A wedding is a costly event to organise and everyone understands that with everything that needs to be considered for the biggest day of your life. You might think getting a friend to do certain things would help you save money but it doesn’t always work out that way. You might end up with bad photos, crappy sound at the reception a disaster cake and the list goes on. But let’s weigh the options in getting a wedding professional vs a friend for the 3 things that POPS up as soon as you have a venue of the wedding.

Photographer

Pros of hiring a Friend:

The cost is likely to be Zero or if they charge something, very cheap in comparison to a professional photographer.
You are saving a huge amount of money.
You are saving a huge amount of time trying to find the perfect photographer.
You do not need to get accustomed to a stranger, as you already know uncle Joe and he’s a friendly guy.
You probably get the photographs very quickly – within a few days of your wedding, as they probably do not spend much time editing the photos.
You probably get a lot more photographs, probably all of the ones they took, on a USB or CD.
You can buy an album yourself as well as order prints and then craft your own wedding album.
You can go to a high street lab and get prints for a very cheap price.
You can talk to your friend openly about what you want and send them photos you found online so they can re-create them on your wedding day.
They probably have no time limit on the wedding day and take photos from the morning right through until the dancing in the evening.

Cons of Hiring a Friend:

They are unlikely to have business insurance (if someone trips over their tripod, there is no insurance in place). If they are ill and cannot attend, same thing. They will unlikely be able to find a zero-cost replacement.
They do not have much experience directing people and arranging groups of people to create amazing photographs (but if you do not want group photographs, that’s not a problem).
They are probably not confident speaking to strangers and re-arranging people if something does not look great in a photograph.
The final photographs will not “pop” which means they are likely to lack the WOW effect you get with most images from professional photographers.
The wedding albums you can order yourself are not luxurious and stylish as the ones professional photographers have access to. Professional wedding album suppliers do not sell their albums to customers directly, but only to professional photographers.
The prints you can buy from high street labs will not be colour-corrected and can have a colour cast, which means all your prints may look purple, or too dark, as the staff in a superstore do not understand colour correction.

Pros for hiring a Wedding Professional:

Years of experience at hundreds of weddings in your area and further afield.
A confident personality to deal with all the situations a wedding can present.
Experience at different weather situations, such as rain, storm, fog, winter and summer weddings.
Experience at different venues, such as ceremonies in venues without windows and only lit by candlelight, outside ceremonies, in churches and cathedrals as well as hotel weddings.
Experience at weddings with different numbers of people – from a handful of wedding guests to several hundred guests.
They have developed a photography style which is contemporary and classic and will stand the test of time.
They have professional insurance.
They have backup equipment.
They can create a good rapport with people quickly.
They have experience in talking to a large number of people and being politely assertive.
They work with the venue staff to fit in with your plans and the venue’s schedule and make sure everything runs according to plan.
The wedding photographs after your wedding will tell a story of your wedding day in a collection of amazing photographs.
They have access to professional wedding albums.
They can produce professionally produced photographic prints as well as other wall display products which are colour-corrected and will not fade.

Click here for a list of best votes Wedding Photography

Cons of hiring a Professional:

You have to build up trust with a stranger.
It will cost you a professional fee which will be substantially different from hiring an amateur.
It will take time to find the photographer which is the right one for you.
You need to wait for your photographs to be edited professionally, this can be four weeks and often even longer after your wedding.
You may have to pay extra for wedding albums.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you that the photographs you will receive after your wedding will be breath-taking, natural, fun, with outstanding attention to detail, edited to a top professional standard, and contain the story of your wedding day exactly how you want to remember it?

If you are doubtful in any way, please do not feel pressured into booking the photography with your friend/amateur wedding photographer.

Wedding DJ

Pros of hiring a friend

They are cheap or cost free

Cons of hiring a friend

No professional equipment
No Arsenal of songs
No experience
Does not MC

Pros of Hiring a Wedding Professional

A great DJ will also MC and keep the party flowing and keep tabs on your crowd
They have an horde of songs
They have working professional equipment for great sound
They aren’t that expensive but they make a huge difference
They maintain a professional image
They will setup and breakdown
They are dependable and they know how to communicate

Click here for a list of the best Wedding DJ

Cons of hiring a professional

They cost more

Wedding Cake

Pros of hiring a friend

Saving Costs

Cons of hiring a friend

Does not have years of experience
Cake might not be properly supported or decorated or even recipe might be terrible. Doesn’t matter which of these it is your cake will be a disaster.