Assuming you don’t want to use a photographer that sucks, here are some ways you can save money on your wedding photography bill.

Get Married On A Friday Or Sunday
Most weddings take place on Saturdays and one photographer can only be in one place at one time. In central PA, the peak wedding season is short because we don’t have great weather all year. That means if someone wants to make a living photographing weddings, they have to either charge a decent enough amount, get a second job or eat ramen all winter. Friday & Sunday weddings are like dessert, so you can get a great discount. This applies to wedding venues & other vendors as well.

Enter As Many Giveaways As You Can
There are many established wedding photographers offering free photography to one lucky couple as a promotion. If you love their work and the deadline isn’t too far off, give it a try. You can also get your dress, DJ and other things/services for free, which will leave you more money to spend on your photographer.

Hire Someone Who Works Out Of Their Home
Studios are expensive, so if your photographer owns one the cost is passed on to you.

Hire Your Photographer For Less Hours
A lot of people do this, but it’s a tricky one since weddings never run on time. Be prepared to pay overtime if you choose this option, or better yet…

Hire A Photographer Who Doesn’t Count Hours
There are some photographers, myself included, who don’t care about the amount of hours we shoot. We have a flat rate, so you won’t have to pay any overtime or give up good reception pictures.

Let The Photographers Come to You
This is another tricky one, because you could be missing out on your perfect match. You will, however, get tons of offers. Do this if you have a lot of time to filter thru these offers. All you have to do is post your wedding info (date, location, budget) on wedding planning sites that vendors frequent and wait for responses. Please don’t do this unless you are serious about hiring someone, because in most cases the vendors have to pay money just to get your information. That said, if you aren’t interested in someone’s offer you should at least reply to them.

Get Hired Yourself
Make sure you let your photographer know what you do for a living… they may be looking for a service that you provide.