Is Wedding Photography Worth The Investment?

This post was originally written and published in October of 2018 – after a tiny bit of updating, I’m re-sharing it today!

It’s officially September and that means we’re heading into “Engagement Season”! What an exciting time of year! Statistics show that the majority of proposals take place from November thru February (and that makes sense because those months encompass all of the “major” holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day).

With engagement season upon us, I am seeing more and more posts in the local Facebook Wedding Groups that I’m in – asking for recommendations on wedding photographers. That’s all well and good because these groups are filled to the brim with other soon-to-be-brides, past-brides, and vendors. If you’re looking to get at least 100 different photographer’s names to sift through, just ask for a recommendation – I promise, you’ll instantly be swamped.

If one thing is abundantly clear right away when wedding planning, it’s that weddings are expensive. There are so many little things that need to be purchased, so many vendors that need to be booked, so many locations that need to be secured – suddenly it’s not only an overwhelming process but one that could potentially drive you deep into debt. And please, if you do anything while you and your fiance are engaged and planning your wedding, please don’t go into debt.

One of the very first things you should do after getting engaged is set your wedding budget. If you have family members (parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, or godparents) who are going to be helping to pay for things – sitting down with them and getting an exact dollar figure is vital to planning your wedding. It might be an awkward conversation to start, but in the end, it’s way easier to ask the tough money questions at the beginning, then to simply assume and realize at the end that the 10k that you thought your parents were giving you is actually only 5k.

Setting your budget will not only dictate what kind of venue you book, but how much you can spend on your other vendors (your photographer, your florist, your DJ, your caterer, etc.) There are tons of spreadsheets and budget outlines you can download for free online – take a few minutes and ask everyone’s best friend: the Google, for some help!

Here’s the question though: While you’re laying out your budget, is your wedding photography really worth the investment? Is there reason to set aside more money for your wedding photography than those online budgets might suggest?

Is there a difference between asking your “Uncle Bob” who has a nice camera to snap some photos, a $1000 just-starting-out photographer, and a $10,000 experienced photographer?

Of course, I’m a professional wedding photographer, so my answer should come as no shock to you. Is wedding photography worth the investment? Yes.

Okay, so maybe that’s not quite the right question, let me rephrase it:
Why is wedding photography worth the investment?

Here’s a question for you: Do you remember what you ate for breakfast? Maybe you remember what you ate for breakfast this morning, but what about last Tuesday? What did you have for breakfast 3 Tuesdays ago? Now, you might be able to make a good guess, but chances are, you don’t remember.

If you can’t remember what you ate for breakfast this morning (or last Tuesday morning), what makes you think that you’ll remember everything about your wedding day 10, 25, or 50 years down the road? Will you remember what the weather was like? Will you remember who was in your wedding party? Will you remember who danced the hardest? Will you remember what your shoes looked like?

It’s a sad sad fact, but our memories fade. Some fade faster than others (my husband can remember dates and times of very specific events, whereas I’m lucky if I can remember how old I am), but no matter what, your memory will fail you.

But guess what? Those memories can all be brought back very quickly and easily – with just a few photos.

Have you ever sat down and looked through some old photos and instantly memories come flooding back? You can suddenly remember how things smelled, how things felt, and what things sounded like. It’s magical (if you haven’t experienced this “magic” – I dare you to take a peek into your Facebook memories!)

Who wouldn’t want those memories preserved from their wedding day? Their “Day One” – the biggest day of your life?

Why is wedding photography worth the investment?
Because it’s all you’ll have left at the end of the day. It’s all you’ll have left in 10 years. And it’s all you’ll have left to pass on to your children and grandchildren.

Wedding photographers come in all “shapes and sizes” – meaning, there are $1000 wedding photographers and $10,000 wedding photographers. I challenge you to not only consider your budget when hiring an artist to capture the biggest day of your life, but also their personality, their skill level, the experience that they provide, and the products that they offer after the wedding day.

And, if you are going to ask for a recommendation in a large Facebook group, please clarify as many details as you can. Share your date, your venues and locations, your theme/aesthetic, and most importantly: your specific budget. So many brides pop on and simply ask for recommendations for “inexpensive”, “budget-friendly”, or “won’t break the bank” wedding photographers. That’s all well and good – however! What one person considers “inexpensive”, another might consider “extravagant”. A $1,000 photography budget for one bride, might be way out of reach for another bride (“break the bank”) and yet might be super inexpensive for another bride. So, if you want the very best recommendations, please be as specific as possible!

Of course, I would be thrilled to photograph your big day! Send me a message at kara@karaabbey.com and let’s set up a time to chat and see if I’d be a good fit for capturing the memories of your Day One!