You are getting married, and that is so exciting! There is so much to think about when planning your wedding, but in the end, it is about celebrating your relationship and your love! So how are you going to be able to show your grandchildren your excitement on your wedding day and how beautiful you both looked? You may still have your wedding dress or suit, but it’s just not the same as when he saw your walk down the aisle for the first time, right? I remember looking through my parents’ wedding album as a young girl, admiring their love. Then I remember looking at it as a teenager, hoping and praying for a love like theirs. 

As photographers, we preach it all the time: what is left after your wedding day? The food and cake has been eaten, your favors have been taken home, and your decor has been taken home. Your dress will most likely end up in a garment bag in the back of your closet and you will never wear it again even though you spent $2000 on it. So why not spend the money on something that will last?

There are lots of reasons to invest in your wedding photographer, but here are a few key reasons to invest in an experienced wedding photographer.

Back-Up Systems:

Things fail, it happens; but a seasoned wedding photographer knows that they need to be prepared for anything. Every photographer should have at least two cameras with dual card slots. Your photographer should also have a solid back-up system for after the wedding day, with several hard drives and an online system. 

Timelines:

Not every photographer will help you build your wedding timeline (you can expect that with me though), but every photographer should know how to manage it. Sometimes, well a lot of times, things will run behind. An experienced photographer should know how to manage this and how to make up the time. A newer photographer may not know how to do this, or be able to because they don’t have a good workflow for their wedding days. An well-seasoned photographer will be able to do this for you!

Having the Right Tools:

Part of this goes back to back-up systems, like having multiple cameras, but part of this is having the tools they need to create beautiful images. If you have a new photographer, they may not have quality tools in order to create stunning images that are high-quality and sharp. Not only that, but you may have many images from far away because they haven’t invested into a quality zoom lens, especially if you are having a Catholic or Lutheran wedding where the photographer is required to stand at the very back, and they weren’t prepared for that. Besides having the right camera equipment, seasoned photographers also know what else they should bring with them to help on your wedding day. For example, I always bring double-sided tape, safety pins, Tide-to-Go, deodorant, Tylenol, a sewing kit, and so much more. 

After your wedding day, your photos are the only thing that is left of your day. There are many other ways to save money that I would highly recommend over saving money on a photographer. Purchase a used wedding dress; you only wear it once anyways. You can cut out wedding favors because the majority are left behind. DIY as much as you can for your wedding day. I cannot stress enough that investing your wedding photographer is so important and that it is something you will not regret on your wedding day.