What’s A Normal Cost for wedding Photography?

A bride and groom dancing at their reception to fun, energetic music.

Getting a Feel PRicing

Let’s get real–when talking about pricing for wedding photography, it is based on so many things. Where you’re located, the average cost of living, how many years of experience are they bringing to the table, and all the other creative touches that make them stand out from among the rest. The truth is, there really is a photographer for every budget. Technically. The results just may not be what you expected. If you’re serious about preserving these memories and finding the right photographer for you, then knowing how much you value these memories is a great way to start. My suggestion would be to shop some of your big ticket items first (venue, caterer, bar package) as they are reliant on your guest count. Once you have all of the people you love accounted for, it’s a good time to see what photography and videography would best fit your day!

Research local Photographers

Shopping locally for your wedding photographer or videographer is the easiest way to stay on budget. Out of town services are usually charged at exuberant rates to cover travel, hotels, and opportunity lost. Local is always better when it comes to any of your vendors!

Generally speaking, there are three different categories of photographers:

1) a friend with a camera

2) a well-experienced professional

3) a luxury wedding photographer

After being a bride myself and talking with other professionals about their pricing, the going rate of a well-experienced photographer in Kansas City is between $2,800-$4,000 depending on how many hours of coverage you need, if you’re wanting to do an engagement session, or desire any physical albums as part of your package. Let’s assume you’re looking for exclusively full-day coverage and suddenly that number can quickly jump to $3,000-6,000. If you want a healthy budget with a great photographer by your side, I recommend being in the ballpark of these numbers. Some businesses–like myself–may even have videography options available as a combined service between $3,000 and $6,000.

If you are in a position to consider a luxury wedding photographer, first of all, congrats! Most couples looking for this are probably spending $8,000-12,000 on a luxury-style wedding photographer. Sometimes, websites may not list their packages or a price range of their options. Having a range listed on their website is a good indicator if they are a luxury or mid-ranged photographer. If you are not seeing pricing on a website, a few things could be happening here. Often times we as photographers are told to withhold rates until the consultation so as to drive more initial meetings to our inbox, however as a consumer, this is a time-wasting ploy at best and does not respect either of the parties needs. I would be wary of sites like these because it’s way more industry standard to have at least some idea of what your inquiring for, BEFORE the first email. Take the time, sus out the Investment page, and make sure you at least know what you’re getting into before you hit “Inquire Here.”

Consider Package contents

Some photographers will work with you to customize a package that fits your needs and aligns with your budget. Not every wedding day is identical, which is why communicating your ideal package is very important! A lot of photographers have a certain clientele that they attract. so at first glance, they may not have a complete verbatim fit for you.

For example, I do not list micro wedding packages on my website, however this does not mean I do not offer them. My clients just typically book full days with me for photo and video, so it clutters my on-boarding process to show absolutely every service I provide and assign prices to them. After a consultation, I usually give a good, better, best option so they can find exactly what they’re looking for.

Another big thing to consider is, “How many photos are included with my package?” You may find that some may only include a certain number of photos with an option to buy more, while others will include “all of the selects.” Some photographers might also just generally send out larger galleries, while others might have a more conservative click-per-hour ratio. I find that most people send 50-100 edited photos per hour of service for wedding galleries, with services that have multiple photographers adding 20-40 photos per hour to that number.

Book Early

If you’ve been wedding planning for any length of time, you may know by now that August-November is super busy for vendors with September and October being the most common wedding dates out there. There’s usually another “on season” from March-June here in the midwest where available dates become hard to find. Holiday weekends can also be marked up or almost impossible to find vendors for if you are trying to book last minute.

Booking in advance can mean the difference of you locking in your favorite photographer at your preferred rate, or having to go to Option B. This can end up being more expensive and potentially leave you with someone who you may not click with (photographer pun intended). If your date falls within those busy season windows and is on a Saturday, I recommend finding your photographer 9-12 months in advance. Winter months or Friday and Sundays could be booked 6-9 months out, with the exception being September-October––definitely book those vendors as early as possible!

Median Cost Based on Region

While I can mainly speak to the midwest region of ranges, here’s some idea for the out of town couples who want to know what “normal” pricing looks like in their area. Don’t forget, bigger cities will have a higher range than your average small town. Do some investigating, meet with a few photographers before you accept a package, and see what’s out there!

Northeast Region (PA, NY, MA, NJ, CT., etc.): $3,700-$5,000

Midwest Region (MO, KS, IL, MI, NE., etc.): $2,900-$4,500

South/Southeast (FL, AL, MS, GA, SC, NC., etc.): $2,700-$3,800

West-Coastal (CA, OR, WA): $6,000-8,000