Weddingbee Blog

Today in our Bee Budget Series, the bees are sharing their photography costs. Packages and rates vary from year to year, but we hope this gives you a good idea of photography rates across the country!

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Mrs. Tulip’s Photographer

Photographer: Punam Bean Photography
Package Price: $2000

“When I was looking at photographers, there was nothing that made me as sad as finding someone I loved and then discovering that her/his rates were 2-3 (and even up to 5!) times my maximum. But Punam’s 2008 rates started at $2,000. And that price included an engagement session. And you got a DVD of your images. She’s willing to travel and is reasonable about travel expenses, which is how this DC bride ended up with an NYC photographer…”

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Mrs. Lemon’s Photographer

Photographer: Fiona Sarn Photography from Bay Area/Los Angeles, CA
Package Price: $2500 - for unlimited time on the wedding day & engagement shoot in LA, proof book, DVDs of all photos (2007 Prices)

“We had a bit of a problem when our friendor photographer bailed the wedding plans, and left us w/o the most important vendor on the busiest wedding day in decades. Fiona was incredibly responsive to our needs, and was the only vendor we contacted who didn’t nickel & dime their packages where the costs would exceed $5000. We were very happy with the end results and have had many friends of friends who have used Fiona as well!”

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Mrs. Avocado’s Photographer

Photographer: Kelli Nicole Photography, currently based in Houston, TX
Package Price (2008): $2775

Included: Engagement shoot in Puerto Vallarta (paid only for photographers flight from California and received shoot and disc of images), Boudoir shoot (paid for hotel room, shoot, and disc of images) Wedding day shoot (paid for flight, hotel room, car rental, 13 hours of shooting, and disc of images).

“After my dream photographer fell through I called my freshman roommate and asked her if she thought she thought she could handle photographing our wedding day. She interned with the fabulous The Image Is Found the summer before our wedding and what she learned from them really showed through in our photos. She did so well that my sister is using her 9 months later (and paying even more than I did!). We are close friends so she gifted me a free newborn session, her specialty, upon booking, which I can’t wait to use!”

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Mrs. Flamingo’s Photographer

Photographer: IPI-Events
Package Price (in 2008): $1000

Included in package: 8 hours continuous coverage and a DVD containing all RAW (no editing done) high resolution images and the rights to the pictures (therefore, no need to ask their permission to use their photos).

“I booked a photographer early in my planning, before I knew what was out there in the photography world. I knew at one point in my planning process that I would be disappointed with the pictures because I wanted photojournalistic photography with lots of detailed shots, and even though they are a good company, their work was no longer fitting my requests. Being too chicken to back out and lose our $400 deposit, I stuck with them and regret my choice. Don’t get me wrong, I have some nice pictures, but there are certain shots I wanted, clearly stated, and didn’t get. I was disappointed with the results, but maybe it’s the price you pay for inexpensive photography, hence the reason I had a day after shoot.”

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Mrs. Tiramisu’s Photographer

Photographer: Samantha Warren Weddings
Package Price (booked in 2007): $2700

Included in package: Unlimited shooting on wedding day (I believe she was there for almost 11 hours), DVD of edited high-resolution images, web-based highlights slideshow set to music, travel to event, and custom designed album.

“We were just in love with our photographer.

If you’ve been following along with any of my wedding recap posts, then you already know that I am very much in love with the photos taken by our amazing photographer, Sam. She gave us over twelve hundred photos that together tell the story of our wedding day beautifully. It’s hard to pick favorites, but I’d have to say the ones I love the most are the photos she took of Mr. Tiramisu and me, all the great detail shots, and the wonderful shots of our guests enjoying themselves. A lot of the very sweet comments that you all left on my recap posts mention how much emotion there is in the photos. I think a lot of that has to do with Sam and her great eye for capturing the reactions and interactions of the people she photographs. If you want your wedding captured in a beautiful photojournalistic style that will really help you relive the day every time you look through your photographs, please don’t hesitate to contact Sam, who regularly travels all over New England and beyond.”

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Miss Powder Puff’s Photographer

Photographer: Shutter Sam Photography (Samantha Vanderlist), Muskegon, MI
Package Price (Booked in 2008): $1600

Included in package: Six hours of wedding-day coverage, professional album, hi resolution CD of all images.

“Photography was hands-down the most important aspect of the wedding, to me. So naturally, the photographer was the first vendor we booked. I adore her! She’s fantastically well-priced, since she’s relatively new to the industry. Plus, she’s an awesome person, super fun, and take GORGEOUS photos to boot!”

