Let’s see.... in her opening statement she said “I realized after taking on the project that I had bitten off more than I could chew” but she’s thinking of doing it again? What has she learned from the last time that improve her chances of getting better results?

Yes a good photographer will be able to do a whole wedding with entry level camera and a 50 and a flash, but the OP stated she has a flash but doesn’t know how to use it. Plus a lot of Churches do not allow flash photography, with a valuable aperture kit lens, it’s not going to be fast enough in a church setting to get a useable shot, the 50 on her camera is going to limit her on what and how she can shot. If she is going to do a whole wedding without flash, what lenses is she going to use? The Kit lens? Not going to work, unless she cranks up that ISO and then she is running the huge risk of introducing way to much noise. Just the 50mm wide open?

Someone’s wedding is not the time to be practicing or learning, I’m sorry it’s just not. It’s a special and important event, not a photography class room. If you think you might be interested in wedding photography, find an established wedding photographer and second or third shot for them. Don’t put someone’s memories at risk, it’s selfish and egotistical.

Yes I’ve shot about 10 weddings as a second shooter in the last 2 years. Before I started second shooting, I understood lighting, posing, the exposure triangle, how to use off-camera flash and post production work, in short I had a pretty good idea when it came to photography what I was doing. I did not jump into it blindly or have to ask questions on a photography forum about how to proceed.

When I do second shot, I typically I look after the groom and groomsmen, detail shots, shot the wedding ceremony from the back of the church (primary does the front), help with reception shots, do some of the formals (primary does bride and family while I do groom and his family, speeds up the process). I don’t second guess myself, the primary shooter I work with, trusts me and lets me run my own little show. We come together for formals and the reception (someone has to hold the boom for lighting the first dance). I’ve also done one wedding as the primary because the main shooter ended up bed ridden and I stepped up and took over, I’m comfortable in my abilities that the last minute change of plans didn’t faze or hinder me.

While I could do weddings, I receive calls all the time requesting wedding photography I would have no trouble filling my calendar with at least one wedding a weekend during wedding session, I simply don’t want to do them. I have no desire to work 6+ hours a day, spend weeks culling and editing and dealing with not only stressed brides but their equally stressed mothers and mother-in-laws to be. I have no desire to have “budget conscience” parties trying to get the most for the least and I have NO desire to try and compete against “Friends and Family Members with Nice Camera”.
I’m happy you use to use to shot weddings, but I’m willing to be 40 years ago when you started your business you did not received to many calls that included comments about “well my friend has a nice camera and she said she will do my whole wedding for $100 and give me all the pictures, can you match that price?” or even calls from brides crying over the phone asking if you can “Fix” the photos their friend took because they are horrible. I receive at least 2 calls a wedding session from clients who had a friend do their wedding, I need a copyright release from the photographer before I will even look that the images to quote a price on fixing them and the cost is typically more than if they would have hired a real wedding photographer to start with. I secretly love people like the OP, they have created a nice little profitable side business for more than a few people like myself.
The problem today is cameras are more relatively available, much cheaper and camera manufactures marketing to uneducated people saying “shot like a pro right out of the box”, the result is more people like the OP’s friend who are looking for a deal on wedding photography (if not free wedding photography).

I suggest the OP ask her friend what they are paying for the wedding venue, the cake, the brides dress, grooms suit, the reception hall, the catering for the reception. I would not be surprised if the budget for these details are over a few thousand dollars, yet they want the photography for FREE? Would the groom ask a baker for a free wedding cake? A tailor for a free suit?

If the OP thinks I was harsh in telling her that her entry level equipment is not up to standard for wedding photography (even for a starter kit, she has no back up equipment at all!) then maybe she should head over to forums like and ask the same question, I would recommend she put on her big girl panties cause she’ll be in for a rough ride:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/
or even www.dpreview.com/forums