by Jetweb
Trust me, choosing a wedding photographer is a big deal!
A good friend is getting married in April and I was rather shocked when she mentioned that she was asking her uncle to be the wedding photographer. So why the shock? I know that she getting married at one of the most expensive wedding venues in the area. I know that she is paying a small fortune for the dress.
I know that the award-winning caterer does nothing on the cheap. I know she has been dreaming of the perfect wedding since she was three. And, I also know that her retired takes really bad photographs!
We really are good friends; so I did what any good friend would do – invited her for tea to discuss the matter of getting a good wedding photographer. (No wine – she is not drinking alcohol at the moment in pursuit of perfect complexion and waistline for the big day.) Five minutes into the conversation, I managed to raise the matter of the wedding photographer. Her response really was astounding for such a bright woman – wedding photographers charge too much and it is a schlep to find a good one as there are so many out there. Surely her beloved uncle could take the photographs. He and his wife travel to the Kruger Park every winter and he takes hundreds of photographs….
I thought I was going to choke on my Earl Grey. Here was my best friend, who has been dreaming of the perfect wedding for 24 years, willing to put her most beautiful day in the hands of somebody who photographs large herds of kudus and cuts off the horns in the photographs! And so what if it takes a bit of time and research to find the perfect wedding photographer? She did not choose the first dress she saw; and I recall numerous hours of internet research to find the perfect cake. Perhaps I should also just mention that said friend’s home is filled with photographs – in frames, on canvass, on the fridge, on every wall and in every room. Surely you want the best photographs to remember you most beautiful day for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? She needed a good wedding photographer.
Two pots of tea and a few tissues later, I had convinced her to employ a professional wedding photographer. I would help her look at on-line portfolios. We would ask friends (whose wedding photographs we liked) for names and references. We would meet with the selected wedding photographer to make sure she was comfortable with them. We would discuss requirements and price. We would find the perfect wedding photographer!
While we waited for the waiter to bring the bill, she showed me some photographs of her niece’s christening. The little white frilly dress was beautiful, pity one could not see the baby’s face. Guess which uncle took the photographs?!
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