I'm doing completely the opposite. After years of being a wage slave I have decided to make my hobby my income.
I'm going to go into the wedding photography market after a few years of taking photos as a hobby. I will keep my current job until I get set up properly but hopefully will be on my own by September
As part of my gaining experience in the wedding market I am offering to do weddings for free if anyone is interested or knows of anyone who wants their wedding doing.
I'm based in Macclesfield and will cover most of South Cheshire and North Staffs as travelling nationwide will leave me out of pocket.
check the clickfinity header and get yourself onto the photography forum if you're not already, there's a small but friendly bunch on there and weddings come up in the conversation.
I don't want to pour cold water on the dream & wish you all the best with it but go into it with your eyes wide open: you need to be a charming dictator especially on the day, ideally with a runner with you to fetch and carry, go and find the guests that wander off just as you want them and for little essential jobs; getting the 'happy snappers' out of the edge your shot etc. The margins are pretty low, the work extends way outside the day itself before and after and there is a big difference in peoples tolerances and expectations when they're parting with money for your services.
Whatever price you quote you will likely be told it is far too much and a monkey with a mobile phone and photoshop elements could do the just same for them. Have you got a portfolio of work & reputation as a photographer out there already to draw people in and persuade them to use you?
For all it is a tough gig, there is competition out there from fellow pro's & wedding organisers who will supply their own photographer as part of a more holistic package, quite a few of the venues and even churches will have a few regulars or business cards tucked away in case people ask for recommendations - you'll need to go out now and make friends with the main venues etc.
There's also a number of people like you are now, happy to do it for free as they are keen & good amateurs who will do it because they can or are looking to go (semi) pro & needing to build up a rep.
I don't know who Fred is but assuming a child and by implication you have a family to consider and support, if you're doing it full time as your sole income you will need to be working pretty much every weekend in the wedding season & beyond as much as possible and it'll be all day on the day - are they prepared to be without you on what are, certainly for school, their few days off in the working week, assuming a Mrs FD, if she works in the week is she ready to be the sole parent every weekend too, will they be happy that family holidays (if possible) are going to have to fit around bringing in the work too?
hopefully you're well ahead of this and can ignore the doom and gloom above but just in case....
Frankly I was happy to stop doing weddings although I never committed totally to them as my first love was always the darkroom (YKWIM), they were more just a means to boost my day job income & its been a while now since I picked up a camera for money at all.