We get it. Having a wedding is a lot of money. Costs add up quick. And maybe it’s crossed your mind to axe the wedding reception from your photographers timeline. You can get by on IPhone photos…right? From someone who is a photographer, and who was recently married, I can tell you my biggest regret was not hiring the photographers for longer during our reception. We thought we had it covered until 10 PM – but our wedding was a party, and I wish I had more of those moments. Here’s a few reasons why we believe you should hire a photographer for your wedding reception.
Key Moments During The Reception
During the reception there’s the obvious key moments that usually happen. There’s the first dances, the speeches, the cake cutting, any games etc. Whatever your key moments are they should be documented. Some of you may be thinking – “I’m not that traditional, I don’t have many moments, we aren’t doing [insert traditional reception thing here]”. I totally get that too! We weren’t traditional in our wedding either. We didn’t have speeches, we didn’t have a wedding cake, we didn’t do any of the wedding games – so for us this wasn’t a big factor either, which led us to believe we had the reception covered, however, for us in the end the key moments weren’t the traditional moments, it was the real moments.
The Real Moments
I can easily say some of my favorite photos are the real moments showcasing the fun, the happiness, and the love throughout the day. How often will you ever have all the people you love in the same room again celebrating? Chances are, it probably won’t happen again. That’s why the real moments are key! Those candid shots of you and you significant other, your parents crying, grandma laughing, friends being ridiculous, those epic dance moves, those drinks in your hands, the sing off on the dance floor, those tears during a heart to heart – those are the real moments, those are the key moments. These type of moments usually only happen during the reception. Some of the couples we asked after the wedding was finished, what were your top 3 moments? Followed by the wedding itself, it was always moments from their reception – being with their family and friends.
The Wedding Decorations
You’ve spent hours on Pinterest, you have glue all over your house from attempted DIY projects, you’ve had girls nights galore making those wedding favors – a lot goes into decorating your wedding to give it the vibe you want! For the most part, most of all these decorations and details you’ve worked so hard on happen during the reception. If you don’t have a photographer for the reception, most of these details will go unnoticed. Trust us when we say, your day goes by so fast! It flies by, and you won’t even notice that you had centerpieces on the table! What? No! Those big beautiful centerpieces that you handmade – yeah you won’t notice that. Once you get your photos back, you’ll love seeing all the details that went into your wedding.
The Lighting
Lighting in receptions can be a tricky beast. The lighting can range from dark, different colors of lights, to uneven lighting, to uplighting – you name it. Simply put, a point and shoot or a smartphone just can’t handle the lighting conditions as well as a professional photographer with the right equipment (and the know how to use it). You might miss some great moments just because you didn’t have the right lighting for your camera.
At the end of the day, your wedding photos should tell the story of your day. Your wedding is a day of happiness, fun, and love – and what says that more than a party filled with the people that love and care for you. The only thing you’ll have once the wedding is done is your memories – and photos are the best way of preserving those.
