On a tight budget? Ask the photographer to work with you

Jean-Marcus, thanks for all the advice!

Hi,

I wanted to share this post with other brides out there that might be concerned about the pricing info they are seeing on the photographers' sites and price lists. I was also very discouraged and concerned that I would not have the quality of pictures that was important to me. However, I believe many of the local photographers will work with your budget -- it never hurts to ask, as the worst that will come of it may be a polite "no."

I'm not saying to lowball them just for the sake of trying (your offer will have to be somewhat comparable to their service fees) but if you truly have budget constraints some are willing to at least work with you and offer flexibility in the number of hours covered, # of pics on a cd, & # of prints for the amount you have budgeted. That's why many of them say to contact them for an exact quote.




Here's my story: My FI and I are on a fairly tight wedding budget (we think in comparison to what others are spending on their weddings) and while I consider pictures very important -- he doesn't really (not to mention he hates having his picture taken). We finally agreed on an amount for a photographer which did not provide enough to fly in a photographer so I knew it had to be a local one. I explained my situation to my wedding planner and she then relayed this to the photographers we were interested in. They all came back with packages that were within our price range and what we felt were reasonable for the amount we had budgeted.

Even though we had our wedding planner contacting the photographers for us, she did so because I explained our situation and I think the photographers still would have worked with us on pricing if I had contacted them directly. Bottom line I think I got a great local photographer with a package and price my FI and I could live with. IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK - ESPECIALLY NICELY AND WITH SINCERITY!

Despite what my FI thinks, these pictures will be some of the only tangible things we have left to remember our very special day by and I think this is how most brides (& some grooms) feel. So don't settle for a photographer you're not that impressed with just because his/her price fits your budget. Contact the photographers you're interested in that may be a little more than your budget and see if they will work with you.

Good luck!

Thanks Jean Marcus. I am sure everyone here can benefit from your tips and advice. You've been so helpful in the forum and we appreciate it. I think what makes a photographer truly great is when they really care about their couples and it will show in their work. I sincerely think you fit in this category and your clients are lucky to have you as their photographer.

Best to you!

Jessica