Should I Accept To Do My First Wedding?

Submitted by Syv Ritch on 15. June 2011 - 16:18

I have been asked to do a wedding. I have ranted and raved about never doing weddings. It's not my cup of tea. Here are some the dozens posts of my swearing that I will never do weddings: http://www.foto-biz.com/search/node/wedding

I will get paid a big fat 0, zero, zip, nada, zilch, nothing. I already hear the screams:

  • He doesn't know what he's doing
  • He's stealing the job of real wedding photographers
  • He's devaluating the profession

Now may be you need the information:

  • Who? 2 people that are penniless. Really, it's not their claim, they really are, I kind of know them, I have seen them on the streets. The question is could they afford $100? And the answer is no, it's that or the rent.
  • Where? The Downtown Eastside1, just across the “park”. That park at night is a drugs shooting gallery, crack/cocaine…, just 2 blocks away from the Main police station. No place to hang around especially at night.
  • When? Sometimes in September 2011. Daytime for sure.
  • Why? They've seen my cats and dogs from the Downtown Eastside photos and they want “some good photos not from a point and shoot camera”.

Please note that:

  1. I haven't made my final decision yet
  2. In the Downtown Eastside, people talk like something will be done, but it's not always the case. They want to get married, doesn't mean that they are getting married. They have to get the license, they have to make the arrangements, things happens like Police, drugs, jail…

If you want to add your comment, please use the contact me form at http://www.foto-biz.com/contact, and your comment will be posted.

Update 25-Jun-2011:

I have accepted under 2 conditions:

  1. I have to be in town.
  2. I need a full month notice (so I can figure out what I'm going to be doing), with a firm date.

17-Jun-2011:

Hi! Generally I would say: "Do it!" Helping people who have nothing, is a great thing to do. However I would suggest that you factor in the possibility of the wedding not happening at all. So let them get the paperwork done first and have them reapproach you once they're good to go.

Greetings from Finland,

Jan

17-Jun-2011

You will remember having done a kindness on your dark days in the future

23-Jun-2011

You know what? It would be a damn nice thing to do - probably the nicest thing for them in a long time. Go for it!

Hi from South Africa.

Roger

25-Jun-2011

Explain to the couple that you are not a wedding photographer and would be glad to take pictures for them. Also explain that they are getting your experience for no money.(You usually get what you pay for in this business) I have taken wedding pictures for friends as a backup to the "PRO" and my picture is above their fireplace!! It's an experience that some of us have taken upon ourselves and survived and friends are still friends. Your choice to say yes or no. Good Luck

Fred

  1. Vancouver, the city where I live, is one of the richest city in the world. The average detached house price is 1.2 million dollars (Canadian which is slightly more than the US dollar) and they sell like hot-cakes, no real-estate recession here. Vancouver is also home for the poorest people in Canada and I think of the poorest people for the whole of North America (Canada & US). The area is called the “Downtown Eastside”. Drugs, alcohol, prostitution, gambling… you name it. Drug dealers across the street of the Main police station. Injecting drugs on the sidewalk of major streets… ↩