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Are you planning a wedding and trying to be frugal about it? Deciding what to do about photography and music can make or break your budget. Thankfully, there are ways to save on wedding photography and music!
I realize some of the tips in this post might be controversial. Many would say that you should absolutely not skimp on your photography since it’s all that remains of your day. However, not all of us are coming from the same place and we all have different desires and budget limitations. If you want to spend a huge chunk of money on photography, go for it! But if you are looking for ways to save that might work with your philosophy on your wedding, keep reading for my top ideas for frugal wedding planning in these areas.
Frugal Wedding Planning: 10 Ways to Save on Wedding Photography & Music
How to Save on Wedding Photography
Capturing your wedding memories into beautifully framed photographs is a must! But…we are on a budget.
Prices for wedding photography vary, but the average spent is $1,754. I checked in my area and some of the top photographers packages started (yes, started) at $5,000! It’s a big business (around $3.7 billion dollars big). This may seem like you’re going to be stuck paying full price, but there are a few ways you can use the size of this industry to your budget’s advantage.
Hire a rookie
As a I said before, the wedding photography business is booming; however, not all photographers are equal! This means good and bad for couples seeking a photographer.
The good: as all photographers are not equal, their prices will surely match their experience. Top photographers have no trouble filling their work schedules, but a new photographer does not a have a base of work or a reputation to get him/her work.
The bad: rookies are rookies for a reason. Your job is to figure out why. Have you caught them as they are breaking into the industry? Or do they lack talent or accountability?
If you can find a new photographer that is just right, you two will be greatly helping each other out. New photographers in a scramble to establish themselves will sometimes offer package deals where you can get engagement photos, bridal portraits, and the entire wedding day covered for the cost of other photographers for only the ceremony! The lesson here: It’s worth shopping around.
Negotiate
Reason #2 to shop around. After you’ve contacted a few photographers and recorded their prices, you have ammo to possibly save more. Negotiating doesn’t guarantee savings, but it never hurts to try.
If your photographer won’t budge on their original quote, try to work parts of competing photographers packages into theirs for at least a comparable product for the original price. Remember, it’s at least worth a try.
Avoid Saturday
Saturdays are a big day for weddings and other big events. So venues, photographers, and even catering will be more expensive that day. I’ve been to beautiful weddings on Sundays and even on Fridays and I’m sure they were scheduled to save money!
From the view of a photographer, shooting a Friday or Sunday wedding could be very advantageous because they could possibly fit two weddings into one weekend. This is another way you and your photographer can help each other. You save and they profit!
Limit a photographer’s time
If your photographer charges by the hour, consider limiting their time. Have them there for the entire ceremony, pictures afterwards and then only part of the 2-4 hour long reception. This tip could save you a lot!
D.I.Y. albums & prints
When looking for a photographer, make sure your agreement includes a disk of edited images. Choose this option and take care of printing your images on your own. I’ve seen prints for a penny each and photo books for FREE! There are too many online photo deals to be paying someone else.
Be absolutely sure that the agreement between you and your photographer allows this! I know it’s your wedding, but copyright laws give all rights to the photographer. The key word will be that you have permission to use your digital images however you like. Some photographers will be against this, so make sure everything is very clear well before the wedding.
See the latest photo deals on photo books, enlargements, prints and more.
Hire a friend
Hiring a close friend to take care of all your photography needs is an option. I’ve heard mixed reviews from people. Some knew somebody who was willing to snap pictures the entire time and had the talent to make them look great, while some of my other friends later regretted not hiring a professional.
If you’re going to go the friend route, give them an incentive to do a good job. Pay them! I’ve heard figures of $100-$500 thrown around on top of one friend who payed using Starbucks gift cards.
How to Save on Wedding Videography
The biggest decision to make about videoing your wedding is if you really want to. Your wedding pictures will be displayed in your home and your family’s home for the rest of your life. How many times will you watch the video?
If you choose to pay for professional videography, here are a few tips that will keep it on the cheap side. Remember, many of the photography tips will still apply.
DIY editing
Pay for all the camerawork but take care of the editing yourself. Editing is very time consuming, so you can negotiate a big price reduction by simply paying a professional for one day of work.
You then have two options. Learn to edit video yourself through a series of trial and error and “How to” YouTube videos. Or, find a friend who has some skills in that subject. Either way, your wedding video will be tailored to your liking!
Get a package deal
If a business offers, take care of your photography and video needs with a package deal. Paying for them together tends to be cheaper than splitting it up.
How to Save on Wedding Music
If music for your ceremony is not provided, this results in another headache. Also, do you go band, DJ, or save money with neither?
Find talented friends
Let your friends share their talents with you and your beloved as you walk down the aisle. Think about your peers who can strum the guitar, play the violin, or impress with the piano. As long as they can play a few select songs they’re perfect for the ceremony.
If you’re struggling to find candidates, think about your friends with kids who take music lessons. This will add a musical and cuteness factor to your ceremony (although, I’d be sure to hold some sort of audition beforehand).
Band or no band?
When shooting for a frugal wedding, hiring bands or professional DJs miss the mark. But no worries, you can provide your own music and still have a fun reception.
Provide your own music cheaply by borrowing a sound system. Try your local school, your church, or a friend who has invested a lot of money in his home theater. Once you have a set up, find somebody to be in charge of queuing up songs and taking requests. In the end, this can be free!
See more ways to save on weddings.
