I'm curious to hear why you voted the way you did...

We only photograph 15-18 weddings a year, and are trying to decide whether or not we should do more than one per weekend. What are your thougts?

this upcoming feb I have a friday, saturday and sunday wedding back-to-back!

Should be interesting - I am trying to get as much experience as possible...!

I am trying to hit around 30+ weddings for this - my first year. (trying to match jasmine Star's first year ) - 20 so far!

Jonathan

We did three double weekends this last year and unless it's an emergency or someone i REALLY REALLY love I don't want to do it again. For us, it's too tiring and I don't think it's fair to the second bride as they don't get us fresh.

I know there are commando's out there that love to do this, and if I was younger I'd prob feel the same way, but I'd rather get more per wedding and have a family life than be buried behind the lens and then the computer.

I definitely try not to do 2 in a weekend, but if it is the right person, right venue and right budget then I may take on a second.

I do so many other things that photographing more than one every other week is too much. I did 5 in August 2007 and was just about maxed out.

If all I did was shoot weddings then I'd have no problem taking on 2 or 3 in a weekend.

We only shot around 15 weddings last year, but twice had two on one weekend. So I guess, though it was very draining, it was ok, cause it wasn't a regular occurrence.
In Jan last year we did 2 in one day! That was crazy, but was a special occasion because the wedding that was in the morning was a friend (and consequently the cousin of a famous person that we are now hoping to photograph their upcoming wedding), and they wanted us to photograph so bad that they re-arranged the day/date etc to make it happen, all be it that we had to leave half way through the reception for the other wedding that was booked a year prior... I definitely don't want to do two in one day again though.

Aiming for around 20 - 30 weddings this year, so may have a few times two in one weekend. That's ok, I'm full time with the business in a studio now, so can cope with that and encourage it, whereas was working part/full time the previous years and it was tough doing two weddings in a weekend and then nearly a full week of other work, and also trying to edit and finish photos... The step to go into business full time is paying off now.

NEVER 2 on a weekend. I explain to my clients that we do not book more than 1 on a weekend, because that is their weekend. This allows us to focus directly on the clients needs without missing a beat, or confusing the 2 weddings.

Its not about surviving, its about giving the client full attention.

We try to avoid it but I also like it because it allows us to take more weekends off to be with family and friends. We only shoot about 30 weddings a year and with most of our families and friends still working regular weekday jobs talking some extra weekends off to be with them is a nice option and gets us through the double headers.

We try not to bunch up any double headers but we actually have about 3 or 4 double headers this year. I will never do another triple weekend though. That is just too rough and the last couple does get you at your worst I feel.

We once did 4 in a weekend and it was hell on earth!!!!! NEVER AGAIN!!!!

We shot a few back-to-back weddings last year, and although it was doable, I'm going to try to avoid it in the future. And honestly, if we didn't have a kid, it wouldn't be a problem. But since my husband and I shoot together, I felt that we were doing too much and we weren't as available to our daughter as I'd like to be.

every weekend in our wedding season is 2. some three if we like the couple, and it'll be a cool day. when its not wedding season we are every other or every second weekend

We've done it before, but are not seeking out doubles.

The most important thing to me is having enough cards to shoot two weddings without having to reuse them. I never reuse a card until I have verified that everything is OK with the pictures and made backup copies. There is no time to do that on a double weekend, so having enough cards is the only answer.

lots of friday weddings this year... so when things were slow... you would book some... then comes the Saturday people... so only back to back if one of the locations is close to home and the coverage is not 12 hours or something crazy like that...

Summer is the time to "make hay" for us. We also will only take on 18 weddings per year. however, if it is a venue and a couple we like we will most def. not turn em' down bc. we have another one booked for Saturday.
The great thing about what we do is we are our own bosses, we can make our own rules, and break them if we want and set new ones.

Yes, I take on multi weddings in a weekend if the situation arises. The reason being is I’m the sole provider for my family, just like everyone else we have bills to pay and put food on the table.

I've done them, and don't really find it that difficult. I'm pretty high-energy when I'm shooting ... pretty focused, and after the events I'm normally exhausted (but never too exhausted to hang out and have some drinks and a bite to eat ).

