Wedding photography prices in the UK
Wedding planning is very often a challenging task. I know it first hand as we just got married ourselves this year, and things were very often overwhelming with so much to think about and plan!
One of the most important tasks is definitely finding and booking a wedding photographer. The challenge is finding one that will be able to document your wedding and present your vision in a beautiful way, and not cost a fortune!
How much is a wedding photographer in the UK?
The simple answer is: anything you are willing to pay. With enough research you can find a student who will do it for a few hundred pounds to build up their portfolio. You can also find wedding photographers charging up to 10k for a wedding. If you want additional products like prints, albums, engagement and trash the dress shoots, the cost can be much higher.
What is the average cost of wedding photography in the UK?
According to the recent survey by YPWP which you can find here it’s £1480. The results vary depending on region with the north-east being the cheapest and the south-east the most expensive.
Why is wedding photography so expensive?
The short answer is because it is time-consuming and there are many costs of running this kind of business. For example:
- The cost of all the equipment, which very often exceeds £10k and needs to be partly updated every season.
- The cost of software and running online galleries.
- Cost of USBs, prints and albums.
- All the relevant insurance.
- Cost of marketing, running a website, advertising campaigns.
Time-wise shooting a wedding is just a small fraction of the time spent as a wedding photographer. The extras include exchanging emails (not all of which lead to bookings!), editing (often for 30hrs plus), social media posts, blogs and website updates. And also designing albums.
Why are wedding photographers so different in price?
As most brides and grooms are doing this thing for the first time it may seem a bit confusing. Why so many photographers tend to differ so much in price?
The answer would be simply because it is really up to the photographer to set the price themselves. So full-time, well-established photographers will charge much more than the ones just starting in the business or doing wedding photography as a second income.
Why are some photographers more expensive than others?
The best answer would be because of quality of service and finished product, their talent and skills. A great indicator is being able to deliver excellent results on a consistent basis. This really comes down to experience and having shot many weddings in different situations and light conditions. The result is a professional who is flexible and can think on the spot as well as anticipate what may happen next!
Is price a good indicator of the quality of a wedding photographer?
The simple answer is: yes, as the more expensive photographer is better and you get what you pay for. But very often it is just not as simple as that.
I definitely know quite a few photographers who charge a lot mainly because they are great businessmen rather than shooters.
I also know a lot photographers who just want to shoot weddings and neglect the business side of things and are not booking as much.
Most photographers who charge a lot do it because they are in demand.
They are very well established, getting many enquiries and referrals and ranking highly with search engines. Because of that, they tend to get a high volume of inquiries and subsequently bookings to fill up their calendars.
The risk with cheaper photographers is that they will probably not be not as experienced, not as consistent and perhaps lacking proper insurances and full equipment backups.
How much should I spend on a wedding photographer?
The general rule of thumb is 10-20% of the total wedding budget but that also depends how much you value having absolutely best photos from your special day.
Couples who want to get great photos (like us for example) may be willing to spend more than average.
I know that the photos will be one of the few tangible things left over after probably the most important day of our lives, so we’d rather try to save money somewhere else.
We will be getting a photographer who we not only like and will have a pleasure to have around, but also the one who will document our day in a beautiful and emotional way. We want to look our best and we want for our family and closest friends to look great too!
It will be something most important, those moments frozen in time that we will share with our kids and hopefully grandkids after the day becomes a distant memory.
So the most important indicator would not be the price but the quality, the consistency of the photos and the connection with the person taking them, someone we will enjoy to have around.
What to look for when choosing a wedding photographer?
Their style, the way they take pictures, the moments they capture, how much they love their work and the way they edit the shots.
Just as important is their personality. You want someone who will help you have a fantastic day.
See if you can find reviews about them from their past weddings and read what other couples had to say about them.
I think when you find the perfect photographer for you, the money becomes less of an issue because the memories they will capture will be priceless.
So how do I find a good value for money wedding photographer that will be right for me?
Find a shooting and editing style you like.
Make sure they are consistent and their style will work with the possible lighting conditions at your venue.
Have a chat. A video call is a great option as it saves time and can be done quickly and efficiently from the comfort of your own home.
Double check if they have the necessary insurances as well as full equipment backups.
And then, if they are within your budget, book them as early as possible. The good ones get booked up fast.
If you want more practical wedding tips, check this great post that will help you Get the Most out of Your Wedding Photos or this one about simple and Practical Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer Before Hiring.
Get in touch
If you are looking for an experienced and consistent wedding photographer at a right price feel free to check my latest work. And if you like the Blue Lily Weddings style just drop me a line. I’d love to chat about your day!
Great article Marek! Informative and to the point.
Thank you Tommy! 🙂
Good article Marek! I have something to continue reading after your article! Real Questions to ask Wedding Photographer . Have you seen that?
Cheers Tom, really loved reading your article too!
So true mate. Totally agree and even write about similar stuff a bit ago, so if you wanna check it, have a look here
Why wedding photographer is so expensive?
Thanks Bart, just read your blog and it’s great.
Great info and very well written! Fab post
Thank you Matt. Glad you enjoyed it!
Great article Marek, thank you for sharing!
My pleasure Janna!
The simple truth is Wedding Photographers ARE NOT expensive!
For example take two other wedding suppliers DJ – £300 for 6 hours = £50 per hour. Wedding car £300 for 3 hours = £100
A photographer charging £1000 for a wedding – time 10 hours om the day, 40 hours editing = £20 per hour!
Good point there Stuart! 🙂
This is a great point! Breaking everything else up into an hourly rate… Brilliant! Hope you don’t mind me adding this to my FAQ page? 🙂
Not at all Stuart, feel free to use it!
Great article and very true.
Thanks Luke!
Marek, this article is genius. Written perfectly and from all view points. Every couple needs to read this!!
Thank you Sonia. Hopefuly it may give a better understanding to the people who are researching this subject.
a very interesting read, thanks for sharing Marek, x
My pleasure Aga.
Great article Marek, glad to read it.
Thanks Sacha!
I see this very question asked so many times in online forums! Trying to explain it so that clients *get it* is not easy but you managed to get the message across perfectly. Great read!
Thank you so much!
Great article, answers all the questions I’m frequently asked