Photography Budget

lindsayzeleznik · January 2011

Hi Everyone - Have been benefitting so much from all of these threads! Thank you so much! My fiance and I are getting married 6/2/12. We are currently photographer shopping. Most budget calculators suggest dedicating ~10% of budget for this but I am finding that a lot of the photographers I like are significantly above this amount. Just wondering what you all did and if you have any suggestions. Thanks again for all the help so far!!!

CLW102409 · January 2011

My photographer (Jenni Grace) was the first vendor that I consulted with and booked prior to anything else. I fell in love with her style and when I met her she fit mine and DH's personality perfectely!! I love her.

When hashing out what to spend money on for our wedding, DH and I said that we would pay a lot for our photographer. These are our memories and we wanted them to be perfect!!

We could've easily found a cheaper photog (or even one that was more expensive) but I just felt right to pick Jenni. Her prices were comparable to other photographers that we looked into as well.

So my suggestion is find a few photogs that you like and see if you can drop the price by not getting albums or limiting your time or something like that to fit within your budget. Most vendors are willing to work with you. If you just want ceremony and reception and a disk of all of your photos with reprint rights, it can be done. Don't be afraid to ask.

lindsayzeleznik · January 2011

Thanks! I just hope I don't want to go over budget on everything!

kristenrmu22 · January 2011

Hi Lindsay,

I ran into the same problem. Photography was high on our list but honestly budget was a bit more important. I did a lot of research, emailed the ones I liked the style of, and found out pricing from about 6 photographers I liked. Once I got the pricing I narrowed it down to two-three. One for top style, one for best price and one for a little bit of both. When i compared my best price and my top style they were about 2k apart. I looked at the quality of photos and I will say that the top style was better but not (in my opinion) 2k better. I went with my middle of the road photographer. I figured that with my budget and her pricing I wasn't sacrfising a ton....some fantcy magazine stuff but I will be more than happy with her photos in the end.

I met her and she worked out an al a carte plan and a package plan for me to see what was the best fit. We ended up getting a lot (books, 9 hours, one photog, engagement session) for a great price. Her quality was good and her personality is awesome.

I went with Heather Martin Photography. Check her out. If you do tell her Kristen B. Recommended her.

jlbaxter33 · January 2011

I have not paid attention to the percentages for the budgeting. Instead, we've been mindful of our overall budget. I looked for photographers that were cheaper, but the ones I looked at it was obv. why they were cheaper, so I decided to spend some extra money and go with a photog. whose prices weren't outrageous and whose style I love. That person is Joanna Fassinger. I love her style.

We also justified spending the amount because we decided not to have a videographer, and my dress was a little cheaper, so it all works out.

awilsonbsms · January 2011

I honestly started looking for a middle of the road photographer price-wise (because that's what I could comfortably afford) that I liked as a person and I liked their style. I'm actually in the middle of working out the contract now and they're the first and only vendor that I've gotten this far with. Granted, I looked at what feels like probably a hundred websites but in reality was probably closer to fifty and spoke to twenty between the phone and brideshows. It was most important to me that I like the photographer, but it was also really important to me that I have enough money to afford a videographer too. I ended up find a husband/wife team that does both for a pretty good price, a price that most other photographers would charge me just to take the shots, let alone get an album or copyrights from later.

Flowerstar1023 · January 2011

It really depends on what you want and what your priorities are for the wedding given your budget. So far, I've contacted a few dozen photographers and the price has varied literally from $500 for all day coverage with digital rights all the way up to $4500 for the same exact list of services in the Pittsburgh area. If you want a lot of editing, prints, et cetera or a certain style then you'll pay more for that. My stance was that I want photos from a professional, but the reality is I know that I'll only look at them a few times and then they'll collect dust on a bookcase. Not exactly the most romantic answer but....You have to decide how important they are to you and what will fit into your budget.

jenice95 · January 2011

I prioritized my vendors by what was more important to me (i.e. fancy flowers vs. great photographer vs. expensive venue) and realized that I could not have THE BEST of every category. For me, photography was an important part, so I took the difference from other places in my budget. I bought an off the rack dress, I researched a great, reasonable seamstress that works out of her home (cheaper than a bridal salon), I plan to do simple (in season) floral arrangements for my reception, I went with a reasonable DJ instead of a band, I will be making my own invitiations (sans thermography or embossing), and I'm passing on a videographer.
If you share you specific budget for your photographer, perhaps some of us could help recommend vendors in your budget, or ones that will work with you to create a la carte packages. HTH!

lindsayzeleznik · January 2011

Thanks so much, everyone! I sent a few emails today to some of the vendors suggested. But I think what's most helpful is rearranging the suggested %'s of the budget to tailor what's most important to us. Thanks again!

jesslongmove · February 2011

A suggestion from me, if I may add... We went with a good reception location. Not top of the line but good. We went with inexpensive flowers because we are only going to use them in some pictures and not carry them all day. I am not really a flower girl. We got a good photographer and went with their mid package. We wanted a lot of stuff but wanted good photos too. So we found someone who was above most but price wise was in the middle. Then looked at the packages and found what we wanted. We were even able to customize the package. Same for our flowers. We were able to customize and were not stuck with a set package.

You would be surprised how many vendors will work with you if your interested in booking them. Just ask questions and see what you can get. it doesnt hurt to ask.

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