But I'm not here to lecture anyone... on why wedding photography is so expensive and all the 'stuff' photographers do behind the scenes..
Whatever... I think everyone gets it now...
I'm here to 'talk'... I mean.. let's be honest.
Holy crap - it's expensive.
Weddings are EXPENSIVE.
Like hole in your wallet expensive.
Chase STILL cringes when I mention how much we spent on wedding photography.
In fact, he still doesn't like for me to talk about ANY of the wedding expenses.... Catering... Tent... DJ... Wedding Party Gifts.
Albeit, he's getting better!!!!!
But.... here's why.... we paid for our own wedding....
I get SO many emails from potential brides explaining to me their financial situation and how they simply can't afford anything over 2k....
Because they're paying for their own wedding too.
I get it... man, oh man... do I get it.
I mean really......
Since we're being honest here.. I personally shelled out over 12,000 for the wedding... no loans... no credit cards..
This money was straight from my pocket... money that I started saving right after Chase proposed.
That 12,000 doesn't include what Chase paid either.
So believe me... I get it.
But if you were to ever walk in my house... You'd see that we have incredible memories from that expensive day...
Huge canvases all over the house from our wedding day... (strangers might even think we like looking at ourselves. ha)
But the photos are all that we really have left from our wedding.
My dress hangs in the closet....
We didn't eat the wedding cake for our one year anniversary (epic fail)....
And my 35.00 Macy's wedding shoes are falling apart...
But those canvases.... and those pictures...
They're not going anywhere..
And they remind me every.single.day. that on June 4th 2011 I married the most incredible man.
The absolute joy that I see in those pictures makes my heart sing.
So I know it's scary... it might hurt every time you think about it... and I'm not saying go in debt over it.
But don't short yourself a lifetime of memories for 50 different liquors at the bar.
You, your love... your friends and family... That's what's important.
Make sure you have the right person to capture it all.... whoever that might be.
That 'right' person might cost 15.00 -- or 6,000.00.. whoever it is... make sure you LOVE their work... make sure that 50 years from now when your grandchildren are looking through your wedding photos, they're not wondering why so and so has his fingers in all of the pictures.... instead they're grabbing tissues because of the way their Grandpa is looking at their Grandma.
You want to make sure that this person's images are the types of images YOU want representing your wedding day.
Does that person capture love the way you want YOUR love to be captured?!?!!?
Does that person capture little moments the way YOU want your day to be remembered?!?!!?
Let's be honest here.... in 50 years, Chase won't care about how much our wedding was..... he'll be turning the photos at angles to remember how my butt looked in that wedding dress..
I mean.. just being honest. He'll admit it too - it's all he ever talks about... I doubt he even remembers what we had for dinner that night!
Well.. just kidding.. We had fried chicken, hotdogs and hamburgers.. Can't forget that.
But Chase and I had over a 1.5 year engagement, simply because we knew we were paying for our own wedding.
So we saved....
A lot.
I guess what I'm trying to say is... I get it.. I really do.. but don't short yourself. You're important.. Your day is important... and your love is too important not to be captured just the way you want.
So instead of just price shopping around for wedding photographers -- narrow it down to your favorites.. get to know them... ask for their rates.. and try your darndest to make it happen.... whether it's that 15.00 photographer or that 6,000.00 photographer.
You won't regret it.
Just look at this moment our wedding photographer captured... this is what makes it all worth it!
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