How Much of Your Wedding Budget Should Go on a Photographer?

Most advice puts wedding photography somewhere between 10 and 15 percent of the total budget, and that is a sensible place to start. The honest answer is that it depends on what matters most to you, because the photographs are one of the few things you keep once the day is over.

What the 10 to 15 percent guide actually means

On a £30,000 wedding, that works out at roughly £3,000 to £4,500 for photography. It is a guide rather than a rule, and plenty of couples sit either side of it. If photographs are high on your list, spending a bigger share is completely normal. If they sit lower down, you might spend less, though it is worth being honest with yourself about how you will feel about that in ten years.

What the money really buys

You are not paying for someone to stand at the back with a nice camera. A full day of documentary coverage means long hours on the day itself, then days of careful editing afterwards. It also buys the experience to stay calm and keep working when timings slip or the weather turns. My full day coverage starts from £3,500 and includes at least 400 carefully edited photographs.

Where couples trim, and where they regret it

The flowers are gone in a week and the cake is gone in a day, but the photographs are still on the wall decades later. If the budget is tight, it usually makes more sense to trim the things guests barely notice than to book a cheaper photographer and hope for the best.

How to decide what is right for you

Start with your total figure, then rank the things that matter most to you as a couple. If being able to relive the day properly sits near the top, give photography the share it deserves. Our cost guide breaks down what different budgets buy across the UK, and the investment page sets out exactly what is included with me.

If you would like to talk through your day and what coverage would suit it, get in touch.