I had no idea how expensive photography is!
One venue that Ryan and I are looking at has an exclusive photographer (isn't that weird?). Her basic package starts at $3000. It includes a mere 4 hours of coverage, and at the bottom it says "no additional coverage available for this package." That makes me angry every time I read it, especially since the next package costs $6000. Grrr...granted, with every package you do get a CD of all of your images, which is a must-have for me when it comes to photography packages. I like her style, but it's not like I am totally in love with her work.
I found a photographer from St. Louis who was listed as The Knot top pick for 2008-2009, and is a member of
WPJA (that's the Wedding Photojournalist Association). She is amazing, you can check out Gail Fleming
here. I love love love her work, and her basic package starts at $1200, and includes a CD of all the images and 6 hours of coverage. Even if we have to pay her for travel, it would still be cheaper than the photographer I mentioned above.
Source
A friend recommended the photographer he and his wife used in their wedding. They are out of St. Louis, and are somewhat reasonable, but it costs $1100 to buy the CD of images.
I knew photography was going to be expensive, but goodness, I had no idea! Photography is something that I am not willing to compromise on, so I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and pay. Hopefully the stars will align and Ryan will love Ms. Fleming's work and she will be free the day of our wedding. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, because I'm very attached to her already.
I also have secretly entertained having Jenna from That Wife and Jenna Cole Photography come up to do the wedding...but she'd have to travel quite a ways, and I figure that would put that idea out of our budget.
Did the cost of photography surprise you? Am I just cheap?
I completely understand. I was in love with a photographer from Birmingham, AL and thought maybe we could fly him down. Then I saw his prices - YIKES! I kept looking and found Audrey Snow, who is in my area, and is WONDERFUL. I am SO excited she is shooting our wedding! Her cost is reasonable ($2000) and she worked with us to get the exact package we wanted. I say - keep looking until you find what works for you!
ReplyDeleteA good photographer is expensive,(and important) but I think you can find someone for less that you have quoted here.
ReplyDeleteWe spent about $2000. got a family discount from Anna. I think that covered all the pictures ordered. We did not get a CD though and that is a fun thing to have. I have a friend whose daughter just got married and all she got was the rights to the CD because she wanted to scrapbook her own album. Sounds like a lot of work to me! :)