So you're still hell bent on going this route here are a few suggestions. (continued from part 1)
1. Know where to find your student photographers. Realize that the world is a big place and photo students aren't as numerous as accountants. Colleges and universities that have photography programs are few and far between, or are concentrated in one area. While the wedding might be 50 miles from a city like San Francisco, or New York, with a lot of photo students. Students don't always have transportation, or at the vary least reliable transportation. Living in Memphis might yield few photo schools, but the small towns of Columbia, Missouri, Missoula, Montana, or Bowling Green, Kentucky are home to some of the countries better photojournalism programs.
2. Also, not all photography students want to shoot weddings. My senior year I turned down $800 from a relative to shoot their friend's wedding (this was in 1997).
3. Have patients. When you use non-traditional avenues for wedding vendors, you have to remember you will no longer be dealing with professionals. Hobbyist/students most likely will not know half of what a full time vendor does on the business side of things. So set time aside for portraits sessions to be longer and don't expect full-on pre & post ceremony consulting. Also, while couples with graphic design knowledge will cry "not fair", third party vendors like album publishers will not sell to clients not already in the industry. This means the hi-end magazine style album you wanted probably won't be available through the student, or amateur photographer.
4. Ask to see a portfolio. Realizing you know nothing about what makes a good non-wedding portfolio, look for photos that capture people. Great photos of trees, lake views and sunset do not translate into great photos of people. Look for somebody with a knack for documenting events like a photojournalist. Believe it our not, great photos from a party or night club on their flickr page, may say more about their talent than that amazing sunset.
Alternative suggestions.
1. Buy somebody a good camera. Find a relative or close friend who is into photography. Take the $400 or $500 (or more) and use it to help them buy a new camera like the Canon Rebel, or Nikon D70 with a kit zoom lens package, or if they have a nice digital already, upgrade with a better off camera flash or fast glass lens. Or if they have good equipment now, pay for an advanced photo class with a pro. I actually know a dentist who has always had more expensive equipment than me, but I still get better pictures. Make sure your wedding is at least 3 or 4 months away so they have time to use and get used to shooting with it. You've just strengthen a bond with someone and found a photographer.
2. (This should be done in conjunction with suggestion #1)
Ask guests to bring their point and shoot digital cameras and up load the photos to a photo sharing web site like flickr or photobucket. Or better yet, ask them if they'd mail you a CD of the images. Two of my favorite wedding photos came from my father and a friend's husband. While they took some good photos the rest of the wedding our hired photographer beat everything else they had hands down. But you can't go wrong with 10 cameras vs. 1. (Do this even if you hire a professional).
3. Do a destination wedding. I know three different people who just took themselves, their best man/maid of honor and went for broke on a beach in Mexico or Hawaii. Most resorts have a photographer who will take a few handful of photos for a hundred or two hundred dollars, but basically by eliminating the pomp and circumstance with your wedding you'll eliminate the need for serious photography. Oh and flowers & dinner for 300 people & a limo & so on and so on. Plus you already on your honeymoon.
4. Move the date back. If all these ideas don't seem like such a good idea now that I've spelled them out, move the date back. There's nothing that can be more catastrophic to a wedding than squeezing it into an unrealistic time frame. While you might find a few deals, weddings are expensive and if you are doing it solo (like my wife & I did) you either need to scale your plans down (150 guests in stead of 400) or save some more money. Unless you need to be married at home plat in Yankee Stadium before it's torn down, the best thing you can do is wait a little longer & save.
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