Here are just a few items and services that’ll better help understand pricing.
- Time: Wedding photographer prices typically include between six hours and an unlimited amount of coverage. The more time you’d like your photographer to cover your event, the more you’ll have to pay. Additional hours will cost extra.
- Travel: If your photographer is required to travel a long distance to your event; you may have to pay a per-mile charge. If the travel to the event requires airfare you might have to pay for airfare and accommodations for the destination wedding.
- Second Shooters/Staffing: Will your photographer have a second shooter or assistants present? It's definitely something to consider. If so, expect the price to increase.
- Editing: A large part of your photographer’s time will be spent editing and retouching your wedding photos to make sure they look absolutely amazing.
- Images: Your selected wedding package cost should include the actual images. Digital files can be provided to you in a variety of ways including in an online gallery and/or via a USB drive.
- Print release: Many of the offered wedding photography packages include a “print release,” which means that you can use the photos for your own personal use. However, be aware that you will likely not have a full “copyright release,” so you don’t own the photos and can’t sell them, and that your photographer can use your photos for marketing purposes.
- Prints: If your selected wedding package does not include photo prints, a print credit—(money you can put toward purchasing prints) may be added to the wedding photography rate. You can choose whether you’d like your prints through your photographer or do it through another service.
- Albums: Your photographer may offer a wedding album as part of the package. You can choose whether you’d like to design and purchase your album through your photographer or do it through another service.
- Additional shoots: Some photographers may include an engagement shoot in their package (62% of couples do a pre-wedding engagement shoot). Other shoots that will likely cost extra include bridal portraits, trash the dress sessions, or coverage of your rehearsal dinner.
*There are other, less obvious parts of a wedding photographer’s business that may be included in their package pricing, which include equipment, employees, business expenses, marketing, liability insurance, and more.*