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Miss D’orsay’s Photographer

Photographer: Evan Bishop Photography, Baltimore, MD/ San Diego CA

Package Price: Basic Single Location $2200 (booked in 2008)

Six hours of coverage at a single location, High res CD at end of online viewing.

“I started my photography search with WPJA and was immediately overwhelmed. I had no idea wedding photography was so expensive, but since it was #1 on our priorities list we made sure to focus on it. After seeing Evan’s website I was praying he was available, and thankfully he was free to shoot our day even though he recently relocated to San Diego. Since we haven’t had the wedding, I can’t judge his photos of us but if his photos of other people are any indication, we’ll be delighted with the final product.”

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Mrs. Meatball’s Photographer

Photographer: Dan Chen of Chennergy Weddings

Package Price: $0, pro bono work of Dan Chen

“I heard via $10,000 Only that Dan gives away 3 packages/year to couples who can’t afford his normal commission, so I wrote him and he picked us! We paid for his flight (which we got for a song, thanks economy!) and rental car. He stayed with friends.

He shot our rehearsal and probably 11 hours of wedding day coverage. Even though he didn’t have an assistant with him, he still managed to get every angle of every moment, like some photography ninja. He was amazingly low-profile, and we often found ourselves thinking, ‘I sure hope he got that moment’ — and he didn’t miss a single thing. It was great not feeling like there was a camera in our faces all day! We absolutely loved having him around - he was a joy and so sweet. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have scored such an amazing talent for virtually no money! He edited his favorite shots and is sending us all our images on a disc.”

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Mrs. Peep Toe’s Photographer

Photographer: Amanda from Blueberry Photography (based in Emeryville, CA, but works the entire Bay Area)

Price: (2008 pricing) Package was $2500, plus tax= $2700

Included: One hour engagement session (turned into 3 hours) at multiple locations. We received about 200 pics from that, of which, 50 were retouched. We also got an online slideshow. Day of: 7 hour package with a second shooter (and an assistant on the day of). All high resolution photos on DVD, an online viewing gallery and an online slideshow.

“Amanda was so amazing to work with. She was very professional and great to have around on the day of the wedding. She ROCKED- big time. I know she’s raised her rates since, and she should’ve—she was amazing”

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Mrs. Emerald’s Photographer

Photographer: Dennis Lee Photography, Chicago, Illinois
Package Price: $3000 (booked in 2006 for 2007 wedding)

Included: 10 hours of wedding day coverage, 2nd shooter, 2 hour engagement shoot, hi-res images on disc, 950 4 x 6 proofs

“Dennis was a total pro on our wedding day!! He was everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and he climbed up into some crazy places to the the shots he wanted…”

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Miss Beagle’s Photographer

Photographer: Ashley Smith (w/ Studo 563); Austin, TX
Cost: $2100 (discounted, fall ‘08 pricing)

Included: Engagement and Bridal shoots, day-of coverage for 8 hrs. w/ an extra photog, discs of all images, rights to photos (so we can print them elsewhere)

“Ashley and I met when we were in Middle School through Girl Scouts. A few years ago, I discovered that she had an interest in photography and I have watched her talent grow since then. I’m so glad we were able to book her for our wedding day!”

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Miss Gloss’s Photographer

Photographer: Erica Lyn Photography, based out of NY

Package Price: $1750 (discounted 2008 rates), additional hours @ $175/hr. if requested

Included in package: Six hours of wedding-day coverage, secondary shooter, unlimited images taken, DVD with all high-res post processed photos, unlimited photo-retouching, (250) 4×6 prints in a black proof box, (6) 5×7’s, (3) 8×10′, $50 album credit

“Erica was the first vendor I booked and I feel SO lucky to have found her! We ‘met’ on Craigslist, she was looking for a wedding in Maine to make a vacation out of and I was trolling around for an affordable photographer—I saw her gallery and it was love at first sight ”

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Mrs. Bee’s Photographer

Photographer: Cappy Hotchkiss
Package Price: $4300 early 2005 prices

Included in package: 8 hours wedding day coverage, 35 rolls color and black and white film, 4×6 proofs, contact sheets for 120mm film, assistant, retain negatives, and $200/hour overtime (We ended up using her one hour overtime so we paid a total of $4500)

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Miss Bruschetta’s Photographer

Photographer: Cindy Patrick Photography
Package Price: $4,895.25 (Early 2008)

“Our package includes a complimentary second shooter of Cindy’s choosing for both our engagement session and the wedding. Cindy also offered a moderate price break because she had just shot my sister and BIL’s wedding several months previous to our booking her.

