Find a Wedding Photographer near you
The average rating for Bark Wedding Photographers is 4.97, based on 57,412 reviews
5/5
based on 57,412 reviews
Need a professional photographer to capture the best bits of your big day but unsure of costs? Read our handy guide to find out how much you’ll pay for a wedding photographer.
As much as it can seem like you’re planning your wedding forever, the day itself can go by in the blink of an eye. With all the months (or even years) of planning, excitement, and anticipation, you want to make sure that a trusted photographer will be on hand to capture the special moments from your big day, so you can relax and enjoy every minute.
Understanding the price of a wedding photographer can be tricky. The average total cost can range anywhere from $1,000 to over $8,000. The price will ultimately come down to what you want out of the service.
Wedding photographers offer anything from taking a few pictures to a bespoke package that comes with retouched prints and a USB digital album.
As a general rule, most people put around 10% of their overall wedding budget towards their photographer. To give you a rough idea, here’s the average cost of how much you’ll pay for a wedding photographer in Canada:
| Average total cost | $4,500 |
| Minimum total cost | $1,000 |
| Maximum total cost | $8,000 |
The cost of a wedding photographer can vary depending on different factors. These include:
Location
Season
Type of package
A big price influencing factor is where you live. Photographers tend to charge more in major cities to make up for the higher cost of living. Here’s a rough idea of how much you’ll pay depending on where you live:
| Region | Average cost |
| Toronto | $5,500 |
| Montreal | $3,250 |
| Vancouver | $2,250 |
Wedding season typically runs in the spring and summer months, with the months between June and September being the most popular to get hitched. If you're planning on tying the knot during this time, expect to pay more for a wedding photographer to account for the higher demand.
Want to keep costs to a minimum? Why not opt for a warm and cozy winter wedding? It’ll be cheaper and you won’t need to worry about the photographer getting booked up quickly. If you hold your wedding in December, why not go for a festive theme?
Many wedding photographers will offer various package options with tiered pricing that increases or decreases depending on the contents of the service, making it easy to find something that suits all budgets. Here’s an example of what a photographer may include in their package options:
Basic - At a minimum, a basic package should cover photos of the wedding ceremony including digital copies of your images.
Mid-range - Mid-range packages include around 8 hours of coverage from the ceremony to the speeches.
Full package - Beyond this can include anything from pre-wedding consultations to engagement photoshoots and hiring more than one photographer on the day.
Luxury wedding packages - If you’re looking for the crème de la crème of wedding photography, then expect to pay more. Luxury packages sit at the higher end of the pricing scale and can include anything from online photo galleries, mobile apps to store your digital photos, and professional wedding photography albums. Prices can rise up to $8,000 in total, especially if you hire a super-experienced photographer.
Length of time - Typically, you want to hire your photographer for at least 8 hours, to capture the most important moments of the day. However, if you want them there from the second your makeup starts getting done into the early hours of the morning, expect costs to be higher.
The number of digital photographs and prints - The more photos you have, the more you’ll pay. Simple.
With so many other costs to consider with your wedding, it’s understandable to want to save where you can. Here’s how you can keep costs down when hiring your wedding photographer:
Consider weekday weddings - Weekday weddings are considerably cheaper than weekend weddings, but if you choose to go for this option make sure your guests can book the time off work before committing to anything.
Hire a photographer for less time - If you reduce the hours you hire your photographer for, then you can dramatically reduce costs too. Less time means fewer photos to process, which means less work for the photographer.
Book early - Ever heard of the saying ‘The early bird catches the worm?’ Lots of photographers will offer discounts for early bookings. Photographers normally get booked up pretty far in advance too, so it's worth getting in there early.
Capture the most treasured moments of your big day - find a reliable Wedding Photographer on Bark.
The average rating for Bark Wedding Photographers is 4.97, based on 57,412 reviews
5/5
based on 57,412 reviews
