With the holiday season on our heels, it’s the time of year when men everywhere are getting down on one knee and popping “THE” question. Soon glowing brides-to-be appear everywhere! Dates, venues, and sometimes planners are chosen shortly thereafter. The pick of a photographer soon follows…

We have posted about it before & whenever we meet with brides we always tell them, “Whatever you do, don’t have a friend with a ‘nice camera’ do it. Find a professional (who you like) to shoot your wedding”

We don’t know if brides think we are lying or trying to get them to spend more money on us, but some of them still go off and hire a friend or someone else simply because they don’t want to spend the money it takes to hire a pro.

Unfortunately, we get e-mails from many of these newly-weds months later telling us how devastated and upset they are about the photos they received from a friend. This truly breaks our heart and infuriates us at the same time. Those memories are gone forever!

I have asked a couple of such brides to tell the story of their wedding photos. As hard as it was, they graciously agreed to relive the pain as they wrote for me.

From Mrs. M

My mom and I sat down and worked out the physical details on our end (flowers, location, bridesmaid dresses, etc.) while phone calls to the fiancé at night unscrambled specifics that we wanted to make the day special (music, vows). We had 6 months and 2 weeks to make it all work and the photography was certainly very much on my brain.

My parents assured me that I did not have to think about the money angle but I wanted to keep the wedding under $5000 (we ended up spending only $3500).I knew that I wanted really excellent quality (I’m a budding photographer, a perfectionist, and a wee bit creative). I also knew that I didn’t want to pay $4000+ to make it happen- that would have blown my budget past the $5000 mark for sure! So, as I couldn’t seem to find anything between $500-$1000 (I know, I was really ignorant about this!), I turned to another alternative…

My father mentioned to me that [this photographer] living in Pensacola was a professional photographer. After meeting him and asking him about it, he told me that he had 30 years of professional experience but had only shot three weddings; but, he hastened to assure me that in one particular case, the bride preferred his photos to the professional they had hired (said the photographer was into weird angles and such). He said it would be a gift to me and I was quite excited; I later showed him some photos of what I was looking for and even walked through the location with him a month of two before the actual wedding date- he was comfortable with the setting and asked me questions about time of day (lighting details) and family member/bridal party photographs.

After having done this, I was looking into some other photographers (just to cover my bases) but was uncomfortable with the idea of spending so much money; additionally, I did not want to renege on [this photographer] as his offer was a generous one and I knew the photos would be well done- so, I even bypassed another offer that would have cost me some money (in budget, to be honest) because I just didn’t think I could change my mind. The wedding day went by very quickly and the photographer was there every step of the day with his equipment and a watchful eye- however, when I received the photos, I realized what I had not taken into account: STYLE.

His style was old school, very formal, and there wasn’t as much romance or creativity in the photos as I had hoped of and dreamed for. The photos I’m missing are those of elegant details and little moments between me and the groom, poses that I wanted to make happen but couldn’t because my head was spinning too much to ask everyone to pause and set up another shot. Yes, the photos are excellent quality but they are not what I truly had my heart set on and that hurt a lot.

In light of this experience, I tell every bride-to-be this piece of advice: if you must scrimp on the wedding budget, do it in the details and NOT on the photographer. Buy a dress from David’s Bridal’s sale rack. Make your own invitations. Ask your grandma to make the groom’s cake. Find a friend who makes bouquets. But do not, DO NOT ask a family member, friend, or inexperienced photographer (invite as second shooter to gain experience, YES) to shoot your wedding for a low cost or for free. Also, check style- again, while my photographer was clearly capable and equipped to take my photos, his lack of website and recent wedding experience should have been a red flag to me that you cannot force your style/wishes on a photographer- you must look for someone who makes you go, “Ooh, yeah, she’ll/he’ll get me.”

