Your wedding will go by in a joyful blur, but your photographs will live on. Here's how to get picture-perfect results without breaking the bank.
By: Sharon NaylorBefore you book your photographer
6. Plan your package: Photographers offer different packages (often called Budget, Gold or Platinum), based on time frames such as five or seven hours of shooting, plus the number of proofs, albums and other items wanted.
7. Choose the optimum number of hours. Discuss your itinerary and shot list with your photographer to determine how many hours you’ll need. You could save hundreds of dollars by not getting the seven-hour package.
8. Choose a package that offers fewer proofs. It’s far easier to choose your final selects from 300 fabulous proofs than from 1500!
9. Choose a simpler package. Emily Schlipf, a wedding photographer at Michael Grecco Photography in San Francisco, says, “Look for packages that don’t include an excessive number of albums, thank-you cards, proof books and more. The final fees will be far less.”
10. Go à la carte. “Brides on a budget might choose to skip certain types of album covers or a large canvas portrait from within a package,” says Yong. Ask if you can remove some pieces from an overall package for a price break.
Hot tip: If you book both your photography and videography from the same company, they may throw in a photo booth for free!
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