Wedding photography pricing varies greatly from photographer to photographer, not only in overall cost but in how costs are structured.  This can make researching photographers for your wedding very overwhelming. And because each wedding photographer prices their services differently, the price you see up front is not always the total cost you will end up paying for your wedding photographer.

We want to help by explaining some of the most common things you will see in wedding photography pricing as well as some things you probably aren’t thinking about.  Be sure to ask your wedding photographer about all of these items to help you understand the full cost of your wedding photography.

Printing rights

This may come as a surprise to some couples, but not all wedding photography includes the rights to print your own photos.  Legally, your wedding photographer will own the exclusive rights to your wedding photos. It may cost extra for a print release to print your photos somewhere other than through your wedding photographer. So, this is a very important thing to ask about when you are comparing wedding photography pricing.

High resolution images

Similar to printing rights, not all wedding photographers will include the high resolution versions of your photos.  The wedding photography coverage you purchase may only include low resolution “proofs” that may or may not be watermarked and the watermark free, high resolution versions may cost extra.

Professional Editing

Professional photo editing is when the photographer takes the original images from the camera and runs them through editing software to reflect their creative style. Finished images will usually have some sort of enhanced lighting, color correction, and skin tone adjustment. The photos that you see on the wedding photographer’s website are likely professionally edited and if you want your photos to have the same look, you will want to have your photos professionally edited as well.  Some photographers do not offer editing at all and will just give you all of the photos straight out of their camera. Some photographers charge extra for edited photos or only include a limited number of edited photos in their packages and collections, with additional edited photos offered at an additional charge, so be sure to ask.

Hours of coverage

Hours of coverage is the foundation of most wedding photography packages and collections and will be the largest factor in figuring your wedding photography cost.  You will likely find photographers offering anywhere from 2 to 12 hours of wedding photography coverage, with 8 hours being the most popular. If you see the word “continuous”, that means you can not split up the hours of coverage into different parts of your day or multiple days. You will want to make sure the number of hours the photographer will be at your wedding taking photos is clearly stated.

Second photographer or second shooter

Many wedding photographers will offer an option to add a second photographer to your coverage or include this as part of their packages or collections. Second photographers can offer a tremendous value to your wedding photography coverage as they allow you to receive photos from multiple angles and allow for two events to be photographed at the same time. For example, the main photographer can be photographing portraits of you and your new spouse after the ceremony while the second photographer is photographing your guests enjoying cocktail hour.  A second photographer is also a good idea for larger weddings to better enable you to get photos of all of your guests during the reception.  

As with your main photographer, the second photographer will need to be provided a meal during your reception, so be sure to factor those costs into your budget as well.

Engagement Session

Some wedding photographers will include an engagement session in their packages/collections and some will only offer an engagement session a la carte. An engagement session is a photo shoot where you and your fiance go to a nice location and have photos taken of the two of you together prior to your wedding.  Engagement photos are great for engagement announcements, wedding websites, and save the dates. They are also a very good way to get comfortable in front of the camera and with your wedding photographer prior to your wedding day.  Engagement sessions usually average 1 to 2 hours in length.

Wedding album

If you would like your wedding memories printed in an album to pass down to your children and grandchildren, you will want to purchase a wedding album from  your wedding photographer. Sometimes you will find these included in a photographer’s packages and collections and sometimes they will be offered at an additional cost.  Wedding albums vary greatly in size, materials, quality, and cost so be sure to ask your wedding photographer what they offer.

Travel Fees

Wedding photographers may charge additional fees for travel from one location to another. For example, if you are getting ready at a hotel and your ceremony is in a different location, your wedding photographer may charge extra to cover both locations. Some photographers may charge travel fees for any locations outside of a specified number of miles from their location.

Delivery of Images and Products

Once you have a good understanding of how much it will cost to hire your chosen wedding photographer, you should also understand how and when you will receive your images. Couples may be surprised to find that image delivery can also vary greatly from photographer to photographer. Some wedding photographers will deliver photos within a few weeks while others may take over 6 months.

Be sure to ask how your photos will be delivered. Image delivery may be via an online gallery where you can view and download from anywhere or your images may be delivered physically on a CD or a USB drive and then you will have to load them onto your devices yourself using a computer. Your wedding photographer may charge extra for the CD or USB drive.

Collections and packages versus a la carte and custom pricing. Which is better?

Collections or packages are basically a preselected set of products and services bundled together for one price.  Many photographers will list their packages or collections right on their website or will send you a pricing guide on request. Going with a package or collection may offer you a better value than purchasing products and services a la carte, but not always.  In the case where the package or collection contains products and services you are not really interested in, then you are paying for things you don’t really need or want and would probably be better off with a la carte pricing.

A la carte or custom pricing means you choose the products and services you want and they are priced out individually for you.  This allows you to only pay for exactly what you want, but can be more costly. In most cases, you would have to contact the wedding photographer and inquire for a custom quote to get an idea of how much your wedding photography would cost at their a la carte prices

We know that comparing wedding photographers, like all other wedding vendors, can be overwhelming and stressful for couples. We hope that the above information helps you better understand wedding photography pricing and what the total cost of a wedding photographer is. This information is intended only to be a helpful guide and is not inclusive of all possible wedding photography costs and pricing scenarios.

Happy Wedding Planning!

Hi!  We’re Breanne and Fernando, husband and wife wedding photographers from Vivo Photography.  We photograph weddings and engagements all over the San Francisco Bay Area and San Jose. Are you currently planning your engagement photos or wedding?  We would love to be part of your team. Click the button below and Let’s chat!

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