5 reasons you should splurge on your wedding photos

Hiring a professional photographer can look like an extravagance, but here are five reasons why your wedding photos should be one of your big splurges.

When it comes to planning your big day, it's tempting to save wherever you can. Hiring a professional photographer can look like an extravagance, but hiring an amateur could end up being the biggest mistake of your wedding day. Here are five reasons why your wedding photos should be one of your big splurges.

• Once your big day is past, your wedding photos are what you have left to look back on. You want to have pictures that show you and your spouse looking fabulous and happy, not an album full of poorly-lit, unflattering photos of you with your mouth full of wedding cake.
• A pro will know how to shoot you in a flattering light, how to work with the conditions on the day, and your wedding album will showcase a day as amazing as you remember it.

• A professional knows how to manage guests and get through group photos quickly and without offending anyone.
• They will also be there on time and sober — something you can't be sure of with an amateur — and they will do everything photo-related without you needing to do a thing so you can get on with enjoying your day.

• Your wedding day is a one-time deal. There are no second chances if it goes wrong. If your amateur photographer friend spends all his time shooting photos of your hot best friend in her bridesmaid dress rather than the shots he was meant to get, there's no way to go back.
• Can you really afford to risk not getting any of the shots you wanted of your wedding day?

• An amateur won't have the experience to look for those special moments that happen spontaneously — little interactions between key people in your life, moments you'll miss completely if they're not captured.
• Not only that, but amateurs often miss key moments like The Kiss, simply due to inexperience. Can you imagine your wedding album without a shot of something as important as The Kiss?

• An amateur will not have the equipment or the experience to plan for the unexpected.
• He will not have a second shooter, second camera or someone to call if he falls off a ladder the day before the wedding and breaks both legs. A pro will have all those eventualities covered.

For your big day, a professional wedding photographer is one of the expenses that should be at the top of your list. You'll never regret having stunning wedding photos.