Don’t Sacrifice Quality for Price: 5 Budget Wedding Photography Horror Stories You Don't Want to Repeat

When it comes to wedding photography, many couples are tempted to save money by hiring a budget photographer. While this may seem like a great way to keep your costs down, there are some potential risks that need to be carefully considered before making the decision.

From missed deadlines and bad images, to ruined memories and lost photos, the consequences of choosing an inexperienced or unreliable photographer can be costly in more ways than one.

So, why would you choose a budget wedding photographer?

It comes down to money. Weddings are expensive, and they're only getting more expensive, a 2023 report suggested the average wedding budget had increased by another £5000! Even with gifts from family and savings, when planning a wedding, couples have to look for ways to save money and to keep within their means.

And just how hard can it be to take photos at wedding? You may be wondering why there's such a range of prices with some photographers charging around £1000 for a full day, and others charging over £3000. Hiring a budget wedding photographer may seem like an easy way to cut costs while still getting quality photos of your special day. Unfortunately, there can be risks associated with this decision that aren't always obvious and could leave couples regretting their choice.

What can go wrong?

Having spent a few years in the industry, it's all too often that I come across a story of a couple in an awful situation involving their wedding photos. Here are five horror stories of what can happen when you don’t invest properly in your wedding photography – so you know exactly what not to do!

The (Too-) Busy Photographer

Poor communication from the wedding photographer is one of the most common horror stories I hear about when it comes to budget wedding photography. If wedding photography is their main source of income, a budget wedding photographer has to work harder and cover more weddings than a more expensive one. As a result they're often shooting multiple weddings in a week and on some occasions more than one per day. This can lead to slower communications, impersonal service, and can even mean they get mixed up with who's who on your day - which can feel awful when it's the most important day of the year (or life so far!).

The Hopeful Amateur

We’ve all heard the saying “you get what you pay for,” and it's particularly true when it comes to wedding photography. There are lots of enthusiastic amateurs out there who may be excited to try their hand at wedding photography and make a few extra pounds in the process. Whilst that's great, couples should know what they are getting as not all amateur photographers will have the same level of experience or skill.

It's very rare a wedding goes exactly to plan, or as envisioned by the photographer. Whether timings are off, the weather isn't favourable, or the venue is darker (or lighter) than expected, each can throw off a photographer with limited experience and result in missed or poor quality photos.

The Missing Photographer

One of the most heartbreaking horror stories couples encounter with budget wedding photographers is when they vanish after booking. While this may sound like a nightmare, it's becoming an all too common reality for some couples. Budget pricing can easily result in a photographer being unable to make ends meet when the bills roll in or inflation hits. Only last year a UK-based photographer went out of business, leaving hundreds of couples without a photographer, or without photos from their wedding. It's not all down to bad business sense either, it could be that the photographer never shows up on the day due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances. Either way, it won't be much use when it comes to preserving memories of your special day. While there's always a chance any wedding photographer could become ill, or have an emergency on your wedding day, good quality, professional wedding photographers will be well connected in the industry and be able to call on others to cover their weddings.

The Unfinished Photos

This mistake ranks high on the horror stories list when it comes to budget wedding photography. When couples are saving money, they often don't realise that post-processing is a huge part of what makes the photos look their best and an experienced alternative wedding photographer will have a consistent, unique style to both their photo-taking and post-processing. Professional photographers know how to use their software and editing skills to bring out the very best in photos - so you can see what you're likely to get from their portfolio and previous weddings. However, a budget wedding photographer may not have the skills to do this, or they could just choose not to take the time to edit each image properly and consistently. This can leave you with low-quality images that won't hold up against those taken by experienced professionals.

The Lost Photos

Finally, the all too common horror story. Lost photos are a nightmare for any couple, and it can be incredibly hard for them to come to terms with the fact that their memories are lost forever. Repeating a wedding day, especially capturing candids, is not an option and without a comprehensive backup plan, inexperienced wedding photographers can put couples at risk of not being able to retrieve any of their images from their wedding day.

One horror story I heard about involved a budget wedding photographer forgetting to take photos from the ceremony and the reception. This was due to an accidental mix-up with which memory cards they were using at certain points of the day, leaving one entire set of photos missing. While this can happen to any photographer, an experienced professional will have redundancy and backups planned in to their workflow to minimise the likelihood of losing anything.

How to not be the next horror story

When it comes to budget wedding photography, there are risks that need to be carefully considered and balanced with spending a little more for peace of mind. Investing in an experienced professional photographer can help ensure the photos you receive from your special day will bring back fond memories for years to come. Do take time to research photographers and look at their portfolios, as well as read reviews or ask friends who have used them before. It’s also important to make sure they have backup plans just in case something goes wrong on the big day, so that all those precious moments won't be lost forever. With these tips in hand, you should feel confident finding the perfect photographer without breaking your budget!

If you happen to be looking for a professional, alternative wedding photographer, who has a plan for every horror story he reads, have a look at my portfolio, pricing, and get in touch to check availability and have a chat!