Our wedding day coverage spans 12 hours, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and will include all final high-resolution digital images on DVD, 50-page Graphistudio coffee table book (of approximately 100 images), two 8 x 12 parents books with photo pages and four mini book copies.

Cindy’s based in New Jersey, but works very frequently in Philly — though she’s never done a wedding in our church or reception site before (which I find really exciting, since she’ll be fresh in her approach!). ”

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Mrs. Cherry Pie’s Photographer

Photographer: Piknik Studios of Polson, Montana, shoots in a variety of MT locations, will travel anywhere
Package price: $3,500, 2007 pricing (even though we were married in 2008)

Package included: Full day of coverage, one assistant, online viewing/sharing/ordering, DVD with high-resolution versions of all edited images and web-resolution versions of all edited images. Albums and prints optional to add-in for additional cost.

“We loved working with Nicole Tavenner of Piknik Studios. She absolutely bent over backwards to photograph every aspect of our day, and the images she produced were wonderful. We met Nik after deciding to sample her work through an engagement shoot. The 2-hour shoot quickly turned to 4 hours, and we were so blown away by the images she produced that we hired her right away as our wedding photography.”

Engagement shoot: $500, 2007 pricing

Engagement shoot included: Was supposed to be 2 hours of photography, ended up being more than 4 hours in 5+ locations around Glacier National Park.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Nicole. Her work is excellent! But we don’t just love her photos, we love that she kept smiles on our faces the whole time, that she came and had dinner with us when she was visiting Seattle, that she took the time to go through all of our photos with us to help us choose the ones WE liked, and that she kept in touch even after our shoot was over and our photos post-processed.”

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Miss Star’s Photographer

Photographer: John Martin Photography
Package Price: $1200 in 2009 for an 8-hour day, includes a second shooter, a disk with retouched images and rights to the photos

“We already shot our (gorgeous, if I do say so myself!) engagement pics with him, so we know how much we love his work! Plus, he’s Sassy Bridesmaid’s best friend, so we know he’ll do an awesome job. Gotta love friendors.”

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Mrs. Ballet Flat’s Photographer

Photographer: Amanda Meyer Photography in Baton Rouge metro area but traveled to NOLA for free!
Package Price: $1500—contract signed in April 2008 for an engagement session, bridal or newlywed session and 6 hours of wedding coverage. Included with that is a DVD or USB with rights to print/do whatever.

“I loved that we found Amanda. I remember how uncomfortable we were for our engagement pictures, but with her, it seemed like no one was around and we were basically almost making out by the end of the shoot! Haha! For my bridals, she was able to help me lug my dress around a grassy, bug filled park and found the PERFECT locations for pictures. I’m so excited to see what she captured for our wedding! ”

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Mrs. Penguin’s Photographer

Photographer: Sarah K. Chen, Los Angeles, CA
Package price (in 2008): $2400, plus $800 travel for flights, rental car, and accommodations for 2 shooters from LA to Sacramento

Included in package: Engagement shoot in LA, 8 hours continuous coverage with 2 shooters, all proofs in 4×6 prints, images hosted on an online gallery, and a DVD containing all images.

“I booked a photographer early in my planning, but after I saw Sarah’s work, I knew I had to have her, no matter the cost (the cost being a $600 deposit that we lost on our old photog… so worth it!). Sarah was great to work with, and because she was somewhat newer to the business at the time we booked her, we were able to secure a good price. Finding talented vendors that are newer to the business is always a big budget saver!”

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Mrs. Butterfly’s Photographer

Photographer: Spencer at 5 West Studios
Package Price: $4100

“Spencer has been amazing throughout this process, and I am extremely excited about the pictures and the videos. I highly, highly recommend them! You won’t regret it!”

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Miss Bunny’s Photographer

Photographer: Julian Allen Photography from Columbus, OH
Package Price: $650 (booked at early 2009 rates, which have since increased)

“You know how all the wedding tips for budget weddings tell you to find someone who is just getting started in photography — someone amazing and affordable? Julian is that person. I found him through a posting on the Columbus Craigslist — which was a small miracle, because that board is so full of mediocrity. But Julian’s photos struck both Mr. B and me right away. It’s the texture, the light, and the love you can see in the photos of his family. He’s only shot a few weddings so far, but he’s extremely affordable (for the moment), especially if your wedding is in the winter months. He’s still building his portfolio, so he’s not charging for engagement sessions, only for photos you choose to purchase. It was a good set up for us, since we’re hoping we can pick a handful of the best shots to use for some wedding projects.”

