Wedding Photographer Cost Calculator

Wedding photography is one of the two things you still have in thirty years, along with the rings. Costs vary enormously with experience level, location, and what is actually in the package, which is why this page asks for the numbers on your quote rather than guessing them.

Leave every price blank and nothing is invented. Fill in the base package and the calculator adds the extra hours, the add-ons and a sensible tip range, and tells you whether the quote sits inside the going rate for that experience level. Photography prices move every year and vary several-fold between a small town and a major city, so a figure frozen into a calculator would be wrong for most people reading it.

Typical US wedding photography pricing (2024):

• Budget / new photographer: $800–$1,500
• Mid-range (3–7 years experience): $2,000–$4,000
• Experienced / established: $4,000–$7,000
• Luxury / destination specialist: $7,000–$20,000+

What’s typically included in a base package:

• 6–10 hours of coverage
• Online gallery with full resolution downloads
• Edited photos (300–800+ images)
• Engagement session (in higher packages)

Common add-ons and their typical costs:

• Second photographer: $400–$1,200
• Engagement session (if not included): $300–$800
• Rehearsal dinner coverage: $500–$1,500/hour rate
• Printed album (20–30 pages): $300–$800
• Canvas prints or wall art: $100–$500 each
• Rush delivery (under 2 weeks): $200–$500 premium
• Travel fee (over 30 miles): $0.67/mile or $100–$500 flat
• Drone coverage: $300–$800

Questions to ask your photographer:

• How many photos will you deliver?
• What is your backup plan if you are sick or have an emergency?
• Do you shoot in RAW format?
• How long until we receive our photos?
• What editing style do you use: light and airy, moody, dark and dramatic?
• What is the overtime rate if the day runs long, and when does the clock start?
• Do we own the rights to print our photos?

How the extra hours are priced here Most base packages cover 8 hours. Past that, the calculator bills the extra time at the base package’s own effective hourly rate plus 20%, which is the usual contract term. Your contract may say something different, so check it: an overtime rate quoted as a flat number is common too, and if yours is flat you can enter it as part of the base and set hours to 8.

On tipping, because most guides get this backwards You do not traditionally tip the owner of the business, and most wedding photographers are the owner. A second shooter or an assistant on payroll is a different case and $50 to $100 each is normal. Where a tip does make sense, it goes on the shooting work rather than on the whole invoice, so the range on this page deliberately excludes the album and the engagement session. Tipping 15% of a $7,000 package because a calculator told you to would be a $1,050 gratuity, which nobody expects.

Budget tip: Book early. Good photographers fill up 12–18 months in advance for popular wedding dates (May–October Saturdays), and booking in the off-season (January–March, weekdays) can save 10–20%.