Your wedding photography is the one aspect of your big day that can be truly considered an investment. But how much of your budget should you be allocating towards it?

Obviously, as a wedding photographer in Kitchener/Waterloo, you’d expect me to say that big day photography is priceless. But trust me, it really is. You ask any married couple what the one thing they’re most happy they invested in, and 9/10 they’ll say their wedding photos. Because once all is said and done, and you’re now back from a wonderful honeymoon, the photography from your big day is the only way to truly relive those special moments. It’s like a time machine. Instantly transporting you back to that magical time and place. And that’s why wedding photography is such an important investment. But how much does a wedding photographer in Canada actually cost?

In general, the cost of a wedding photographer may be higher than you would expect, if you haven’t dealt with one before. But, you get what you pay for. Wedding photography pricing is influenced by experience, demand, and location. While the cost of a wedding photographer can vary depending on where you are in Canada, there are some common themes, and today I’ll be sharing those.

How Much Does a Wedding Photographer in Canada Cost?

A recent survey found that a wedding photographer in Canada would typically cost between $3,600 and $7,500, moving up to $6,500+ if you’re based in Toronto. This cost would normally amount to around 10 and 15 percent of the whole wedding spend for a couple. That’s how crucial wedding photography is. To better understand what goes into the pricing of photography, and why it is the price it is, I’ve shared a little guide below.

What’s Influences a Wedding Photography Package Cost?

Location

You’ll find the cost of a wedding photographer fluctuates depending on where they are in Canada, née, the world. As I mentioned above, a wedding photographer based in Toronto may well cost up to $6500+. Whereas outside the major cities, you will find pricing to be a lot lower. This is due to all the costs your photographer will incur from working within a more expensive environment.

As a wedding photographer, I work in Toronto, but I’m based in Kitchener/Waterloo. This means I can keep my costs down as I only need to travel into the city for work. The cost of my wedding photography packages start from $2600, much lower than you would expect to pay for a photographer with my experience, based in Toronto.

Experience

You get one shot at wedding photography. It cannot be repeated, or re-staged. Therefore, you need a photographer who you can trust. An individual or team with experience in shooting events on a similar scale to your own. This experience, however, affects the cost.

If your budget is tight, you may be able to find a wedding photographer who is fairly new to the business, and requires clients to fill their portfolio. The cost of their services should be significantly less than a more experienced vendor, and you may end up with some incredible shots for a fraction of the price. But do keep in mind what I said above. Your wedding cannot be re-done. So if you can stretch to a wedding photographer with more experience, you’ll certainly feel a lot less anxiety about the finished results.

Time of the Week/Year

For many years, Saturday has been the most popular day for a wedding. And wedding season normally runs from May until September. Photographers tend to be booked up during this time, sometimes years in advance. Due to the demand at this time, prices are typically higher.

If you’re looking to save money on your wedding in general, then it’s wise to opt out of this busy period. And consider either a Winter wedding, or maybe a mid-week celebration. This will certainly bring the cost of your wedding photographer down, as well as many of the other vendors in Canada you wish to book.

Number of Hours

As with most types of services, professional photographers bill by the number of hours they cover. For example, if you want your photographer to capture everything from morning until night, a full 12 hours. You can expect the cost of said wedding photographer to be higher than if they were only shooting your ceremony and part of your reception.

My wedding photography packages start from 8 hours, which is an ideal amount of time to capture both the big, and the small moments from your big day. However, if you don’t want a single detail missed, you can choose instead to have the full 12 hours of coverage.

If you are on a tight budget, it’s wise to opt for fewer hours, and concentrate on capturing the moments that are most important to you.

Pre- & Post-Wedding Sessions

Many couples choose to celebrate those moments around their wedding, as well as the day itself. The honeymoon, the rehearsal dinner and the engagement session are all add-ons your photographer would be only too happy to capture for you. This extra coverage does, of course, typically increase the overall cost of your wedding photographer.

Engagement sessions of 1.5 hours are extra from all my wedding packages, but I think they are an integral part of your overall photography experience.

A Second Photographer

If your wedding guest list is huge, or you want to capture both you and your partner getting ready on the morning of, then you may need a second shooter. One photographer should be more than enough for a typical, single wedding. And they will be more than capable of capturing all the crucial moments. However, if you want something more, and require more coverage, you’ll need to up the budget for your photographer.

Hopefully, today, I’ve laid to rest some worries you may have had about the cost of a wedding photographer. And maybe helped you decide which path you should take when it comes to the photography of your wedding.

It would be an honour to go one step further, and actually be one of the wedding photographers in Kitchener/ Waterloo you’re considering! As a photographer, I have shot over 300 weddings across the world. And every photograph I have taken was with the upmost care for the couple, and enormous pride in being able to capture such a timeless memory for them.

You are welcome to browse my various portfolios, and if you like what you see, please take a look at my services page, where you’ll find a breakdown of my investment packages. For any questions, or queries about pricing, feel free to get in touch via my contact page.