Chris Jack Photography

Chris Jack Photography

My suggestion would be to simply reduce the number of hours coverage and/or the complexity of the wedding photography coverage. For example, couples portraits require planning and site visits beforehand to execute properly. This may mean the photographer needing to visit the location of couples portraits the day before to observe the lighting and choose appropriate scenes at the same time of the day.

Taking family group photos with a pleasing background also required the photographer to be early on the day, or to complete a site visit beforehand. Hiring a documentary style wedding photographer (professional photographer, not amateur) and not requesting couples portraits may mean less preparation and therefore cost (for some - not all photographers).

I offer discounted pricing for wedding photography in these circumstances (no couples portraits), but not every photographer will be able to.

The other approach is to simply look at the day and hire a professional for the most difficult or important stages only. Normally this will be the ceremony, family group photos and couples portraits (if required). The problem with this approach is that if the reception is at night time, then this will also become a difficult stage to capture due to flash lighting. You may have to compromise on certain stages of the day (for example foregoing coverage of the reception).

You will also find that photographers (and all suppliers in general) are much more flexible and less expensive on any day than a Saturday. Getting married on a Thursday or Friday for example should give you more options. 

I would not recommend approaching a student or amateur to capture your wedding because I know how difficult it can be to do properly and reliably (even for a professional). You may be better off finding a wedding photographer who has some experience (say 6 months to a year) but is still in the stages of building up their portfolio. 

If you absolutely must hire a student or amateur photographer, then that will be risky, but this might be mitigated by hiring at least two photographers just in case one pulls out at the last minute, or is not as effective as you might have hoped. 

At the very least, I would recommend hiring a professional for the arrival of guests at the ceremony and the cermony itself, and whatever else you can afford and budget for. I hope this helps, and all the best with your wedding planning!