Would we regret NOT having a photographer at our wedding?

[Gettingmarriedissoexpensive]

Spurred on by the thread of the person who didn't get her proposal photographed, it has got me thinking about my own wedding.

Photographers are so flipping expensive so I'm toying with the idea of not bothering... however do you think we would regret this?

Has anyone not had one and was happy with their decision? Thanks all!

@DuvetdayneededDD has been to weddings with that. Photos really poor quality, red eye and most couldn’t be found at the end. Lots of editorial photographers don’t take many of the wedding breakfast now. Lots of guests just take their phones for that. The photos are taken earlier in the day.

Mine used 2 phones and a digital camera, she sent us a mixture of short video clips and pictures. They edited the short clips into 2 - 3 minute long summeries of the day which is what we wanted but they had different options for that. The savings probably comes from way less of their time spent editing and less expensive equipment!

I'm grateful for our photos. Many years on I wish we'd also videoed the day - mainly to capture all the relatives who are sadly no longer with us.

@Justyouwaitandseeagain Did you not photograph them ? If you choose family photos, they are in them!

@Heidi2018 There is probably a time element too. Many photographers spend 2 hours with the couple before the wedding and often with the bride getting ready. It’s quite labour intensive. Not sure phones give the best quality and many editorial photographers would not use them as they are really snap cameras, not good enough for publication. I think my DD sees her wedding photos as her (hopefully only) chance to look her best and be professionally photographed in a stunning setting.

If you literally don't want any photos taken then of course don't get one. If you want pictures but are thinking "friends will take some snaps that are just as good", they won't be.

I'm divorced but I don't regret having one. The photographer photos look amazing and really professional. I've got a few friends ones too, they look like, well, a snap taken on a phone.

You don't have to get the most expensive all day two photographer package with a drone. Get a mid range person for 3-4 hours.

The content creator was there the same length of time as my photographer, I had both. I opted for a CC over a videographer. Obviously the quality from the photographer are better and are professionally edited but the content from the CC is excellent and if money is an issue it's defo something to consider rather than not having any photos at all from the day in my opinion.

@Heidi2018 Absolutely! Have photos!

For our wedding, we opted for an Orlando photography session with Wanderlust Portraits. It was a great balance between quality and affordability, and we loved the natural, candid style they captured. It felt like a special experience, and the photos really reflected our personalities. If you're considering photography options, this might be a worthwhile alternative to explore.

Yes, the photos are the one thing I would not skimp on everything else is optional but you need to capture the day otherwise it says if the day didn’t happen 10 years down the line

Honestly OP, if I could redo my wedding the two huge things I would change:

1. do my own hair and make up! I spent the whole day feeling like I looked like someone else
2. Get dressed up and have a photography session before the wedding for people to look at on the day, as is common in places such as Vietnam. Then have a QR code to a drop box for everyone at the wedding to share their photos of the day. I’d maybe pay my friend who is a photographer to capture some key moments.

I absolutely HATED the feeling of a camera on me all day and being dragged away from the party we had planned to take couples pictures. I spent more time with the bloody photographer than with some guests.

@FunnyOrca All DDs formal posed shots are before the wedding - in the morning/lunch time. At the venue which we get from 10 am. Then it’s candid shots only with a few group ones - but very few! From the wedding onwards it’s not going to be about formal poses and excessive time. It’s about recording moments.

We couldn't really afford a photographer and we only had 17 guests. The day was perfect but hardly have any photos of it. A few of us, none as a full wedding party.

We didn’t bother. Some of our guests took some nice ones that we saved on the cloud and we had one printed. That’s enough. We didn’t want or need six thousand photos of us staring at each other.

Great plan!

@garlictwist As much as I regret not having a photographer, I definitely do see your point. We only had a tiny wedding of 17 (close family and a few close friends only) and we could be truly present with them for the entire day (which was beautifully relaxed).
At some weddings where there has been a lot of emphasis on great photography, I think the joy of the present moment can be lost in trying so hard to capture so many images to look back on. Wedding days go by far too quickly as it is.

That’s awful 😔