WEDDING REGRETS SERIES: NOT HIRING WEDDING PROFESSIONALS
Photo Credit : Olivera Photography
This is a series of posts about what married couples wish they would have done differently when planning a destination wedding (not our couples if need be to say!). Of course, no newlyweds will blatantly say that their wedding sucked, but all too often, couples spend huge amounts of money in their wedding and are left resentful about not doing certain things the right way.
In my experience working destination weddings in Tahiti for many years, the one regret that tops it all is for many couples to think that destination means they can forego some vendors because this is a smaller celebration so smaller = easier, right? Not so fast.
What Married Couples Would Do Differently If They Had A Second Chance At Planning A Destination Wedding : Hiring Wedding Professionals
Follow me on this series and you’ll learn how best to plan your destination wedding in Tahiti and how to avoid disenchantment.
Whether you are planning your destination wedding in Tahiti, or you will be eloping to Tahiti to have an intimate wedding ceremony in a dreamy scenery, big or small, this day has to be special.
You should shorten the odds on making it a dream wedding, so that you don’t leave any room for regrets later.
Out of the many regrets that couples can have after the day of the wedding, the regret of not hiring wedding professionals in order to save some money is well in the lead.
I Would Have Spent The Money to Hire Wedding Professionals
Couples know that a wedding is a big financial commitment. With that in mind, they will sometimes want to cut expenses where they don’t think they will miss it, to be smart with their money.
So when it comes to saving money, they figure, “Why hire a professional when I can do it myself?”
It’s true…you can definitely save money by doing things yourselves, or having your friends do it for you. But it usually comes at a hidden cost.
There are some areas where hiring wedding professionals is a must. Period.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of including your guests in the wedding day. By all means, have Cousin Dave who is a passionate of photography, take shots throughout the day with his top quality camera, or ask your brother to perform a song he wrote on the guitar. But see these as added bonuses to what your wedding professionals will deliver on the wedding day.
You can’t expect amateurs and hobbyists to deliver a professional performance at your wedding.
There will be awkward gaps. They will miss some of those important moments. An amateur won’t know what to do when something goes wrong, which usually means that things will get worse.
If you love your friends and family…and you’d like to keep it that way…don’t hire them for your wedding day.
WARNING: If you decide to hire an amateur or a talented friend to provide a service for your wedding day, make sure you adjust your expectations. If less than a perfect performance is going to make you unhappy, don’t do it.
For example, it wouldn’t be a wise decision to skip hiring a professional wedding photographer, thinking that Dave will be great. Or that this photographer who offers a giant deal will be delivering exceptional images. You (most often) get what you pay for. It might save some money, but you may as well have regrets all your life.
©Next Exit Photography
Many couples think that their friends will do a fine job in capturing the photographs of their wedding.
They don’t understand that unlike professional photographers, amateurs will not always see the best angles, evaluate proper lighting and other technical considerations. They might as well miss important moments while they’re chatting with friends and simply enjoying the wedding… you can’t be a guest and “acting vendor”. Speaking of that…
Having a pro to coordinate the event is also extremely important. Sure, many of your friends and family members have offered to give you a hand on the day, but how far can you trust their goodwill, and will they even remember that they offered to help? Do you really want your BFF or your mother to go crazy and be anxious about running everything right all day long?
The day of the wedding will be over in a split second.
When your “acting photographer” will send you the wedding photos, a plethora of unpleasant surprises may wash over you. What if most of the photographs are blurred? What if every photo is under or over exposed? What if you’re browsing the photos only to realize that it is missing key moments of the day? And should we talk about your DIY make-up running off your face as the day goes by, or the foundation that your talented friend applied on you that was not adequate under a tropical climate ? Those things make a huge difference in the photos. You will understand what a mistake it was to forego hiring wedding professionals. Next time you will see someone’s beautiful wedding photographs, you will feel sorry for yourself.
Wedding photography is more than owning a decent camera and the ability to take pictures. It is about having technical expertise and a keen eye to capture all the special moments of the wedding. A professional wedding photographer in Tahiti will tell the story of your wedding day through his/her photographs, and through editing, too.
Wedding coordination is more than hanging décor; it involves planning everything from who will be bussing tables and chairs, to directing all the vendors and making sure everything goes as planned, that is having everyone ready in the right place at the right time, and that the unexpected goes well, too. It requires experience and as a matter of fact, a coordinator rarely have any time to even eat so think twice before asking one of your guests or family members to be that coordinator.
You’ve got to think about the big picture. If you’re thinking about a Do It Yourself project, ask yourself:
Do I have the skill to pull this off? Will I enjoy doing it or will it create more stress? Do I have the time? Can I accept amateur results?
If something is super important to your dream destination wedding in Tahiti, don’t try to do it yourself.
** last updated on July 13, 2020 **
Other Posts In This Wedding Regrets Series:
Wedding Regrets Series: Not Communicating About Money
Wedding Regrets Series: Not Planning Your Destination Wedding Early