There is no hard and fast rule for what percentage of your wedding budget should be used on photography. In general, the more you prioritize your photos, the higher percentage of your budget you should expect to spend. Wedding photography can cost as much as your venue, or as much as your food and drink tab, or more than both, depending on your vision for your day. If photography is important to you, reach out to your favorite photographers to get a feel of how much they cost, and plan the rest of your budget around that.

The short answer? Weddings are non-recreatable events. Professional photographers invest tens of thousands in reliable gear, insurance, education, backup processes, and more to ensure they get the shots of your day that let you relive the best emotions.

Not all photographers include printing rights with their packages. It’s best to ask this directly to each photographer you’re considering. Simply Finn does include a print release with each wedding photography package. You are also welcome, and encouraged, to order through our online store so we can guarantee color and quality of your prints. Plus, it’s always nice to support a small business!

Depending if you look on The Knot or Wedding Wire or Brides Magazine, you’ll find hundreds of different answers to this question. You may see packages for $1000 or packages for $15,000. On average, you can expect to spend under $2,000 for a new or inexperienced photographer, $4,000 – $6,000 for an in-demand, skilled photographer, and five figures for a high-end, luxury destination photographer. Not all photographers in the $4-6k range know what they are doing, and not all photographers charging under $2k are bad. Reading reviews and looking through the photographer’s work are important in determining if the photographer is trustworthy and reliable. 

Every business operates a little differently. Most photographers require a percentage paid upon booking to reserve your date, and the remainder due ahead of your wedding day. Various payment plan options may be available. For Simply Finn, we require 50% to reserve your date and the remaining 50% 30 days before your wedding.

Depending on your budget, wedding videos are absolutely worth it. An experienced photographer and videographer team is going to cost around $7,000 – $12,000. If you’re working with limited funds, it may make more sense to invest in a great photographer instead of trying to stretch your budget between photo and video. Booking an inexperienced photographer and videographer just to have both may leave you regretting that decision.