Comments on: Putting Your Wedding Budget on a Diet: 3 Tricks to Save Money

By: pat3ck

pat3ck — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 16:39:00 +0000

I would like to echo the suggestions of other photographers to approach local photographers with your small budget up front and ask them what they can give you for what you can pay. You may have to ask around, but many photogs are willing to work within budgets, as long as you’re not looking for the giant “package deal” of full wedding coverage plus engagement plus bridal plus… well, you get the drift. http://www.michellebrooksphotography.com

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:37:16 +0000

My wedding will be proof that you can have a wedding on a budget and have most of everything you want. We found a very cost effective photographer who does photography work professionally. We have the caterer we wanted and the cupcakes from our favorite bakery, the chapel I always dreamed to get married in, and I am even having the hall decorated for me by the lady I am renting the linens from. Yeah, sure there are things I could have cut back on more than I did, but all in all the wedding will only cost us approx $6500 total. Yeah, I am not having the exact dream wedding and the hall we rented is not the fanciest but I am paying more in decorations to make it look better than it does, plus even if I had $10,000 to do more with the wedding, I still couldn’t pass up a $350 hall rental when the second choice hall was still double. You have to book the big things first like the hall, caterer, and church and then make your list of no compromises which are things you are not willing to go without for the wedding, you have to be realistic though with the no compromises, it can’t be something like you have to have a vera wang gown. My big no compromises was linens, sunflowers, and the chapel.

By: Marianne

Marianne — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 02:42:10 +0000

The couple could even save on wedding planning consultants by going with a DIY wedsite, before foregoing a quality photographer. There are numerous to choose from, eg: http://top-wedding-websites.com/

But why risk less than impeccable captured moments?

By: Hope Walls

Hope Walls — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:27:16 +0000

While I agree that brides can cut back on their wedding budget in lots of areas, suggesting brides completely cheap out on a tog for the day is bad advice that borders on irresponsible, not inspired. Knowing tat everything is relative, when you spend a huge amount of money (whatever “huge” amounts to) the last thing you want is to spend all that time, energy, effort, and cash setting the scene for your perfect day only to have it butchered in photographs.

As the “talented friend or family member with a camera” I am horrified you’d suggest that someone who would be invited as a guest should be expected to work. Not only is it hurtful and insulting being asked to come and take pictures for free or cheap because I’m close to the family, but it makes it impossible for me to actually enjoy the celebration.

For whatever it’s worth, many professionals will come and shoot just the ceremony and/or formals for a very reasonable price, which saves money but still gives couples the quality of images they would want to remember this monumental day. And if the bride needs to go with a less-experienced photographer, make sure that the bride does a consultation and carefully reviews the work of whatever photographer she uses so she knows what she is signing up for, because someone who takes crappy pictures of cats and kids is probably going to take equally crappy wedding pictures. While it’s possible to luck out it’s more often than not true that you get what you pay for.

By: Jen @ YumYumWeddings

Jen @ YumYumWeddings — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 19:26:07 +0000

Lots of good discussion here. I can see the points the wedding photographers are making, but at the same time some brides just don’t have the money to hire them.

By: vanessa Campbell

vanessa Campbell — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:45:54 +0000

I was shocked by the terrible advice in the post… but I absolutely LOVED reading the comments!!
I guess the majority of people really do understand and appreciate the significance of a professional photographer with talent and experience <3

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 05:02:49 +0000

I’m a professional photographer . . . having said that, there are a lot better ways to save money. Cake – you eat it and it’s gone. Limo – same as above. Booze – same as above. Dress – more or less same as above. I could go on.

Also, atleast give your talented friend what you would be spending on disposable cameras/developing (likely $500ish dollars…)

By: Angela

Angela — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:09:38 +0000

I’d like to know if any of the photos that you use on your blog posts were taken with disposable cameras?

By: mark stover

mark stover — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 02:44:24 +0000

Thank You Inspired Bride Blog!

Not for the awfully unwise advice you’re suggesting to brides and grooms of today though… Thank you for bringing out all these excellent reasons for THE VALUE OF INVESTING IN THE TALENTS OF A SKILLED PROFESSIONAL! This article provides a recipe for wedding distaster, but the comments offer a wealth of great advice and experience from a wide range of folks, taken from their own weddings, their own experience planning weddings and/or providing the services you have suggested brides do without.

I originally thought I would write some kind of complaint here, but after reading the many excellent comments, I am actually happy you published it. You should feel at least a little guilty though, about brides who might have read it early-on, before all the no-nonsense comments were added!

By: Vitalia Daza

Vitalia Daza — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:47:18 +0000

Hi Inspired Bride, I understand how you are trying to help those with a budget of $5000 and lower, but why suggest they spend hundreds of dollars on processing and crap cameras for a 1% success rate of capturing one or two images that are decent? That’s an expensive gamble in my eyes and if they’re using iphones…does this mean you are saying that web size images are ok? viewing these images only on a screen is a substitute for a book or album or even just one amazing print on the wall? I’m not wedding planner, but I can think of a lot of ways to create a beautiful wedding for someone with a $5000 wedding budget.

How about a wedding that includes 25 people max? No wedding party (saving on all those stupid wedding party gifts and make up and dresses etc), no stagettes or stags or showers? how about not eating out for a year? an inexpensive dress or no white dress wedding at all, and maybe even just a pot luck in someone’s back yard or a public park? or a gorgeous free venue in a public place with a JP? How about a picnic for 25 or even 45 people? How about opting out of the cake or replacing it with a big DQ cake? not having open bar? having the wedding on a weekday or off season such as the winter? how about planning with your photographer to save on their time and not expect them to show up when you wake up and when everyone goes home? how about 2 hours of coverage?? even an amazing professional photographer can make a basement wedding look absolutely incredible and capture all the meaningful things…like the people apart of it.