Bella Luma Photography

My two sisters are planning their weddings and I remember planning my own and how expensive a wedding can be. I personally cut a lot of corners to keep the cost down because we had just bought a house and didn’t have a lot left to spend on a wedding. I made a list of priorities and spent money on the things I valued the most and tried to be more frugal with the other things. We did not have a DJ, I made a playlist for dinner music, dances, and what not and had a good friend press play at the appropriate times. Flowers were crazy expensive so I only bought real flowers for our bouquets and used them to decorate the head table. My side of the family does not drink but my husband’s side does. We agreed no alcohol because it is a huge expense and we didn’t need it to have fun. My in-laws decided they wanted it so they paid for it. My top priorities were photography because that is what I will have to remember my day and the venue because that is where I’m spending my entire wedding day and the backdrop to all of my wedding memories.

My sister wanted great photos of her wedding day but didn’t want to pay what the average  professional wedding photographer costs. I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for in most cases. I have heard numerous horror stories of couples going with the cheapest photographer they could find or a relative and none of their wedding photos came out. The saddest part is that you can’t get those moments back. After talking to my sister she went with a photographer I recommended that does amazing work for a fair price. My other sister, although I know she wants amazing photos can’t afford a good photographer because she’s just starting out and has to buy a house as well as pay for a wedding.

This got me thinking about ways to help couples out with their wedding photography. I’ve come up with two new wedding options.

Option 1: Coverage only (4 hours: $800; full coverage $1600)
This is full coverage of your wedding with no strings attached. This way you know your wedding day is covered but you are under no agreement to purchase anything upfront. Then you can use option 2.

Option 2: Gift cards!

Put gift cards on your registry! This way friends and family can help you purchase the wedding photos, DVD, album, or anything else you wanted to use your wedding photos for. The gift cards can also go to help cover the cost of coverage. This option will help keep the cost of wedding photography down and your friends and family know they are getting you something you really want.