Weddings are getting more expensive all the time: finding the right venue, the most gorgeous dress, the smartest suit, choosing the bridesmaids’ dresses and the flowers to match. Then there’s the registrar, the reception and that lovely hotel for a honeymoon – it can get very expensive. Working to a budget is very important but this is going to be one of the biggest days of your life. What about photographs? Can money be saved there? You have a friend with a very nice DSLR camera. It has interchangeable lenses so should take some great photos.

How the happy couple choose to spend their budget is up to them – and everyone’s budget is different. But before you choose to save money on photographs, stop and consider carefully for a moment:

Should I ask a friend to take my wedding photos?

Your wedding photographs will be the most enduring memory of your wedding day.

Your wedding dress will be worn once, dry-cleaned and put away in the attic in a box, the bridesmaids may never wear their dresses again and the groom will probably return the suit to the hire shop. The wedding cake will be eaten, the flowers will fade but the photographs that are taken will last forever. It is important to find the right wedding photographer who will create some wonderful memories of your special day. These photos will be all that is left for you, your children and hopefully your grandchildren to enjoy.

More couples now are electing to have an ‘unplugged wedding’ where guests are asked not to take photographs. I think this is great as the guests can enjoy every minute of the day without looking at it from behind a phone, iPad or camera. This would however mean the primary photographer that you book will be the only person taking photos, with that in mind, they best be amazing!

The right wedding photographer does not necessarily mean the most expensive. Finding the right person for the job involves meeting them, viewing what weddings they have done and making sure that you are comfortable with them and their work. Every photographer is individual and you should spend as much time choosing the right photographer as you did choosing the right dress

Get to know your wedding photographer

Many wedding photographers have websites: read their blog and check out their reviews. Do you like the style of photographs they take? How much experience have they got and how much are they in demand? A busy photographer is a sure sign of a good photographer. Can you talk to previous clients of theirs? Do they know the venue that you have chosen or are they going to go and visit it to check it out and ensure that they will have all the right equipment to take great photos on the day.

So, should you ask a friend whether they could take your wedding photos? Organising a group of people to take a good photo takes patience and experience to get the best out of them. Setting the shot so that everyone looks great is important. Winter photos and churches can be very dark and difficult to light you will also not want washed out, red-eye shots of the reception. The equipment itself needed for wedding photography is very expensive likewise the insurances that are needed also carry a cost. Having the right tools for the job is a crucial part of wedding photography, including backups of literally everything!

Having a friend shoot your wedding will also mean that they cannot enjoy your big day, in fact they will probably be worrying and stressing about it months before the event. Shooting weddings is tough for many reasons, professionals shoot dozens every year and should know the potential pitfalls and avoid them. Whether you still decide to get a friend to shoot your wedding or a professional wedding photographer it would be wise getting a contract, probably even more so with a friend. It will outline exactly what both parties accept and may help with talks should after a few months the photos have still not been completed.

You think your memories will last but you will be so busy on the day that you may find it passes like a blur. Having beautiful wedding photographs to look back on will ensure that you will always remember what a wonderful day you had.