I had a similar situation but just the opposite this last July. I took my D3100 to my favorite niece's wedding and reception and took a multitude of pix of the event.
She had a friend shooting the event who was supposedly a pro she knew from college. This so-called pro had a couple of fancy looking Canons(I won't say a word here.)

I got a call the next morning from by sister-in-law(my niece's mother)and she was hysterical. It turns out that somehow the so-called pros memory chips from "both" of her Canons somehow had gotten wet and were destroyed. All the images were lost.

Well, Uncle Don to the rescue. I had a few hundred images of the entire day. Boy was my wife "eating crow," because she had harped at me all afternoon about taking so many pix.
As she said,"Ya know they have a professional here for that!" "You are just getting in the way!"

"How much in the way am I now???" I asked her.

I was a meat cutter by trade. When I was first married my moyher-in-law volentered me to cut up chickens for our annual family picnic. enough for 200 people. I was to get them wholesale and cut them up in her kitchen. It turn in to chicken cutting lesson for all the old ladies in the family, they were at her house waitng for me. Cutting up a couple hundred pounds of whole fryers in someones kitchen is no party with bunch of old ladies wanting learning how to save a dime. After I was done and my mother-in-law was cleaning all the blood and guts up. I ask her what she learned today. Never have chicken cutting party again and go to the store for her cutup chickens. Chickens cost at that time .19lb and she save only $5.

I don't know what this has to do with wedding photography I just wanted to tell this story on how somebody knows somebody and tries to get it done cheaper.

... when I told her I wouldn't shoot her wedding. She gave me the "but you've got that great camera" speech (rolling eyes), and then played the "we can't afford to pay for photographer" card. Then she played to my ego with "but you do such a great job on pictures (did she say "pictures?" ), didn't you get some awards or something?"

I took a deep breath and still turned her down ... so she cried.

I told her that the day was too important for someone to "photograph" it who is only comfortable photographing the great outdoors. Continued by telling her that if she and her wedding party were a grove of trees or a mountainside and meadow, I'd be all over it. I just dont do humans because I dont understand humans. Period. I just know that if I caved and did the photos, there would be the inevitable repercussions later, along with decades (yes, decades) of passive-negativity in commentary from the family, most particularly the bride.

So I compromised. I'm sending her a check to help pay for a pro, and since I'm in another state, contacted a buddy of mine there who can help research a wedding pro with her.

I am feeling a little bad about it all, but feel confident in the resolve. I posted this story here for you guys to make me feel better about it, so please do your best!

I was in sales for almost forty years. I learned very early in my career that while making friends out of your customers is a great idea, making customers out of your friends is not a good idea at all. ....... Gray

... when I told her I wouldn't shoot her wedding. She gave me the "but you've got that great camera" speech (rolling eyes), and then played the "we can't afford to pay for photographer" card. Then she played to my ego with "but you do such a great job on pictures (did she say "pictures?" ), didn't you get some awards or something?"

I took a deep breath and still turned her down ... so she cried.

I told her that the day was too important for someone to "photograph" it who is only comfortable photographing the great outdoors. Continued by telling her that if she and her wedding party were a grove of trees or a mountainside and meadow, I'd be all over it. I just dont do humans because I dont understand humans. Period. I just know that if I caved and did the photos, there would be the inevitable repercussions later, along with decades (yes, decades) of passive-negativity in commentary from the family, most particularly the bride.

So I compromised. I'm sending her a check to help pay for a pro, and since I'm in another state, contacted a buddy of mine there who can help research a wedding pro with her.

I am feeling a little bad about it all, but feel confident in the resolve. I posted this story here for you guys to make me feel better about it, so please do your best!

... when I told her I wouldn't shoot her wedding. She gave me the "but you've got that great camera" speech (rolling eyes), and then played the "we can't afford to pay for photographer" card. Then she played to my ego with "but you do such a great job on pictures (did she say "pictures?" ), didn't you get some awards or something?"

I took a deep breath and still turned her down ... so she cried.

I told her that the day was too important for someone to "photograph" it who is only comfortable photographing the great outdoors. Continued by telling her that if she and her wedding party were a grove of trees or a mountainside and meadow, I'd be all over it. I just dont do humans because I dont understand humans. Period. I just know that if I caved and did the photos, there would be the inevitable repercussions later, along with decades (yes, decades) of passive-negativity in commentary from the family, most particularly the bride.

So I compromised. I'm sending her a check to help pay for a pro, and since I'm in another state, contacted a buddy of mine there who can help research a wedding pro with her.

I am feeling a little bad about it all, but feel confident in the resolve. I posted this story here for you guys to make me feel better about it, so please do your best!