Photography

This will depend a lot on where you're located and per vendor!

Ours is $2599 and she included 2 engagement sessions, a custom timeline, custom keepsake USB, and she'll be there for 8 hours with a second shooter. We live in Georgia and it was one of the best prices we found for our area, and for the quality!

Whether it is a “good deal” is really going to depend a lot on the average cost of photography where you live, what all the package includes, and what is most important to you. For example, we definitely did not get a photography package that was on the cheaper end. However, photography is important to us, we have a specific style we are wanting, and we have a very high standard for the quality of photos. So, although our package was not inexpensive, we still feel as though we got a good deal because it is meeting all of our wants/needs/expectations.

Pricing is highly dependent on area and what you're looking for. Search through many different vendors and compare packages (do they offer a second shooter? How many hours? How many final images does that include? What photo style? Etc). That will help give you an idea of pricing of similar packages. Another thing you could do is join a Facebook wedding group for your area (search for "[city/area name] brides" or "[city/area name] weddings"), and put a post lookin for photographer recommendations. List your wedding date, budget, and any must-haves, and either vendors will respond, or brides will respond with recommendations! You can then look through their websites and see if any of them stand out to you.

To figure out what is a good deal, you should contact a number of vendors, so you can compare. Before you contact them figure out what is important to you. Look at their website before you contact them to see if you like their style.

Things to consider:

- how many hours? (Do you want getting ready shots? Should they stay until the very end? ...)

- second shooter - yes/no

- engagement shoot

- videographer

- online gallery/USB/prints/album

- years of experience

- recommend by other brides

- Do you klick with them? Do you want this person around all day at your wedding day?

We were on a smaller budget, so I knew for what we were able/willing to spend, I would never get a second shooter for example. We went with 6 hours - which was enough for our afternoon wedding with no bridal party. And our photographer has experience but still on the younger side. Also, the number of pictures she promised is on the lower end compared to other photographers. But I was okay with all of that. We also lucked out because she just moved to the area and was looking to build her clientel here. I talked to others for pretty much the same service/similar level of experience and they quoted slightly higher prices.

Decide on a budget and what is important to you and start talking to different photographers to be able to find a good deal in your area.

Also, remember, so much of this is a question of style/taste/preference. Someone might have awesome reviews but you just don't like that particular style or the services/packages are not what you need. I feel with photos it is also just a little bit of luck. There are brides who went with a very recommended expensive photographer but are still unhappy with the pictures they ended up with or feel they miss photos of this or that. All you can do is do your research. We are waiting to get our photos some time this week, hopefully. And I am a bit nervous to be honest, because I know, if I don't like them, we can't redo them.

There are definitely ways to make it more affordable and many tips has been shared in the weddingwire forums how to go about that but of course you can't expect a Ferrari for a Toyota-price. So, it all depends on budget and expectations.

Good luck!!

Like others have said, this will vary greatly by location. However, for reference...we are paying $2,800 for an engagement shoot, 8 hours of coverage, 2 photographers and an online album ( prints and physical album would be a separate). This was after a $200 discount we received for attending a bridal show. This would be considered a really affordable option for our area, especially for 2 photographers. However, not only was she in our budget, but her photography style was what we were looking for!

The price for specific packages will probably not be negotiable but you can try to find someone that will customize a package that will work for your budget. It also doesn't hurt to ask if they offer any discounts. Our DJ gave us a discount for working in education. We definitely never thought we would get a discount for something like that. But you never know unless you ask!

Good luck!

In our area $3500, 2 professionals, 10 hours, engagement session thrown in for free. The quality is top notch— to us it’s worth it, I have seen cheaper but the quality is noticeable. I’ve also seen higher. Just depends.

This will greatly depend on your location, the package you select, and the quality of the photographer. In our HCOL city, we paid $5000 for our photography package. This included a 1-hour engagement shoot, 10 hours of coverage for our wedding with a second shooter, and a 30-page wedding album. If you want to get a good deal, then my advice would be to reach out to lots of photographers and compare quotes.