How Much Should I Spend On Wedding Photography? || CopperRed Photography
Let’s approach the elephant in the room. Money. How much should I spend on my Wedding Photography is a question I am sure you’ve asked yourself during this planning stage of your wedding prep, so I thought I’d give a little insight.
#1 How much do you care about your wedding photos?
Let’s get honest here, everyone has varying levels of how much they care about their wedding photography and that’s okay, everyone is different, everyone has different passions and ideas of what their dream wedding looks like. So…
Are you a diehard creative who dreams of gorgeous, stunning, artistic artwork? Are you someone who loves photographs and sees the value in the family heirloom you are creating? Are you excited to finally have gorgeous photos of you and your hubby to display all over your home? Do you need a photographer who is highly recommended and who comes with years of experience and a carefully cultivated package? Or are you not crazy into photography at all and approach it more as a wedding necessity rather than a luxury?
These are what I would suggest you think about. You are basically questioning how much value you put on your wedding photos. How much do they mean to you as a couple?
#2 Play The Comparison Game
As you begin to figure out how much value you place on your wedding photography you can start to play to comparison game against other elements of your wedding day. Think of these following elements and see which you place higher value…
Flowers Cake Table Decorations Music Suits Stationary Gifts Favors MC Venue Videography
Add any other areas to the list that you can think of and see where photography falls within your hierarchy of importance.
Playing the comparison game can really help put things into perspective. Sure it’s great, if the budget allows go nuts on everything and get everything you’ve ever dreamed of. But if you have a budget that you need to stick to like the majority of brides then this is a tangible way you can narrow down your decisions.
Once you have your list of importance you can begin to delegate funds. If for example you’ve decided that great photography is a MUST but your cake is fairly low on the list then maybe downgrade the cake budget and give that extra over to your photography fund.
This way you can build up a budget to match the importance without having to raise new money.
#3 Forget The Word ‘Reasonable’
What’s reasonable to you is very different to what is reasonable to another person which is why I ask you to erase this word when trying to apply it to the world of wedding planning. What is reasonable should not be seen a a numerical answer but more as a value based one.
You may believe the cost of something to be unreasonable because you do not see the same value in it as someone else. That does not make the other person unreasonable it simply means their value on that product is higher.
Often when people are looking around for a particular service and using the word ‘reasonable’ what they are really wanting to say is ‘cheap’ but feel awkward saying it when they totally shouldn’t. It’s real life.
It’s okay to be looking for something cheaper, it’s nothing to shy away from or be embarrassed about. Maybe you are looking for a cheaper florist because you want to invest more of the budget into your band or you would prefer a cheaper photographer in order to give more budget across to your wedding dress. Everyone’s wedding is unique and comes with different areas of importance and that’s amazing!
#4 Jig The Budget
Now that you know your importance level give your photography a budget. Divide up your overall wedding budget and distribute it to all the wedding areas required to pull off your big day in order of value.
Remember that if you want to book up a photographer who’s a little higher priced than you initially planned on pinch from areas of lesser value to avoid extending the overall budget.
Once you have that final number in place you can feel confident in what you are investing.
#5 Payment Options
Ask about payment options. If you have found your absolute dream photographer but their investment is above what you were hoping to spend then see if they offer different payment options such as the following:
Spreading out your total balance over multiple months can make it much more manageable. Or maybe the photographer would agree to a portion of payment prior to the wedding day and the other portion upon completion of your gallery. That way you could use some of the wedding gift money to finish off your photography payment.
Tip: Be prepared to pay a slightly higher fee if you opt for monthly payments due to the added admin for your photographer.
Just keep in mind that an open dialogue with your photographer about money and your desire to work with them could open up many options to making it easier on yourself. Sometimes as my Nan used to say ‘You don’t no if you don’t ask’.
#6 The Scary Truth
What you end up investing in your wedding photography is often what you get out of it. In this industry you tend to very much get what you pay for as they say. So if your wedding photography is ranking pretty high up on your comparison list I couldn’t urge you more to ensure you book up with a photographer who meets your dream requirements. One that produces consistently great work and gifts you an overall personal and top level experience throughout the entire process. It’s hard to put a price on peace of mind and the enjoyment of working with a photographer you connect with.
At the end of it all YOU need to be happy with what you invested into and it’s end product.
I am of course a massive believer in wedding photography being highly valued as it’s the only tangible thing that lives on of your wedding day. Unless you also opt for videography it’s all you have to show your friends, family, children and grandchildren.
I want every single one of my couples to open up their wedding gallery and laugh, cry and relive every moment of their day like they were right back there. To finish viewing their wedding gallery for the first time and be surprised at all the gorgeous photos they didn’t even realize I had taken. I want to hear how they are over the moon with their photos and can’t stop looking them over.
This is the experience I want for every bride out there.
Happy Wedding Photography Shopping! If you want to get in touch regarding your coverage I’d love to get together for a glass of wine or good cuppa tea and hear all about your love story! Just click the button below to reach out.
