Crested Butte Wedding and Elopement Budgeting

3: What is your budget? This is important!!

Experience and Expertise: The Hard Truth

The experience of a photographer significantly impacts the quality of your photos. Experienced photographers have encountered various situations, allowing them to adapt and deliver great results. They have learned many do's and don'ts, and have learned from their mistakes. Mistakes happen, but you want the percentage chance of your photographer making a mistake on your wedding to be very verryyy LOW.

Experience or Budget for your Crested Butte Wedding or Elopement?

Unfortunately, you can't have both. We often think that we can stick to our budget and get that ONE photographer that we love. This just isn't the case. It is important to understand that if you are expecting to stay "budget friendly" and below $1,500 for your wedding or elopement, you have a choice to make between one of two things.

Crested Butte Wedding and Elopement Budgeting

1. Do I want to stick to my budget? Am I willing to bank on someone with less experience?

OR

2. Am I going to be okay with spending an extra amount of money to book my dream photographer in order for the end result to be one of high quality and professionalism?

If you are to choose to stick to your under $1,500 budget, reduce your expectation on the quality and end result of the photos. Recognize that with less experience there comes a potential for error. In sticking to your budget, find a photographer who is just starting out and getting their feet on the ground. Ask that individual to capture your wedding. Your day will then in fact be photographed, just don't be disappointed or surprised if the quality is not what you were hoping for.

When interviewing potential photographers, ask questions like:

• How many years have you been in photography?

• What type of events have you specialized in?

• Do you believe your expertise aligns with my vision for my day?

• Do you know the Crested Butte area very well? If so, can you direct me toward local Crested Butte Wedding vendors?

For example, a photographer who has shot over 50 weddings will likely navigate your big day with ease, ensuring to capture the moments to the best of their ability. This experience allows them to anticipate moments that deserve to be captured, making your images more impactful and memorable. If you are going to have a Crested Butte destination elopement or wedding, make sure your photographer knows all the ins and out of that community. Shop local and keep the businesses going in this adorable mountain town we get to call home!

If you are to choose your budget and ask for the raw files, understand what you are asking of that photographer. Most photographers do not give raw files and asking this often involves more money! If a photographer is giving you the raw files, they are giving you a coloring book that you can ultimate decide how the pictures turn out. That photographer is giving you their entire work of art they created, that in itself is no little task. They know where the best photos are, they know what they were trying to capture with each image. That means, not just anyone can pick up those photos and edit them to the fullest and quickest as that photographer would! Sharing raw files involves their time, expertise and an image sharing system that often costs an arm and a leg. You'll have to pay for that charge too!

You also then have to buy a external hard drive in order to save those files. Raw files are very large and take up a LOT of space. I would not suggest downloading them straight to your computer. If you do so, it will most likely take up your remaining computer's storage, slow your computer down and bog it up. Remember, in asking for the raw files, you still have to then spend your own time to edit the photos, or spend even more money to have someone else edit them for you.

In the end, do not expect your photographer to offer raw files. And if you do request raw files, understand that will come with an additional charge.

It's just a matter of picking your battles. In addition to your budget, ask your photographer about travel costs if your event is in a remote location. Being transparent about your budget with your local Crested Butte Wedding and Elopement Photographer helps their business to customize their services to meet your needs.

4: Do You Want Everything Documented?

Do you want to have a photographer taking photos of you all day? Or do you want them to come late or leave early?

It all depends on what is most important to you on the day-of. If you are wanting to spend the majority of your day with your guests and cherish those moments with them then maybe it is worth limiting your photography package hours so you don't feel on the spot all day.

If you want that intimate time with your guest but don't want to miss out on special in-between moments, keep the photographer there and be willing to spend the extra dime. Those in between moments often create the most unique and cherished images! Extra time and hours allow the photographer to have the flexibility they need to create art. When they have an extra hour to run around, they can get more details photos, notice your mother putting that gifted necklace around your neck, your grandparents happy tears after the ceremony, capturing your Crested Butte wedding or elopement venue as a whole more thoroughly and so much more.

Lovely moments happen throughout your Wedding or Elopement day and often the bride and groom leave only remembering certain details that heavily popped out to them. Sometimes they even leave feeling exhausted from hosting and all they can think about is the honeymoon. This is why having a photographer there all day can be HUGE in order to freeze those moments in time for you. It's like having a fly on the wall to capture the sweet moment throughout your day that are easily forgotten, but too priceless to forget.

If you want to make sure you get photos of your exit, then keep your photographer until the exit. If you don't want sweaty photos of you dancing the night away, don't keep the photographer there. However!! I would say I've been to some epic wedding dance parties and personally I believe those are too priceless to not have them photographed.

If you are working with a budget, I suggest having the photographer there for the last minute stages of putting on your dress/getting ready up until right after the first dances. Make sure you get sunset photos of just the two of you, you won't regret that extra 15 minutes you took to step away and create magic! These are typically the photos that my clients frame on their walls.

5: Do you want full printing rights?

Meaning, do you want to be able to print your photos from wherever and whenever you want? Make sure you fully read your photography contract before signing to see if your photographer offers this feature.

This is a little hidden bonus. Not every Crested Butte photographer gives you printing rights!! Note this and take it into consideration when you go to pay the photographer for your services. Recognize that often this may make a photographer's final price look cheaper from the outside (since prints are not included), but you will be paying more in the end. Meaning, maybe you will not actually be in budget like you thought you would be by the time you pay the additional amount for prints after your wedding! However, there are photographers like me (shameless plug) who do give you full printing rights and ultimately no restrictions on printing your images. In my personal/humble opinion.. you are paying for your images, you should be able to do with them what you are wanting to do with them.

Then again, out of respect, understand that when you pay a photographer, you are paying for their art, style and edited images. So decide with your fiancé if you want to stick to your budget or go with your dream photographer. Choose wisely, and be confident with your choice at the end of the day!

Like what you are seeing? Let's chat about how we can make your dream become a reality!

Contact Jacey Kate Photography today!