How much does it cost to hire a professional photographer and videographer for my wedding in the GTA? This is a very common and very important question by many Toronto brides and grooms looking to make the right choice. With hundreds of options on the web, looking for that perfect combination of price and style can be very difficult. What’s more important, the price or the style? Most brides and grooms will agree that its always best to spend a bit more money “to get what you pay for” as most parents will agree with this last statement.

The days of saving a buck because your uncle Joe bought a camera from Walmart and swears that he will do an amazing job capturing your vows, but realizes once the vows are over, that the record button was never clicked. Yes folks, this is a true story and you don’t want that uncle at your wedding! Just have uncle Joe, sit back and enjoy the day as the “professionals” handle the day.

What about the famous “weekend warriors” the guys who work during the week as a barista at a coffee shop and on the weekends shoot weddings. Why is that bad you ask? Well lets explain… The Barista guy has no actual or physical office space, therefore he has no ties to the clients. He’s a free bird with no real responsibilities. One weekend he goes camping with friends, the next month he gets offered to shoot a family birthday in Mexico. Oh, what’s the point you ask? The point is, that the weekend warrior just double booked himself for your wedding and will now be in Mexico with his buddies instead of at your special event!  While hiring a professional photo and video studio, you will never have to deal with these nightmares!

So lets get back to the question… What should a bride and groom spend on a professional photo and video company in the GTA? Well, the answer is simple… As much as you possibly can afford! But before you do so, make sure the company is reputable and has been around for a minimum of 25 + years. Make sure the company has an actual brick and mortar location. Meeting at Starbucks to view a portfolio spells disaster!

With so many companies going belly up or changing their names to hide bad reviews, you need to protect your investment. A company with 25 years experience and keeping the same name is a choice for you!

What about coverage? Full day, or hourly? We say, go big or go home! The photo and video team should be there from the beginning of the grooms house, capturing shots of him getting ready right up until the party is hopping at the reception hall. 10pm should be a good ending point in order to have captured enough footage from the wedding day! This will allow the editing department to have enough footage to create an outstanding album and enough footage to create a brilliant video that will last for years to come. From approximately 5-6 hours of professional footage captured from a full day wedding, the editor can easily put together a full day edit of around 30-40 minutes plus a beautiful 5-7 minute highlight reel or flashback.

What about albums for the bride and groom and parents, and wall art such as metal prints, acrylic prints and canvases? Super important to have those options. Make sure your photo company of choice offers these products. Imagine being stuck with a USB filled with images that you cant print from. You want a photo company that can say, “hey, lets show you how amazing your wedding photos can look mounted on a metal or acrylic print on your living room wall”.

In conclusion, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and feel super comfortable with the studio you fall in love with. You are getting into a long term relationship with your photo and video company and you should expect coverage starting from the engagement session all the way to picking up your final wedding memories. While sitting back with a glass of wine reminiscing on how young you both were when you got married.

If you’re looking for the right studio that offers all of the above mentioned and so much more. Quarum Photo + Video might be your studio of choice. With over 35 years of professional experience capturing thousands of wedding in the GTA, Quarum has you covered! From the super exciting engagement shoots, to the first photo of the groom getting ready. Quarum Photo + Video will be there till 11pm capturing all your breath taking moments. Quarum has you covered in every way possible.

Contact Quarum today for a free in studio consultation. Info@quarum.com or 905-850-9596