{"id":3328,"date":"2022-08-12T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-12T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michellegodfreyphoto.com\/?p=3328"},"modified":"2022-08-11T14:36:36","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T18:36:36","slug":"my-experience-photographing-a-friends-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michellegodfreyphoto.com\/?p=3328","title":{"rendered":"My Experience Photographing a Friend’s Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a full-time wedding and elopement photographer, I\u2019ve heard from many<\/em> other photographers that they would hesitate<\/em> to photograph a friend or family\u2019s wedding. While I\u2019m sure many photographers have their own reasons as to why, I wanted to share my experience photographing a friend\u2019s wedding. If you\u2019re a photographer contemplating whether you should or shouldn\u2019t shoot that friend (or family member\u2019s) wedding, this one\u2019s for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought the best way to go about this would be to actually interview a past bride – who just so happens to be one of my closest friends. Lindsey and her husband, Darek, tied the knot back in May. The process of hiring a photographer for a wedding is typically a lengthy process, since most couples book their wedding vendors early on in the wedding planning process. So when interviewing Lindsey, I wanted to discuss the process as a whole- from beginning to end. I asked Lindsey 3 questions, to which I also discuss my own perspective. Let\u2019s dive in! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Was it nerve wracking at all or stressful talking to a friend about the booking process?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lindsey:<\/strong> <\/em>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t awkward at all! I thought our communication was great during the entire process. Michelle was straight forward about her pricing and what was included, which was great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From my end, I wanted to ensure that Lindsey and Darek received the same experience as any other client of mine. It\u2019s always a goal of mine to go above and beyond when serving my clients – from the very first inquiry to when their gallery is delivered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My biggest piece of advice to other photographers would be to keep this in mind. While you may feel tempted to take a casual approach to the initial meeting, I find it best to still remain professional. I explained each package, and recommended what I thought would best fit the vision for their day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lindsey has always been super supportive of my photography business. I never felt like there was an expectation to shoot her wedding for free; which I think would result in a very toxic situation. While you may feel tempted to \u201cas a wedding gift\u201d, you could end up resenting the couple in the end. And, the couple may resent you<\/em> as the photographer if they don\u2019t feel like they received the \u2018full package\u2019. As a photographer, you still deserve to be paid. And as a bride\/couple, it\u2019s important to respect your photographer + friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What advice can you give other brides who are thinking of asking a friend to work their wedding?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lindsey: <\/em><\/strong>\u201cI think it\u2019s important to understand and respect<\/em> that if you\u2019re asking your friend to work a wedding, they are of course your friend, but it\u2019s also their business. A level of respect for that is so important!! \u2026 I tried to respect her time (especially when we weren\u2019t getting together for wedding stuff).\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Being respectful of time is crucial to working with a friend; from both the bride\u2019s perspective as well as the photographer\u2019s. Just as Lindsey didn\u2019t want to ask me questions when we were just hanging out, I didn\u2019t want to overwhelm her with excessive information; it doesn\u2019t make sense in the initial booking process to go into every single detail. Planning a wedding is stressful<\/em>. The last thing I ever want is to make a bride feel overwhelmed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also completely agree that there needs to be some separation; wedding photographer + friend vs. friend + friend.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Did you still feel like I was a part of your day and was able to enjoy each other\u2019s company?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lindsey:<\/em><\/strong> \u201cYes, 100%! It felt like having her as a bridesmaid who also was taking our photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When Lindsey got engaged, she told me she was having a hard time deciding whether she wanted me to be a bridesmaid or photograph her wedding. We discussed that I would be able to spend the same amount of time with her on her day whether I was a photographer or a bridesmaid. So once she decided to go ahead with booking me, I felt like it was so special getting to capture the day for her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was able to spend time with the rest of the bridal party during hair and makeup, and go everywhere with the entire wedding party. After dinner, Lindsey came up to me and told me to put my camera down to come celebrate. It was truly the best of both worlds. I’m so thankful that my experience photographing a friend’s wedding went as well as it did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Do you have any additional comments?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lindsey:<\/em><\/strong> \u201cIt was just so fun to have Michelle taking our pics and being there for all those moments. It made the moments feel so much more intimate and special. I was relaxed and just myself, especially when I wouldn\u2019t consider myself someone who\u2019s \u201cgood in front of the camera\u201d.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photographing Lindsey and Darek\u2019s wedding was just such a blast; my husband was even a groomsman. I felt like I even had an advantage knowing both the bride and groom so well. While I do my very best to get to know every couple before their wedding, I already knew them like the back of my hand. Knowing their mannerisms gave me an advantage to know that Darek was definitely<\/em> going to cry all day. \ud83d\ude09 It just really added to the experience to know them so well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all, my experience photographing a friend\u2019s wedding was exactly as I had hoped. From what I\u2019ve seen online, I know that not many photographers talk about this topic. While in most businesses, \u201cdon\u2019t mix business with pleasure\u201d seems to be the mantra, photographing a wedding is a whole other ballgame. My biggest piece of advice for couples or photographers is to go with your gut, establish boundaries, and weigh the rewards vs. risks. Definitely prepare for some water works while editing your friend’s photos but I hope this was helpful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shoot me a message on Instagram (@michellegodfreyphoto<\/a>) and let me know if you would photograph a friend or family\u2019s wedding! And if you\u2019re looking for more blog content? CLICK HERE TO BINGE THE LATEST<\/em><\/strong>\u2728<\/a> But for now, prepare to swoon over Lindsey and Darek’s beautiful wedding day.<\/p>\n\n\n

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