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Mrs. Pineapple’s Photography

Photographer: Mary Mervis Photography, Mingwei Tay Photography,
Package Price: $2450 + photo disks (we don’t know how much they will be yet)
We had three wonderful photographers with us on our wedding day, including Mingwei Tay who is a student at my alma mater and asked us if he could shoot our wedding for his portfolio.

Mary Mervis Photography

Mingwei Tay Photography

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Miss Joey’s Photographer

Photographer: Jess Carmichael
Package Price: $300 - A bargain for over 8 hours of shooting, plus extra time touching up pictures

Included in package: 9 hours of shooting including over 900 shots, 100 edited images (more if he has time), 4 DVDs of all the images in color, black and white, and sepia, the ability to buy all our pictures from whatever online vendor we like.

“We met with 4 people a little while ago, and finally decided on Jess Carmichael. His pictures were lovely, his enthusiasm infectious, and the package was perfect. He’s amazing. He’s just starting out, but hopes to never charge more than $500 for his services in the future. He’s hoping to provide affordable photography for those on a budget.”

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Mrs. Plumeria’s Photographer

Photographer: GB Photographers
Package Price: $4500 for the wedding day (10 hours of coverage with two photographers at 4+ locations), $750 for the engagement session (4 hour session with two photographers), and $1000 for the bridal portrait session (4 hour session with two photographers, 2 locations) Total for photographer came to $6,250

“We feel blessed to have paid this much, because we know the rates have definitely risen for since we booked them in early 2006. Their expertise, work ethics, easy-going personalities, and — above all — gorgeous, priceless photos of our happiness are worth every penny. We received 2 very nice 10×13″ albums with proof prints of every single image in all three of our sessions, a keepsake DVD with our slideshow on it, and will later receive a DVD with all of the digital files.”

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Mrs. Kiwi’s Photographer

Photographer: Melody Rohaly
Package Price: $650.00

“Our photographer was an old friend of mine from girl scouts who I had lost touch over the years, but finally reconnected later. Lucky for me, she only charged us $500.00 for all pictures in CD/DVD form, an album, and retouching. Since she also stayed at the hotel with us the night before, and came down for our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner (taking pictures the whole time). We gave her $650.00. I would gladly have paid more, not having many girlfriends, it was such a joy to spend my “last night as a single woman” with a friend who had known me when I still ate paste. I look back on that last night with such fond memories. She was really such a blessing.”

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Mrs. Corn’s Photographer

Photographer: Kathryn Whitney Lucey
Package Price: $2,863

“I found a wonderful photographer, who lives in Middletown, RI (the next town over from Newport) who takes the most lovely wedding photos and who I think is moderately priced; Shooting packages start at $2,800. Custom albums and additional products are sold separately to allow for the most flexibility.”

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Mrs. Cookie’s Photographer

Photographer: IN Photography, serving all of Colorado
Package price (in 2008): $2,900

Package Included: Engagement session and DVD of image, 6 hours of coverage on wedding day with 2 shooters and a DVD of images, images hosted on an online gallery, and printing rights

“We booked another photographer very early in our planning, but when we saw the images from our e-session, we were very unhappy with the result. We were so worried about his ability to capture our day and spending a ton of money in the process that loosing a $500 deposit was worth peace-of-mind to hire another photographer. When I saw Mark and Michele’s portfolio, I was sold and completely confident in their ability to beautifully capture our wedding. And they did not disappoint! Not only did they deliver some unbelievable shots of our day, but they were fantastic to work with.”

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Mrs. Cupcake’s Photographers

Photographer: The Wiebners, Lancaster, PA
Package Price: $3,900 + $234 sales tax = $4,134 total (booked in March 2007)

Included in package: 10 hours of wedding day coverage by two photographers (husband and wife duo of Joel and Rita Wiebner), 500-700 printed proofs (we received 770), online proofing, entire set of hi-res files with minimal edits on disc.

“The Wiebners regular package began at $3,200 and included a $300 credit for prints. The full set of hi-res images on disc is normally $1,000, but knowing that I wanted all of the images on disc in lieu of any prints, the Wiebners let me apply that $300 credit towards the hi-res files, so they ended up being an extra $700 on top of our package.

I found the Wiebners before we were even engaged, and I literally emailed them within days of Mr. Cupcake’s proposal to inquire about having them photograph our wedding. We set up a meeting with them, and based on their portfolio and pricing, we booked them without meeting with any other photographers as soon as we had our wedding date secured. They had the edge, style, and eye that we were looking for without the hefty price tags of some of the more established Philly area photographers whose starting prices were way higher (for just a single shooter). They were still a splurge, but we got two photographers and essentially a full day of coverage. We are so in love with our photos and couldn’t have asked for anything more!“