So you’ve locked down your date and ready to go look for the perfect wedding photographer for your wedding. You send out a couple of emails to inquire about rates and services and then BAM! You get a barrage of emails, ads, and sometimes text messages from photographers who want to work on your wedding. It can be quite overwhelming and with the wide range of rates you’re offered, it can be confusing. How much do you really need to spend for your wedding photographer?

But before we discuss prices and rates, let’s talk about how important wedding photography is for your big day:

Wedding Couple eating at In-N-Out
Only your photos will last forever

Photos are the only thing that you will take home after spending thousands of dollars on your wedding. The venue, food, drink, and florals are only good on the day of your wedding – those are for your guests. Even the dress will only fit for a certain time and the only thing you will keep out of it are the pictures of you wearing your beautiful dress in your most beautiful wedding day. Having said that, you may want photographers who has the right amount of experience and right skill set to give justice to your wedding investments, the perfect wedding venue that you will rent for the whole day, the dress, those florals and other small gorgeous details… I’m sure those are perfect. You might not even notice some small details during your wedding day but photographers will preserve those detailed memories for you and combined with creativity – we will preserve those memories in the most beautiful way we can.

Photographers will be your cheerleader

I can easily take pretty pictures – that’s a given as a professional. But I think what matters most is that my team and I will be your cheerleader and your support group. We will carry your things along with our gears and we will be cheering you on your big day, making sure that you are in your best mood while celebrating your wedding. We will dance with you, drink with you, laugh with you, and even cry with you. We are here for you because besides capturing every moment of your wedding, we also put extreme value in the power of memories that your beautiful photos will give you.

Never underestimate the power of memory

The value of your photos isn’t just about the pretty details of your wedding captured in frames. It’s not just about how beautiful you look in your wedding dress, but it’s the memories that it will preserve. It is a family heirloom that will be kept for generations reminding not only the values and traditions, but also the love that was captured that day.

BUT, you also need to invest on the right wedding photographer 

Put the right investment on them. You may have the most beautiful wedding and have spent tons of money on it, but if you have the wrong photographer that couldn’t give justice to its beauty, it will be just a waste.

Of course you can always hire a cheaper photographer. You can even have someone shoot your wedding for free. But what you will have is someone who is either trying to step foot in the industry or just building a portfolio. There are definitely a lot of good new comers in photography but being an effective wedding photographer requires years of experience.

How much do you really need to spend for your wedding photographer?

Invest on experience and skill set. Experience comes with a price, but like what I said, it will give justice to the beauty of your wedding – it will be worth every penny. Allot the right amount of investment on your photography budget, meet your photographers in person, or do a Zoom Video Chat with them for a consultation, look at their portfolio, and know how much experience they have.

A budget wedding can look majestic with the right photographer. But even the grandest wedding can look cheap with the wrong photographer.

Having said that, the higher your budget the better it is of course, theres no limit on how much you should spend as long as you can afford it. But do not go below 10% of your total wedding budget on wedding photography. That is not including prints and add-ons, just photography and digitals alone. Anything lower than 10% is a risk you will take on the quality of your photos, reliability of your photographer, and overall experience. I’m not saying you will regret that decision, but why take so much risk on something so important?

So give yourself something beautiful to look back to for your wedding day… Happy planning and invest wisely!

If you want us to photograph your wedding, send us a message below! 🙂