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Updated Mar 06, 2025Every Couple Should Know the Average Wedding Photographer Cost
Once you do, you can budget accordingly.
Photos: Stocksy,Design: Tiana Crispino
Most to-be-weds can agree that gorgeous wedding photos are a must, regardless of their stance on late-night reception snacks or tall floral centerpieces. While the average wedding photographer cost is often one of the highest expenses of the budget, it's one vendor couples don't typically skip. Of course, how you divvy up your wedding budget depends on which aspects of your celebration are most important to you and therefore, which vendors you hire. (Wedding tools, like The Knot Budget Advisor and The Knot Vendor Marketplace, can help you with both of these tasks respectively.)
But if you're looking to get a general sense of wedding photography prices, find out those numbers by checking out the information below. Use what you learn to guide you down the right financial path for your celebration.
Wedding Photographer Costs at a Glance:
Do you love a TL;DR section that'll let you breeze through the dry stuff so you can enjoy wedding planning tasks that are a little more fun, like looking at the best wedding photo ideas? Then, we'll keep it short and sweet. See all the data you want from The Knot 2025 Real Weddings Study, which surveyed nearly 17,000 newlyweds who got married last year across the US.
- The average price for a wedding photographer is $2,900.
- Where you get married significantly impacts wedding photographer pricing. Our study found that range for the average wedding photographer cost was $2,649–$3,574. Couples who got married in the Southwest spent the least while those who got married in the Mid-Atlantic spent the most in the US.
- The guest count changes the cost of a photographer for a wedding too. The prices ranged from $1,850–$3,364, which starts with couples who had 1–50 guests to to-be-weds with 101 or more guests in attendance.
In this article: Average Wedding Photographer Cost | Average Rates Per Hour for a Wedding Photographer | How Have Wedding Photographer Costs Changed Over the Years?
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Average Wedding Photographer Cost
Based on our internal data, 87% of couples hired a photographer, making that pro the third most popular wedding vendor or service used. Of that percentage, couples spent an average of $2,900 on their wedding photographer—this was the fourth most expensive vendor or service. To dive deeper into wedding photo prices and why wedding photographers are so expensive, we spoke with two wedding photographers about what specific factors affect the cost.
- The equipment: "I arrive at each wedding with a minimum of $100,000 worth of equipment. I also have backups to every piece of equipment. I budget each repair cost in the $200–$1,000 range. Then, after every three weddings, I send all my cameras and lenses in for a professional cleaning," Melani Lust, owner and fine art photographer of Melani Lust Photography, tells us. (Psst. Fine art is one of the different styles of wedding photography.)
- The team: "A significant portion of a wedding photography package goes towards the actual coverage on the wedding day. This includes the lead photographer's fee, as well as compensation for the second or even third shooters, who are necessary to ensure full event coverage. Most professional wedding photographers work with at least one second shooter, which adds to the overall cost but enhances the depth and variety of images captured. Hiring two wedding photographers holds a lot of value in the end because of the high level of image delivered," Michelle Jackson, owner of Bambino International who has photographed over 500 weddings, says.
- The postproduction process: "The work doesn't end after the wedding day. Editing and overall image curation require hours of post-production. In this category, a percentage of our collection costs are allocated to software subscriptions," Jackson explains. "I pay for more than 12 monthly subscription, like Adobe Suite, and this alone costs me $2400/month," Lust says.
- The traveling fee: Another reason the cost for wedding photos is higher than you expect is because of travel fees for wedding photographers. This fee usually covers transportation, food and accommodations.
- The market and location: "Where a wedding takes place has a direct impact on pricing. Wedding photography rates vary widely depending on the region, cost of living and demand within the local market. A photographer in a major city with a high cost of living will likely charge more than one in a smaller town due to overhead expenses, competitive industry standards and client expectations," Jackson explains. This aspect is a good reason to compare the prices of wedding photographers near you to ones in your marrying location. For example, hiring an out-of-town photographer, that comes with a travel fee, might be cheaper than booking someone located in the wedding city.
- The scope of coverage: Beyond getting your picture taken on the wedding day, there are other prewedding events you might want captured, which means an increase in your photography budget. Check out the engagement photography cost, boudoir photography cost and rehearsal dinner photography pricing so you know exactly how much money to save.
Destination Wedding Photographer Cost
The average cost of a destination wedding photographer last year was $3,124. Even though it is higher than the general average, it isn't in the price range as a luxury wedding photographer. Wedding photography charges for high-end pros can start at $20,000, which is at the opposite spectrum of affordable wedding photography.
Average Rates Per Hour for a Wedding Photographer
Wondering, "How much does the average wedding photographer make in an hour?" Well, based on multiple online discussion forums with wedding photographers, $150 per hour is what some people's starting prices look like. If you want to know the average cost of a wedding photographer for eight hours, we've established it's around $363 per hour based on our $2,900 number. Usually, this popular vendor offers to-be-weds packages for their affairs instead of an hourly rate, but it doesn't hurt to ask them if they have one available. Once you do, you can check this off your list of questions for wedding photographers.
How Have Wedding Photographer Costs Changed Over the Years?
The average cost of a wedding photographer increased in 2024 compared to every year since 2016, except for 2023, when the price was also $2,900. In 2019, the average price was $2,400, then in 2021, $2,500 and the following year it was $2,600.
To give some context to the fluctuating prices above, which happens with the average wedding cost as well, Jackson and Lust chime in with their background knowledge. "The cost of a wedding photographer has evolved and constantly evolves due to a lot of factors. Rising expenses, frequent equipment and software updates, increased demand for a luxury client experience and, of course, shifts in market trends," Jackson says. Lusts adds, "The popularity of Instagram plays into this cost shift as my couples love to share images of their friends and family. They expect more photos of all of their guests having the time of their lives from the moment they arrive until when the wedding ends."
