Wedding Photography Price Breakdown

Let's get ready to get real uncomfortable and talk about the elephant in the room... 

MONEY.

It seems like most creative entrepreneurs don't really like to talk about money and it makes sense. Most of us would do what we love to do for free if money wasn't an object because, well, we love our art and craft so damn much. 

But a girl's gotta eat and she's got bills to pay, so yeah. Money is definitely an object here.

So in today's post we're talking all things money in terms of wedding photography. Let's start off with that elephant I mentioned a moment ago.

Why is wedding photography so freakin' expensive?

This is a question I've heard time and time again. And to be honest, I don't think I'll ever stop hearing this question. 

As long as I have an answer for it, I won't stray away from answering it.

The crazy part that gets me is when people think that whatever price they see listed is the bottom line is dinero that gets cut to the photographer's pocket and boom instant millionaire. Not only is this far from the truth, it's straight up bonkers! There is so much more that needs to happen before your photographer (myself included) gets a cut of the check.

Here's a little bit of what I mean:

Although the primary cost of wedding photography is not just the four listed above, but in fact much more that go into cost of running a business. Just like any other service-based business, you’re more likely to find an invoice with a solid number and maybe some add-ons plus tax.

Even though every photographer’s business looks different from the next, primarily photography coverage, cost of goods, hours worked pre-wedding and post-wedding, and any travel and food expenses are the core of the pricing for any wedding photographer.

So let’s break that down even further, shall we?

Bare in mind that most photographers will probably not list out every single detail on their invoices just because the costs vary and every photographer is different, so make sure to check with your dream photographer about how they define each area of their pricing if you aren't sure.

To be honest, if a photographer is afraid or dismissing you for asking pricing questions, chances are they either don't know and slapped on a price or you're just not a good fit (at least in my experience).

If you found this blog post helpful or you're curious about an area I didn't quite dive into, I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments below or email them to me if you're a bit shy (it's okay, no judgment here). You can always reach me super quick over at katie.chavarin@gmail.com

Until next week, friends.