Nowadays it depends more on the location(s) than anything else. If I calculate not getting home from the first one until after midnight, and I have to be up very early to prep for the next, that will be a big factor. I've got to be able to pull it all off for the second couple.

I don't care to do it. I give so much energy into each wedding that I shoot that I find whoever gets me the second day isn't getting all that I have to offer. Not to mention it can really burn you out adding the extra work load if you do your own post processing.

Early on I thought I had to do this, but now...no way. I feel it's not fair to the couples to try to split my focus/energy.

I did it three times in 2007...

I would much rather have my brain smashed out by a lemon wrapped around a large gold brick.

Never, EVER again.

very random - sometimes I'll book 2, other times I'll turn the 2nd one away.

I have two this weekend - both are named Ashley - shouldn't be too hard to get them confused!! LOL . . ..

9 times out of 10 I will only do one per weekend and I have limited myself to 15 per year. I also have no problem (anymore) with turning weddings down that I don't feel I'm a good fit for, so I seem to average 13-15 per year. I have a hubby and a 4 1/2 year old and with my health issues keeping me down so much, it's impossible for me to keep up with more than that and not go insane. I have taken two that were Friday/Sunday and I did one Sat/Sun this year, but the Sun was a short and small event unlike my typical 10-14 hour days. My first wedding for this year is for my sister in law (May 24th) and I had already booked a wedding May 25th. My SIL asked if I would be terribly upset if she booked that day since she knows how I feel about 2 in a row... but it's my sister in law... I love her and she loved the venue..... I just had to do it! I'm actually about to book another Friday/Sunday (Sunday is already booked) - both are referrals and I really like these people. I already KNOW the Friday is booking, we just haven't had a chance to get together to finalize it yet.

I want to have a LIFE. I don't want to work all day every day. I want to spend time with my family and the few friends I have around here that I NEVER see anymore (I have a friend IN TOWN that I haven't seen in almost 2 years)... I don't want to drown in my work. I don't want to get burned out. I want to keep my schedule somewhat flexible so that if I want/need to make a trip to Florida to see my parents I can. My Dad is a brittle diabetic and amputee, so he's in and out of the hospital a lot... I like to be able to say "I'll be there next week" and not worry about it.

I don't think I will ever accept more than 20 weddings per year, but this year 10-15 is right up my alley.

I didn't vote because this year (my first full year), I took whatever I could get.
I did it twice this year, with two full day weddings back to back...
(Aug 3/Aug 4), (Aug 25,Aug 26)... and I was completely sore and exhausted.
But I don't regret it because it was my first year--so I just booked what i could!
I also did a back to back weekend in June... but neither wedding was full coverage...
one was 4 hours, and the other was 5... So it was a lot less stressful then.

This year, though, I want to make sure first, that I can book as many weddings as I need to
to get an income, and then once I do, I think I'm going to be selective. If I still need some money, or the couple is awesome, or the venue rocks, I may reconsider... When that time comes, I may raise my price (since I'm doing more work that weekend), and/or I may just talk it over with the couple to see what their needs are, and if it works, just offer them a shorter day of coverage...
I guess there are just a lot of "ifs" with this post... but I guess that's how it is... circumstantial.

Sure, I'll do 2 in a weekend. I don't prefer to, but I do like the extra income and I've found that I can handle it and it doesn't affect the quality of my weddings at all. But shooting Fri/Sat, when Sunday rolls around I'm pretty good for nothing.

I've done a couple of 3-wedding weekends, and THAT I've determined is just silliness.

Thanks for your feedback, everybody! I appreciated hearing why you voted the way you did.

Our preference is to commit the entire weeked to one bride. We shoot a limited number of weddings each year (and work very closely with our clients), so while our photography skills may be fine the next day, we think that trying to serve two brides in one weekend may compromise the level of service we are able to give.

We LOVED the venue for this one, so it was hard to give i up, but we ended up encouraging her to check out some of our OSP colleagues in the NW. SUCH a tough decision, but I think that it was the best one for us.