Mr. Morley is spot on correct.  There is a HUGE difference between "shooting
a wedding" and being professional wedding photographers.

I shall only share my experience to illustrate the difference.  We had some
friends who do professional photography.  They are good.  They are
expensive.  By the time we were through with the wedding, we had seen them
so many times they were just about off our friends list.  There's pictures
before the wedding, during the wedding, after the wedding, and at the
reception.  All of the time, these two are explaining what they are going to
do, and what they want you to do.  It was like being in a movie.  BUT, we
have some OUTSTANDING wedding pictures, including "portrolages" (hope I got
that correct).  They are combinations of about ten or twelve shots on one
large picture.  You can't see a clone mark or a seam or anything.  You would
have to look at our pictures to see what I am talking about.  Lots and lots
of pictures up to 18x24.

On the other hand, you have someone who is good at taking pictures.
He/she/it/they may also be good at capturing the moment and getting the
right people together for the right shots.  But it takes years of
experience, and most importantly the ability of getting a lot of tired
frustrated half drunk people, many of which don't like each other, to stand
this way and that, turn a little, third from the left lift your chin, etc,
etc, etc.

These people earned their money, and believe me, it was a sizeable chunk of
change.  Some friends of ours were getting married in California.  She
retired from Bristol Meyers Squibb, and he from financial planning, and
moneywise make us look like Ma and Pa Kettle.  We offered to fly our photogs
down there as a wedding present.  They would have to pay for the pictures.
They declined.  They used their photogs and THEY GOT HORRIBLE PICTURES, in
some of the shots, the most important person(s) were misaligned or missing.
They missed standard shots usually included in a wedding package.  They were
thoroughly disappointed in their wedding pictures.  Over exposed.  Under
exposed.  Misaligned.  Just poor sloppy work.  They had rented a whole
winery in Temecula, California, had it catered with a GOOD sit down meal, a
DJ, limos, you name it, they had it.  After it was all said and done, they
winced that they didn't take us up on the offer.  But the moment was gone.

Lots of people have a good eye for roaming around and taking GOOD pictures
at weddings.  But there's a huge difference between those people and the
skills, choreography and tact of a true wedding photographer team.

And to go from "How to get started in a photography business" to
professional photographer takes a lot of time, and many people never get
there.  It's like playing a piano.  You have the talent for it or you don't.

Steve

Yes, exactly.  And once you do all of that, taking the picture is the
easy part.