I have been asked to do weddings and won't. I don't want the responsibility and I don't feel that I am properly equipped and/or set up for wedding photography. Quite frankly, it also just doesn't interest me.

That said, it strikes me as a lucrative and realistic way of making a living as a photographer. From what I have seen of professional photographers, most are lucky to make more than a basic living at it. I would imagine, however, that a technically skilled person with the ability to effectively market him/herself effectively can do quite well shooting one wedding a week during peak periods.

The best advice I have read in this thread is to assist for another wedding photog for awhle. I think doing so will do two things - it will give you a chance to see if you enjoy the work and it will teach you a great deal.

Good luck and have fun with it!

Weddings are a thing of my past as well but I'll be damned if I'm not going to do one as a favor for a friend.  She whined when she found out how much guys who work that biz are charging.  We sat down and talked about what she wanted.  I was amazed that she was more worried about getting "funky-style shots" at the reception than anything else.

So the list comes out for the mandatory shots and she whittles it down and says I don't care about all that....just get a handful of formal shots and concentrate on the action.

Wish there were more like her out there!  Of course, I will be awaiting the fallout from parents and friends but its her call and I'm not looking for referral business out of it either.

I reckon if you take another photographer with you and have him shoot everything you shoot, from a slightly different angle, and double up on every relative and best friend then you would have a lot of people recommending you if the shots turn out. Other than that, it's like stepping into a rattlesnake hole.

I have been doing weddings for over 30 years.  It takes 2 years to train a wedding photographer.  A year if you are really into it and go out with as many photographers as you can. You need to know what your clients want.  You need to let them know that this is your first wedding.  If you mess up and believe me it is very easy to do for someone who is not familiar with church and religious etiquette as well as all the different combinations that you need to get. You need to get some training either by assisting a seasoned wedding photographer.  Wedding Photography is as about as stressful as defusing a bomb.  You get one chance and if you blow it look out.  You could get sued. 
$3000 is not all that much it is average for a good wedding photography package. 
The thing is that with the age of digital it has created a new breed of photographer.  You may be able to fix some of the crap that is taken but you cannot fix something you do not get.
If you do go ahead with this I will say a prayer for you.

The best way to shoot a wedding is with a belt-fed fully-automatic LMG, preferably no less than .30 cal and with at least two 200-round belts.  Here an assistant would be helpful in humping another two belts and maybe an extra barrel if the wedding party is large or Irish.