How To Save Money On Your Wedding Photographer
Weddings are Expensive! Don’t let anybody tell you any differently. Having been where you are we know how shocking it can be to discover. You’ve just popped the question, you’ve decided on a rough timescale for your wedding day, you’ve got a budget in mind of how much it will cost. Now you’ve started to shop around for wedding venues, photographers, flowers, dresses etc. and you are blown away by how much things cost! It’s almost like everything seems 3 times more expensive? One figure recently stated that the average UK wedding cost is approx. £18,000 while another goes even higher at £30,000!
First things first you are likely going to need a bit more money in the wedding kitty, whether it’s from the bank of mum and dad, inheritance or changing that holiday you were going on to your honeymoon. If your anything like us you’ve looked at what a wedding abroad would cost, you’ve measured up your back garden to see whether your wedding can take place there or your contemplating an application to “Don’t Tell the Bride!” but slowly you’re realising that actually you are going to have to fork out quite a bit of money on this wedding if you want it to meet your expectations.
We are hoping we can save you some money on at least one thing you are likely going to be paying for - Your wedding photography. (We will be writing another post soon about getting the most out of your wedding day on a budget)
So how can you save money on your wedding photography? We mentioned in another post that realistically you should allow 10% of your budget for a wedding photographer and the same again for a wedding videographer. So let’s imagine a £10,000 budget £5000 on the venue with food, drink and evening reception covered, £2000 on photography and videography, £1000 on dresses and make up, £1000 on flowers, decorations and some little extra personal touches. Suddenly most of your budget has gone and you’ve still got the church/registrar, suits, cake, transport, accommodation, entertainment and more to go.
Here’s your first tip – many photographers are always hungry for that next booking so just flat out ask if they have any offers or discount available (if you don’t ask you don’t get) – many high profile wedding photographers have a constant stream of enquiries so are less likely to offer any discount but it’s worth a try. We’ve seen offers as good as “half price for this year’s remaining dates” or “now includes a free wedding album”.
Next consider which photos are important to you as many photographers will have different packages. You can often get a wedding photographer with a half day package at a fraction of the price of their full day package. Sure you won’t get as many photos and will likely have to sacrifice a photo of your first dance or the sunset but it’s an easy way to save a few hundred pounds.
Do you want everything? Can you ask them to do a custom package? Will they add an album in at a discounted price if you book it on the day you book their package? Will they even throw an album in for free to secure your booking? Can they just do you a digital wedding photography package? Another little tip is to use the money you get from your guests to buy your wedding album after the wedding day or ask for it to be a wedding present. On that note if you are considering both photography and videography find someone who can offer both – it usually comes at a discounted rate and it also prevents any clashes on your wedding day.
Another thing to consider like everything else in life is, do you or a friend know someone in the trade? We call it mates rates. People are often willing to offer their services at a cheaper rate if they know or have a connection with the client.
Finally, and this one will apply to all companies in the wedding industry. Change your date. Yes, we all picture our wedding day taking place on a warm summers day, with the sun shining, kids playing in the grass, guests drinking out on the patio. But realistically this is Britain. There’s always a high chance of rain whether you get married in July or February. Many suppliers will have quiet periods and will often be more willing to offer discounts or have cheaper packages. Our wedding venue almost halved in price when we went with a winter package. It’s a win-win, you save money on our photographer and potentially all different areas of your wedding allowing you to have everything you want – Our wedding was a bit cold outdoors, but we couldn’t have been happier.
Sarah & Joe
