Do I need a second photographer on my wedding day?
I’ve recently spent a few a days exhibiting my work at the National Wedding Show in London and having spoken to numerous couples, a question kept coming up time and again. Do I need a second photographer on my wedding day? There isn’t one straight answer to this as it depends on many factors to do with your wedding and your priorities. I’ve drawn up a list here of things to consider when deciding whether to have one or not.
logistics during your wedding day
If you have thought through your wedding day timeline and maybe even imagined the photos you want at every stage, it might start to be clear that one person will not be able to capture everything you want. For example, the getting ready shots. Where this is applicable:
- If you’re getting ready in completely different places. Tricky to be in two places at once! I have swapped between both parties before now but it’s not really viable if you’re more than 10 minutes away from each other. Having another photographer with the other bride/groom means two sets of getting ready shots.
- At the ceremony. I do move around from the front to the back to get different angles. However, if you want a photographer from the point at which your partner is going to walk in then it makes sense to have someone there. As the principle photographer I will be at the front of the ceremony space to concentrate on the person at the front waiting (often nervously!)
- Reception drinks. I can cover a lot of natural documentary style photos during this part of the day. However there will be a time when I spend up to 45 minutes taking the group shots and the couple portrait shots. Obviously with a second shooter on board they can dedicate the entire reception drinks time to taking natural shots.
What’s the size of your wedding
As a rule of thumb I tend to say to people for a wedding of up to 100 guests having one photographer is manageable. It can start to get challenging to capture everyone if it’s a wedding of 120+.
cost implications
While cost shouldn’t be the only factor when making decisions for your wedding day, it is a big one. I charge £350 for having a second photographer so obviously you have to factor that into your budget.
in summary
There is no one size fits all for your wedding day and you have to decide what will work best for you on the day. If you’re having a videographer as well it can start to feel a bit busy on the supplier front but equally having a fully rounded set of images is also something to be cherished. All the images that a second photographer takes will be editing by me so the style stays consistent throughout.
To see more of my work visit my full gallery here.
