Photographer: "Sorry, your wedding is too small"

Where abouts are you? I think thats a dreadful thing to say to a potential client.

WVS! A good photographer would never say that!

Im really shocked! what difference does the size of the wedding make???? if youre still paying a decent amount of money then i cant see a problem. Id say just try and find another photographer that you like, im sure they wont give you the same answer, good luck!

i agree with Vic, i think its awful how they have treated you!! not over reacting, and woudl be super hacked off !

Sounds like your better finding somebody else who actually cares, rather than somebody that doesnt! At least you know what the company is like now rather than later x

I would be so annoyed at that! Keep looking - there's loads of great photographers out there who would be delighted to take your photos.

Def their loss!

What a kn*b!

That is appalling. If you're paying the same fees as someone with a huge wedding, how does it make a different to them? I would have thought the opportunity to expand their portfolio to demonstrate how well they can shoot a small wedding would be welcomed!

As pp said, at least you know now how rude and unhelpful they are.

That is shocking!! Did you sya your wedding was midweek also? So what other wedding bookings are they likely to have midweek as surely most weddings are at weekends? I honestly can’t see what difference having a small wedding would make to a photographer, except make their job easier! If you were having a huge wedding surely that is more of an issue as they would need more photographers??

Stunned that they would be so rude and so unprofessional!

We have booked Nick White on the recommendation of a good friend and he has been just lovely in all correspondence so far!

http://www.nickwhiteimages.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=18458&Akey=6N3G6R9E

That is really quite rude - I think if you were asking a TOG to do your wedding and asking for 50% reduction in price due it being a small wedding then that would be fair enough of them to decline - , but I assume you were willing to pay the standard price? They must be doing well if they can afford to turn that business down!

And.. They could have at least said they were "unavailable" rather than say they effectively don't want to do it.

Yeah, I agree. I don't think that would be the 'norm'. I'm sure photographers would get as much pleasure shooting an intimate wedding as a large wedding. It's def their loss!

I share the general opinion on everyone else.......one fee regardless of size so what is the difference?!

How shocking !

Small wedding or big wedding surely the price for the tog is the same !!

With an attitude like that i wouldn't want them as my tog !!

There's plenty of good togs out there !!

It's their loss

Good luck hope you find one worthy of your wedding !!

As a supplier of wedding services myself - that is appalling. You are much better off finding some other lovely photographer who will appreciate your wedding and you. I can't really see why they would turn down a mid-week booking if you are paying the same amount of money as everyone else. It could have been there way of saying that you weren't right for them! Smaller weddings are just so beautiful to work in - so personal and intimate and generally couples seem far more relaxed than they do at a huge wedding!

In April we're filming a wedding party of 12 - a really intimate ceremony on a Thursday in a fantastic venue near Chatsworth - they're paying no less than our other clients and will get jolly good service. ? They've even opted for an add-on too! We're really looking forward to it.

I'm sure you find a brill photographer worthy of your business.

Tracey xxx

We are absolutely prepared to pay the price they quoted, I wonder if maybe they assumed that with it being a small wedding we don't have the budget for it or something. Even if this is true then it's still presumptious, we decided to only invite a small amount of guests to have a better quality of wedding than what would have otherwise been available to us, this is not a budget wedding by my standards. I would never even meet with a photographer if we weren't willing to pay their price, that's so rude to waste their time. Maybe it is also a central london thing, I don't know.

I'm very happy to hear that you share my opinion on the photographer's behaviour, I'm still nervous about meeting with any more though, I found one who I think would be perfect for what we want and I stop myself from filling in their contact form.

Our TOG hasn't even asked how many guests we're having!

Honestly try looking at the TOG we have booked - Nick White - he is based in London (just one of his locations) and as well as having some of the greatest photos I have seen he is just the nicest, funniest bloke! I was nervous about finding a TOG who understood the laidback vibe we are trying to create for our wedding but he just got it straight away!

http://www.nickwhiteimages.com/Artist.asp?ArtistID=18458&Akey=6N3G6R9E

I can't believe they said that to you!! Well you are better off without them

Sorry to hear this - very short sighted of them. Are you going to name and shame?

I've tweeted about this.

To me, all weddings are equal. I have photographed some with 600 guests down to one wedding with the couple and just 2 guests(who were the witnesses). That was great fun as the four were up for the photography and we were able to push the boundaries even more.

Peter

I agree with everyone else - riddiculous behaviour!

I'm also with CB - name and shame!

I have shot a wedding where there were so few guests we ended up being one of the witnesses. I have to say it is a memorable one for being so romantic, intense and stunningly intimate

Where are you getting married?

Way to go?

I had an all day wedding with 10 guests once all the way to a Sikh wedding with 6-700 guests.

I have to say though it's not the first time I've heard it happen.

That is disgraceful! What difference does it make to the TOG how many guests you have as long as you pay the full fee? It is your wedding which you have planned to be small because that is how you want it! Once you scrapped your jaw off the ground I hope you gave a suitably scathing response about prefering to have a TOG who is better able to capture the romance & intimacy of a small wedding than a rude obnoxious one like them!

Just to play devil's advocate, do you think the tog might have misunderstood when you said a small wedding, and took it to mean you were having a shorter wedding hours wise?

Their response doesn't seem logical to me to turn down a wedding because of a smaller number of guests? But it does seem a bit more logical if they only take a set number of weddings a year, that they might be reluctant to take one that was less hours?

The smallest wedding I have shot was 7 people including bride and groom, and it was fab!

Thats ridiculous, if you are paying the same as anyone else then what makes your wedding any different, regardless of numbers... surely to him it should be a case of a customer is a customer, regardless of day of the week or number of guests.

I think its really rude and he obiously doesnt deserve your custome!!

How rude, it just doesn't make sense, you don't pay per guest so what difference does it make. Their loss!!

Some photographers tend to find smaller weddings harder as they may have to be a little more creative, Maybe they have had trouble in the past.

The smallest i have shot is 12 people but with the view of the others, a wedding is a wedding regardless of where it is and how many people there are.

Less hours i dont think would come in to it if they charge set amounts anyways, maybe they have a second job mid week.

I think it has all been said, really... But please do not think all photograpers are the same.

Some of us have *intimate wedding* packages to cover less hours for couples just like you.

Do not be nervous to see others. These people are in the minority.

Surely any professional person would clarify a situation to make sure there was no understanding before being so rude to a client though? I can see what you are saying but before turning down a booking I'd have though the photographer would have made sure he had his facts straight first.

To the OP sounds like you are better off without this photographer and I'm sure that you'll find the person who is perfect you your day and will appreciate the booking.

Wow! I am like Louisa, and hoping this was just a misunderstanding. We book alot of intimate weddings, and find that they put photography as a high priority, with lots of time devoted to having creative time for the couple, as well as their guests. We get to know everyone quickly, and it tends to be more relaxed.

I don't post images on here often, but here's an example of a lovely intimate wedding day, where the couple had us there for just 5 hours on a weekday. It would have been a shame to have missed this just because it wasn't a 12 day. http://murakamiphotography.blogspot.com/2010/08/whitley-ridge-weddings-new-forest.html

If a photographer really felt that way, it's their loss. You will find someone who will be as excited about your day as you are

Teri