From Mrs. S:

I had been picturing my wedding since I was younger. I started dating my first boyfriend (my husband), when I was 20. Needless to say I had a lot of time to dream of what I wanted our wedding to be like. I guess like every other girl, I knew exactly how I wanted it to look, how I wanted people to remember it and how I wanted to remember it. When we started our planning, my husband and I agreed on what our budget priorities were going to be. The venue was the most important for us. We had a very small budget of 5000 dollars. We searched and searched to find the perfect place and were overjoyed when we stumbled upon it.
Our next priority was a wedding photographer. We had both seen and experienced previous disappointments in photography we had received in the past and for our wedding we were very worried about experiencing the same disappointment on our big day. Like every other couple, it was really important to us that we have the images to remember and treasure; and of course, we both wanted everything (including us) to look flawless. My husband had a friend that had become a photographer and was quick in contacting him about doing the wedding. Our plan was all set, he would get to reunite with a friend and we would get professional photography we could afford. Well 2 weeks before the wedding, his friend contacted us and told us that due to our small budget he would not actually be able to do the wedding.

With the wedding so close, all we could do was to seek friends who had photography experience. We ended having to hire 3 different photographers to do the different parts of the wedding.We did not have time to meet with anyone and talk about what we had hoped for in our photography. With so many different people to coordinate with, my husband I were rushed from one place to the other and so much of that day was never photographed. When we finally did receive any pictures after the wedding, we were saddened by the outcome. There were no pictures of the Groom and groomsmen getting ready, only of a few of the bride preparing, no family photos, only a few of the entire bridal party, and only a few random photos of the reception. The ones we did receive seemed unedited and I couldn’t stand how I looked in any of them. I remember looking at them in tears and having to wait another 3 months before I had the courage to look at them again to see if I could salvage anything.

Looking back on it now, I would have sacrificed so many of the little things and used 75% of our budget on the having those beautiful memories captured perfectly. From this experience, I really want to encourage the Brides out there who are planning their weddings on a small budget and the few blessed grooms (like my own) who wanted to help, to look into DIY aspects of weddings. Invitations, decorations, favors, hair and makeup are all little things that may seem like they need to be perfect, but by doing them yourself you will be saving so much money and it will be a fun experience as a couple or with your bridal party. Not being able to get those memories back is a huge regret. Know that the day itself will pass more quickly than you could think possible and remember that the pictures are something that will always be a reminder of the commitment that you made and the people who supported you. You want to be proud of them.

If you hire a friend or someone without experience, this could happen to you! We are not advocating that you hire us, but please, hire a professional. We want every bride no matter (who they hire) to feel the same way about her photos as these brides do:

From Mrs. T:

I cannot even express how amazing Kristin and Dustin are. They are the nicest people around and love what they do. I had the pleasure of working with Kristin a few months ago to shoot my boudoir pictures, which turned out beautiful. Then last month, her and Dustin photographed our wedding. The pictures are amazing!! Having to choose a few for a book is going to be the most difficult task in this whole wedding process. I cannot thank Kristin and Dustin enough or express how grateful I am to have met them and have them be apart of our big day. I recommend them to EVERYONE!! Tell all your friends to contact Smetona Photo today!!!!

From Mrs. A:

Kristin and Dustin kept my day flowing smoothly to say the least. They were on top of everything, and were attentive to what I needed, whether it was fixing my dress or bringing me water. They knew exactly what they were doing and were extremely professional, but warm. The pictures were absolutely breathtaking and stunning, we have gotten so many compliments on them! They captured every important moment and the pictures were so varied- despite the fact that it was pouring outside. Kristin and Dustin were such a special part of my day and it was a joy to work with them. I would definitely pick them again if I re did my wedding and they have my highest recommendation.

From Mrs. W:

After hiring and firing another photographer due to him not being a good fit for us, we were looking for a photographer team who was young, spunky, passionate and overall would capture our special day. I can say from our first meeting, Kristen and Dustin met all of these qualities. They are kind people who truly listen to your needs and make sure you have fantastic pictures. At the wedding they are so helpful and fun additions to any wedding! After receiving our pictures we were reminded how amazing they were and how much love they put into their pictures!!! We can’t thank them enough for all of the amazing memories!!! I would recommend them to anyone who wants amazing pictures of their wedding!!!!!