We hear this one a lot…”I promised my friend they could be our wedding photographer. They offered it as a wedding gift!”
Unless the friend is a legitimate photographer and has a thriving professional business (even then we’re not so sure), we do NOT recommend this. Here are a few reasons why…
FRIEND ROLE VS. WORKING ROLE
First of all, if they’re a good friend, you want them to be a guest at your wedding, not serving a working role.
YOU DESERVE TO HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Let’s say your friend has a nice camera and is a pretty legitimate photographer… what if you’re not totally happy with the pictures? Or with them? Or their style? Hiring a good professional who is not your friend will ensure that you can interview them, review their work, lay out all of your expectations and make sure you love their style before hiring them.
It will ensure that they WILL:
~be there and not cancel 1 month before
~they will be on time
~they will be working taking pictures for an agreed on amount of time
~they can professionally custom design an album to preserve the day with the images they took
~ they won’t miss anything!
With a friend, you can’t make those same requirements without seeming like you don’t trust them. And, since you’re not paying them, you don’t feel like you have the right to make any demands or set your expectations.
IT’S YOUR WEDDING DAY
You only have one way to preserve it. Your wedding photos are all you’ll have to remember the day. Saving money isn’t a good excuse to gamble on a photographer for a day as important as that. The wedding day should be about what YOU want. Not about hurting a friend’s feelings by rejecting them or making things in the future awkward because a friendship is strained by business.
When it comes to your wedding photographer, 9 times out of 10, you get what you pay for…or didn’t pay for.
Go ahead, make photography higher on your wedding budget priority list. We promise…it’ll pay off.