Wedding Photography Prices Are “Wack”

This has been sitting on my desk for sometime now (almost a year), waiting for when I had a little free time to formulate a proper response to this Craigslist post for wedding photographers :).  While I’m sure this particular bride will never see the response, I hope other brides and/or grooms with the same nagging question will get to see a response from at least one photographer who has been in the industry for 10+ years now.

A few weeks ago as I was contemplating raising our photography prices, I decided the first thing I needed to do was breakdown the time spent not only at the wedding but all the time spent before and after the wedding with post production work.  There’s this fabulous myth that wedding photographers only work the 6-10 hours one day a week while earning a large sum of money.  Unfortunately that is only a myth and not a reality.  It was much to my own dismay I realized I made less than a part time McDonalds employee flipping hamburgers!

Now those of us (I’m included in this at the moment) who charge less than $2,000.00/$3,000.00 are the photographers who lack  the strong business skills  and eventually learn in order to have a healthy business that can properly care for their customers and supply an adequate income to pay for the basics of life (roof, heat, food) that we need to charge at least $2000.00 in order to survive.

Many of the photographers who are in the price range that this particular bride is looking for are only part time photographers who hold down full/part time employment and because of these demands on their time they are unable to pursue training in photography and have little time for editing which leaves brides waiting 6 months or longer for their photographs.  That is one of the common complaints I hear from our brides is that this is what has happened to their friends and they want to be assured they don’t have to wait as long or get images that are substandard.

Another downfall of these photographers, is they get burnt out and fold their business, sometimes before a bride ever sees her wedding photos.  How high on the priority list do you think your wedding is to them now?

Now how many brides say “On my wedding day I hope there is rain, snow, driving wind or fog”, no one!  So living here in the Northwest means that most weddings occur during a three month window.  Now take into consideration that weddings most often are on Saturday this means that you can expect around twelve days a year to make the bulk of your yearly salary.

Then we have to remember that we are now entrusted by our customers to preserve their memories on one of the biggest life changing events in their life.  What an incredible honor to be selected to photograph this amazing day for our couples!  With that honor comes a huge responsibility, there are no ‘do-overs’, no second chances to get this right!  With that responsibility it means we have to know our camera inside out, meaning being technically proficient while being creative on the fly.  Uncle Bob, simply doesn’t have this experience!

As a professional wedding photographer, it means we are small business owners that not only go to fun weddings to photograph the event, we are also the photo editor, accountant, website designer, the marketing guru, customer service department, and so much more, it’s a surprisingly large amount of work involved for one day of photography! 

We haven’t gone into the expenses of owning the business!  The gear, the training, the gas to drive back and forth, the taxes, insurance (for the business and our health) and other miscellaneous expenses that come along with owning a business.  I’m not going to breakdown each of those expenses, there is no need to bore you with those.  However, I assure you they certainly add up and take a good portion of the money received.

With all that said, it’s true we have an AWESOME job!  We get to go to wonderful weddings to photograph people looking their best, meet some amazing people, be creative, be our own bosses, and have the joy of preserving your wedding day memories! 
In closing, many couples have no hesitations in spending over $5,000. for a wedding dress, thousands just to have the right venue, plus several hundreds on wedding cakes and guest favors, etc..  Yet they are willing to cut back on the photography and video, which is the one thing that preserves those special memories!

Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional Member, Monica of Family Affair Photography.

 

Jazz Up Your Wedding Reception with the Right DJ

Many couples, who are planning to get married, often encounter a roadblock when it comes to the right entertainment for their wedding reception.  This is because the groom might have his own preference for the music genre while the bride is more attracted to other types of music.  Naturally they will have to compromise on this at some point.  One solution that can help them come to that compromise is to hire a professional DJ for the special occasion.

A DJ can help the bride and groom find pieces of music that will appeal to both of them without alienating anyone.  Hiring the right DJ can also help the couple figure out what music their guests would like to hear and dance to during the reception.  A DJ who knows the world of music well can make key suggestions then guide the couple towards specific artists and songs that the DJ thinks would suit their respective styles.  This will help soothe frazzled nerves that are already wired due to wedding preparations.

To hire the right DJ it may be important for the bride and groom to ask around their circles for recommendations.  Most likely at least one of their friends, colleagues or relatives knows of a DJ who has a good reputation already.  And if the DJ has a unique style of work that can be great because it means you are not hiring an amateur.

Take note that a DJ does not just play music and stand at his booth all the time.  Your DJ must also be able to work the crowd at the reception with humor, patience and his own charming style and great voice, so that everyone has a nice time no matter how long the reception party will last.  Your DJ could also be the host for the party to make sure your guests stay informed of what’s going on and to keeps things moving along.  You definitely want a DJ who can also take requests for specific songs from the crowd.

Of course let us not forget the importance of your DJ having excellent sound equipment for the reception.  You should check to make sure he has back up equipment too just in case the unexpected happens.  By investing in their own equipment, DJs can assure clients of great service which helps give the impression that this DJ really knows what he is doing.  The last thing any wedding needs is equipment that is worn out, hard on the ears, and often breaks down in mid-song.  By getting the right sound equipment and hiring a capable DJ your wedding reception may be a roaring success that your guests and your new spouse will remember for years to come.

Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional Member DUBREEZY ENTERTAINMENT  at 206-595-4948 or info@dubreezyentertainment.com.  You can check out and “like” their facebook page to see photos from  past events.

Meet Our Member ~ Lifetime Memories

Name: Janine Goehler Business Name: Lifetime Memories Weddings, Events and Officiating

Website: www.lifetimememorieswa.com www.lifetimememorieswed.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifetimememoriesweddingsandevents

What’s your favorite part of the job? My favorite part of my job is standing at the back of the aisle and watching my Bride take that special walk. Months of work has finally come together and knowing her life is about to change forever. And then watching the Bride & Groom as they come back up the aisle as a married couple.

How did you get to where you are today? I got to where I am today by taking a lot of training, hard work, determination and learning from my mistakes.

What inspired you to start your business? I am a very organized person and I love weddings. Both of these elements are essential if you want to be in any facet of the wedding business. I have always been asked to coordinate parties but when I organized my daughter’s wedding (and we didn’t kill each other) and then a wedding for an international friend, I was hooked. I just loved it so much and missed all of it once the weddings were over. I then had that “light bulb moment” and I realized that I should join the wedding business.

How is your business different from your competitors? My business is different from my competitors in several ways. First of all, I list my fees on my website and they are lower than most. It’s not that I don’t think my experience is worth more money, I know how expensive weddings can be and I try to be sensitive to the budgets. When I started my business I did a non-scientific survey of 20-something gals and they all told me that if a price wasn’t listed they assumed it cost too much or they would be “sized up”, i.e., kind of car, dress, purse, size of diamond, etc., at a meeting and then a price determined by how much a coordinator thought they could afford.

Secondly, I do not limit the amount of contact a client can have with me. Some clients need more contact with me than others and I want to be there to support them all the way.

Third, I always bring an assistant to each wedding at no extra charge to my clients.

What is your range of services? I am a Professional Bridal Consultant and an Ordained Officiant.  As a consultant I can simply give advice, be a day-of coordinator, help you find a venue and vendors or assist with every aspect of your wedding. I prefer not to be the Officant and the Consultant at the same wedding so that I can concentrate solely on one aspect but I would certainly perform the ceremony, if called upon. Otherwise, I am always available as an Officiant for most types of ceremonies.