be wary of people who are not, reputable businesses have all these things. Including references.

Back to the friend with the cool camera. Will they be taking pictures all day? Will they make sure that you get all the family formals that you want? Will they take pictures during your First Dance? or during the dance party? Or will they be dancing themselves and not worrying so much about you any more? A pro focuses on you, all day. No distractions.

Is it worth it to hire a professional?
Do you want beautiful pictures from your day that you can look back on and enjoy with your children and grandchildren?
Then the answer should be, yes!