Do We Need a Second Photographer for Our Wedding?

If you’re beginning your search for photographers, you might be wondering if you need a second photographer for your wedding.

First off, what does a 2nd photographer provides for your wedding? They can provide dedicated coverage of the groom getting ready, while the main photographer has uninterrupted coverage of the bride getting ready. 2nd photographers also provide different angles than the main photographer of the same moment. For example, two different angles of beautiful ceremony moments such as the groom’s reaction and the bride’s on the aisle.

Why You Need a Second Photographer

• When you and your fiancé are getting ready in separate rooms and you want coverage of both of you.
• If you have over 30 guests, it becomes more difficult for 1 photographer to thoroughly cover larger weddings alone.
• If you have an extremely tight timeline and it won’t be possible for your photographer to, say, get images of the bride and groom together and get images of the reception room details.
• You want lots of candid images of guests and your family and friends that the 2nd photographer will take while the main photographer is shooting portraits or details.
• You want to have multiple angles of the same moment.

When You Might Not Need a Second Photographer

• When your budget doesn’t allow for one and you really don’t mind losing out on the things they would have provided. Just know what you’ll miss out on so your expectations are managed properly.
• When you have a really small number of guests. My recommendation would be that you don’t need a second photographer for weddings with a small venue and less than 30 guests. It’s really easy for one photographer to cover everything at intimate weddings, although it’s still beneficial to have two if you can.
• When you’re eloping and it’s just the 2 of you :-)

If you’re still unsure of whether or not you need a second photographer, know that it is always beneficial to have two shooters. I would always encourage couples to have two because you’ll gain so much more out of your images by having a larger variety of photos.