Advice on lens for an outdoor wedding

So,

I got my first paid gig coming up in a few weeks, shooting one of our family friends wedding reception. Its basically just going to be a formal party outside and such. So the question I have is this:

-I currently have the D40 with the 18-55 and sigma 18-200 and im curious to see if this will do the trick, or maybe I should rent a lens, but im not sure which lens.

Im also gonna be using a d5000 as a main, and the d40 as backup. So ultimatley I was considering renting a 50mm prime for formal shots and such. And using the 18-200 as a zoom for candid shots and such of people talking and such. Just curious to see if you guys had any ideas.

Oh and also, its gonna be outside, so sunny, was curious if there is any other accessories I should be using, I already got the flash with the diffuser.

Sorry I searched but nothing came up with what I was looking for, if there a thread about this please direct me to it. Thank you.

Ben

I'm no expert but 17-55 f2.8 might be a good one. Especially if there will be low light conditions.

The last wedding I shot was outdoors, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I used a D200 with an 18-55 VR lens and a 28-105 AF lens mostly. For long shots, I used a 55-300 VR lens. The couple were extremely happy with all the shots taken and kept every one of them! I didn't tell them I dumped about 50 of the over 300 I took.
I also used an SB-700 flash for fill in the shadowy areas of the venue.

How large is the wedding party? How many people in the largest group formal?
If I were to rent a lens to complement my list, it would have to be the 17-55mm f/2.8 lens.

Last Saturday, I was a second photographer at a wedding and wound up exclusively on two lenses: 35-70mm f/2.8 lens (with macro @35mm), and my AF-S Nikkor Zoom 70-200mm f/2.8 IF-ED lens.
Thankfully I wasn't shooting the formal portraits of the entire wedding party - 14 in the lineup. The only lens choice in my bag at that point would be my 11-16mm f/2.8 Tokina lens.

I also highly recommend you purchase a 50mm f/1.8 (or 1.4) lens as a permanent addition to your gear.

Not done wedding stuff outdoor but a lot of the outdoor shooting I have done has benefitted from a lens hood, a small and simple item, but can be a pain if you forget it. Good luck, let us know how it went

I'm not sure why you would want to double up on lens ranges (18-55mm and 18-200mm) and then even consider tripling up by getting a 50mm prime? You will be constantly on the move during this event, so it's important that you travel light and not have to switch lenses often. These are both f/5.6 lenses, so leave the 18-55 at home...you already have that focal range covered in a different lens.

The "Thrifty Fifty" 50mm f/2.8 can be bought brand new for about $125. Unless you're on a very tight budget, you might as well just buy it instead of renting it.

What you need is a quality (f/2.8) mid-range zoom lens. A number of them have been listed above already. You're going to need to open things up when the ambient light starts to fail, even with flash. Those f/5.6 lenses aren't going to cut it, especially if you're being paid to do this.

Ok so Im gonna be borrowing a 50mm for portraits and such on my d40, now my only question is, will my sigma 18-200 do okay for zoom shots? or should i consider renting a 55-300 or 70-300, or something else, because I wanna be walking around getting candid shots and such, and action shots, and im gonna need a fairly fast glass, dont know if theres a difference in speed between the two.

and the party size is gonna be like 50-60+

If I were you, I'd get the 55-300 for the long shots. You already have the 18-55, so that takes care of the wide angles. No sense using the 18-200, since you'll be using the 50 and the 18-55. Just remember to use a flash with a difuser for some of the outdoor shots.

FoxRacer2 said:

Ok so Im gonna be borrowing a 50mm for portraits and such on my d40, now my only question is, will my sigma 18-200 do okay for zoom shots? or should i consider renting a 55-300 or 70-300, or something else, because I wanna be walking around getting candid shots and such, and action shots, and im gonna need a fairly fast glass, dont know if theres a difference in speed between the two.

and the party size is gonna be like 50-60+

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Listen To Anthony's advice - get yourself a 2.8 lens.