Okay, I'm officially freaking out.
To make matters worse, Mr. Lab and I have been fighting. And it's about something that we should not even be arguing about: the "need" for a wedding cinematographer.
It's a long story and I won't get into the specifics. We've finally come to a compromise and I don't want to open up any fresh wounds. But boy was it exhausting. He basically didn't see any reason to have a wedding film made, no matter the cost, because he-along with the backup of some of his recently married guy friends-felt like the film would never be viewed; thus, making it worthless.
To me, having a wedding cinematographer ranks up in the top 3 most important things to have on the day of the wedding. I didn't care what it costs (of course I'll go for the cheapest option I can while maintaining high quality of work). It's our one day that we've (read: ME) been planning for nearly a year and I wanted every moment captured on film to cherish for as long as we live. It's about having a record of our day for not just us, but also friends and family and the future family he and I will create one day.
But once I began researching cinematographers in our area, I realized quickly that the east coast is lagging behind on people trained in this emerging wedding must-have. I get that there are options to have friends film for you or to find someone on Craigslist. But I'm a journalism student who works with a camera daily, so I have a higher standard than most when it comes to shooting and editing a "story". I also want to avoid any potential for regret due to hiring an amateur. Because of this, people who fit my standards ended up on the higher end of the price spectrum. This didn't sit pretty with Mr. Lab despite the fact that these options technically still fit within our predetermined budget.
In the end, we had a long talk a couple nights ago and finally reached a compromise.
Even though these cinematographers I found fit within our budget, I could still find ways to cut back in other areas to save money further to make the cinematographer "cost less". I could also continue my search for more affordable cinematographers before putting down a deposit without truly taking time to think over the options. Mr. Lab realized how much it means to me to have a wedding film and I realized how much it meant to him that we didn't spend out the butt for it just because we could (within our budget).
So I'm currently in contact with my photographer to cut a few options out of our package (like the rehearsal dinner coverage and bridal portrait session). And I'm going to put up ad on Craigslist just to see if there might be some very talented SCAD students who can fulfill my high expectations without draining our wallets.
But we also decided that if I can't find someone by the end of the weekend, we will go with one of the cinematographers I've already found because time is a-tickin'. Many options have already been booked for our day. It's now or never!
I can finally sit back and enjoy our 100-day mark with a little less stress weighing down on me. *ahhhh*
I guess this is what the whole "marriage" thing is about, huh? Compromise is a beautiful thing.
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