When you’re planning your wedding, it’s so easy for both you and your love to become very overwhelmed very quickly. There are a host of professionals that websites and books will suggest you hire (though the final decision is always up to you!), and there are also tons of articles on the web. It’s a lot of info to sort through! And while we may not answer every question that’s on your mind today, we are going to explore one very important bit of information:
What does the cost of wedding photography actually include?
Every wedding professional has a very different way of answering this question because every pro’s business was created with a different purpose and business plan in mind. However, there are very clear similarities across the board, especially among photographers. So, today we thought we would explore more of what’s included in a wedding photography package with V List Member, Nicole of Nicole Jansma Photography!
Sometimes, couples assume a wedding photographer is only onsite and working for them for a single day – their wedding day, of course. However, that is definitely not the case. Nicole mentions wedding photographers spend over 50 hours working on a single wedding, and she wrote a fantastic blog post uncovering all of the ways photographers spend their time. Here’s a peek at just five of the ways photographers are working for you:
1) Wedding Day.
Obviously this includes the hours of your actual wedding. But, even if you only hired the photographer for 8 hours of coverage, they are probably putting in closer to 12 hours of work that day when you factor in equipment prep, travel, and backing up your images after the wedding.
2) Consultations and Emails.
We are typically doing an initial consultation and a final consultation. In between, there’s hours of back and forth emailing.
3) Engagement Session.
Most wedding photographers include an engagement session at no additional cost (for many reasons; one being it’s INCREDIBLY beneficial to have had that ‘practice’ in front of the camera before your wedding). That’s another roughly 12 hours of work when you factor everything in.
4) Timeline Prep.
Even if you’re working with a planner, your photographer is spending at least an hour putting together a photography timeline for you to ensure we have time for all the photos you want.
5) Site Visits and Location Scouting.
Unless we’ve already worked at your venue and know the portrait options very well, we are likely spending 2-3 hours to walk through the space and scout photo spots in advance of your big day.
Those are just the top five things that your wedding photography price include, and Nicole goes into even more depth in her insightful post. Whether you’re planning a wedding in Chicago or beyond, every one of Nicole’s points is completely universal.
PS: how amazing is Nicole’s photography?!
Lauren
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