any of you folks who have had to pay for or just know the cost of wedding photos? i would really love it if ya'll would post prices or price ranges.

i am going high end because i want GREAT photos. no cheesey,bad lighting, dorky poses, etc

just wondering if the photographer is trying to rape me here!!!! with what they are charging i am SERIOUSLY considering changing proffessions.

please post the amount paid and if you were satisified with the quality

I truely believe if your going to spend the money in one or two areas, that the photography should be one of them. Prices generally run in Michigan from $2000.00 on up. My gal ran $3500.00+ when all was said & done. I was extremly satisified. The best advice I have is to go see them in action & research all their recent shots not ones from 15 yrs ago.

Most importantly have everything in writting, list everything that is included. Also what will be the cost if extra hours are need, extra film & how much each photo will cost you. They are not always included in the final packages. Do they do both Blk/Wht & color? Do they have assitants to help fix the dress & flowers?? If not always make sure the Maid of honor is there & doing so. Be careful & know what your getting. Congrats!

YOU GUYS ARE GREAT!!!!!! i feel much more prepared after chatting with the girls! i am gonna take notes before i go to bed of my questions for the photographers!

i need a wedding planner! hehehe just kidding i think this and the food will be the hardest part. i am not buying my dress till may-june so that i can be sure its the right size.

well you guys will get to see the handy work of who ever i chose! i'll be sure to post pics!

Not knowing where you live makes it hard for pricing because each area is so different. I just got married July 2, 2005 (Great Patriotic weekend for weddings I must say heh heh) and my photographer was awesome. She was visible to us while doing family and wedding party poses but, I barely knew she was there during the entire reception. She got such wonderful candid shots with no one specifically posing for them. I was amazed at how many shots she got of us walking around talking to our guests, dancing or private moments of whispering to each other. She got it all. AS a matter of fact....during the last dance is when I finally caught her aiming the camera at us hahaha. (She did tell me when she was close to getting all her shots and asked me if there was anything special I wanted to make sure she got. I thought that was great.) You can see her website at http://www.photographywithstyle.com/ Her package prices are great and she can mix and match items for you If you're in Mass or close...I'd give her a call Good Luck & Best wishes. If you need a hand with favors or other items, it's still fresh in my mind and I got great deals. Have you picked a theme for your wedding? Mine was, but of course...Patriotic Even our wedding rings have rubies (red), diamonds (white) and sapphires (blue)

I got married in 1990 and had to pay for our wedding by myself (and DH). So we couldn't afford a professional. My dear friend took our pictures and they came out pretty good. Looking back I wish I had a professional because you never get those days back. IMHO, get a good professional and make sure you sign a contract.

Our DJ backed out the day of our wedding, I was getting dressed and he didn't even have the nerve to call me, he had his "replacement" call and say he was doing my wedding. This guy did local bars on a friday night...so you can imagine. I mean it was better than nothing.

Contracts contracts contracts.... get em !!!! LOLOL

This is me, 165 lbs ........sigh.

Your yard is beautiful!

Unfortunately, the only way you're going to be sure to get a great photographer is to pound the pavement and visit them to see their work. My SIL ended up with a shiny nose in every picture, so I made the photograper my biggest splurge. I spent $2700 in Michigan and it was worth it.

On a side note, I was measured for my dress 3 months before the wedding. It came back at a 24 but I made them order me a size 18. Talk about inspiration to lose weight, lol! It fit perfectly after 3 months of Jane Fonda and starvation...

A friend of mine just got married last month. She found a photographer that was pretty good to do the group shots and such. But she and I bought 20 disposiable cameras and put them on the tables. The wedding guest got to take pictures through out the day. We got some GREAT SHOTS!!! The guest told us how much fun they had taking the pictures. It's like having 20 photographers all over the place.

We paid a little under $7000 for 2nd wedding (first wedding was spontaeous & out of state no wasn't enough time for others to attend, so we had a mock one upon our return). Pictures were done by professional photo-journalists. Their site is here.

Michelle,

I don't know much about photographers, but be careful leaving your dress so last minute. My sister had to order hers no less than 6 months in advance, and as a bridesmaid I had to order my dress in December as a rush order for it to be there in March for an April wedding!

I find it likely that you wont do the super designer dress like my sister did, but even still, if you've decided on a style, call around to see how far in advance you need to order it. Dresses can be altered slightly bigger, but you can just about always alter a dress so that it's smaller.

ShellyJ

I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a photographer for our wedding... so this is what I did.

I got 2 ladies that were close to the family to take pictures. One took black and white and the other color. We have over 1,000 pictures and it didn't cost us anything!!! Just the film and processing... If I would do it over again, I would just get digital cameras and take pics.

But, I do know that a lot of people like the fancy expensive photos, so it is really what kind of pics you want.

well i have decided on the photographer! he was my favorite. he offers a wedding book that is actually a hardcover book (coffee table book) that has your photos printed on the pages (thick like cardstock) its AWESOME!!!

the best part is.....i got a job out if it too! i do free lance graphic design and this wedding book has to have a custom layout for each wedding....well hes a photographer and it takes him FOREVER to do one! so yours truly is working a deal to this as free lance as well.

either way he is my photographer. his fee is $2,000 then you buy photo's on top of that. but the key is i will own the negatives so i dont have to get prints from him i can buy elsewhere.

marimaru, sarah- thanks for the other advice. i was actually just looking at dresses online. i have decided that i will likely buy the dress in the next few months after i have lost a few pounds. then hopefully i will loose a few more in the meantime and will need to get it slightly altered.

thanks to everyone who posted ideas! i am defintally gonna use some of these GREAT suggestions!

michelle