If you’re getting married in the US, you might be wondering how much a wedding photographer will cost. And while there’s no way to know exactly how much it’ll cost until you start shopping around, we can give you an idea based on our experience. You can also use our guide to find out which cities have the most expensive photographers and what factors contribute to their high prices.
Price & Availability
So what’s the story here? How much does a wedding photographer cost, and how should you go about finding one? The following sections will address these questions and more.
The first thing to understand is that the availability of photographers varies widely across the country. If you live in New York City or Los Angeles, there are probably dozens of photographers within easy reach who can work with your budget. On the other hand, if you live in rural Kansas or Montana—or even many suburbs—there may be only one photographer to choose from. That’s not ideal for anyone; but it does mean that if you’re willing to travel some distance for your wedding photography needs (or hire someone who has), then most likely there will be plenty of options available at different price points and skill levels.
In addition to availability by location, consider whether or not price matters more than skill level when choosing your photographer(s). For example: a lesser-skilled pro might charge less than an experienced pro who charges more; or perhaps no matter their skill level, some professionals are simply too expensive for most people’s budgets.
How much should you spend on a Wedding Photographer?
- On average, the cost of a wedding photographer in the United States is between $3,000 and $5,000.
- The average cost of a wedding photographer in England is between £1,500 and £3,000.
- In Australia, weddings are more expensive than they are in other countries because there are more photographers available to you who specialize in photographing weddings and they charge accordingly. Therefore on average the cost of hiring an Australian wedding photographer is AU$4k-AU$7k- wedding photography.
How can I get the same service at a lower cost?
- If you’re willing to spend a little more time, consider booking multiple photographers. Most photographers offer discounts when you book them for multiple days or have more than one photographer at your wedding. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking if they offer any discounts and they’ll tell you yes or no—other times they may require a little more work on your part. For example, some photographers will offer better rates if you book with them early or late in the season (if they’re not booked). Other photographers might require that all of your guests use their preferred vendors (which could include other services like catering providers) so that everyone gets an awesome deal!
- Ask about package deals! Many photographers will offer packages specifically designed for weddings so that couples can get everything from photography to videography and even flowers included on one invoice. This is great because all of those things tend to get expensive really quickly when purchased individually; so why not save yourself some money by getting them together?
Most Expensive Places to get Married
If you live in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago or Miami—or even if you just happen to be getting married in one of these places—then you can expect to pay more for your wedding photographer than most other U.S. cities. A number of factors contribute to this higher cost of living and doing business: the cost of housing, the price of goods (including food) and services like catering and photography. These four cities are both expensive places to live and very popular places for couples who want to tie the knot because they offer lots of options as far as venues go—as well as plenty of free things to do on any given weekend (such as visiting museums).
In addition to these five major metropolitan areas where weddings are often more expensive due their high cost-of-living levels compared with other parts of America, there are also several other places where couples will find themselves paying a premium price tag for their wedding photographers based on supply/demand dynamics: Washington D.C., New Orleans and Miami Beach all tend toward having high costs associated with them due mostly.
Saving tips
- Use the internet to find a photographer. The internet is your friend! There are so many options for finding photographers who fit your needs and budget, so don’t feel like you have to settle just because you can’t afford one of those fancy-schmancy New York City photographers or something similar. Do some research on local photographers and get an idea of what they charge before deciding whether or not it’s worth it for what kind of wedding experience they offer. You might even be surprised by how affordable some of them are compared to others in their area! There may even be someone close enough in price that you could hire them but have them travel out-of-state (which would lower their cost). This option could save you thousands while still getting quality photos and services from a professional team.
- Ask friends and family if they have any recommendations for photographers—even if that friend hasn’t had their own wedding yet! The bride will probably already know which ones she wants already anyway so why not ask around first? Chances are good that someone else knows somebody who does great work at an affordable rate too; just ask around until someone gives up some info about their vendor list- wedding picture.
The Average Cost of a Wedding Photographer in the US is $3,000- $5,000
On average, the cost of a wedding photographer in the US is $3,000- $5,000. The actual price of your photographer will depend on several factors including where you live and what kind of experience they have.
The costs vary by state:
- California: $4,600 on average
- New York: $4,200 on average
- Texas: $2,800 on average
Wedding photography is a huge industry, and prices can range anywhere from $500 – $50,000. The average cost of a wedding photographer in the US is around $3,000- $5,000 depending on where they live and what type of services they provide. While there are some companies that offer cheaper options than this price range (such as Instagram influencer/blogger), most professionals will charge more because they have experience working with other couples who want beautiful photographs that tell their story through moments captured on film or video. In addition to this upfront cost though there are other expenses like travel time spent driving from one place to another during the daylong shoot before it even begins plus post production work done after everything has been shot which can take up another month or more depending on how many images need retouched due to lighting issues.