What to Include in Wedding Photography Packages[ What Industry Experts say]

Well, you just started your wedding Photography Business, and wondering What factors should you consider when creating a wedding photography package for your Photography business? What should be included in the wedding Photography package that can attract more clients? We spoke to 2 leading Wedding Photographers Emily Q( Chicago Wedding Photographer) & Nicollet T ( LA Based Wedding Photographer) ..

Wedding photographers have a few common fears, such as missing the kiss or tripping during the ceremony. However, many wedding photographers have a fear unrelated to photography. It’s all about turning a hobby into a business: asking for money and determining wedding photography prices.

Emily Q( Chicago Wedding Photographer)

However, wedding photography is valuable, and you must set a price for your services. You can’t make a living as a professional photographer if you don’t have the guts to charge for your photos.

Also Read: How to Start Wedding Photography Business in 9 Steps[Wedding Photography Business Plan]

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If you have worked as a professional wedding photographer for a significant amount of time, then the significance of putting together photographic packages is not something that will be lost on you at all.

The majority of customers typically just have a general concept of what it is that they want. They do not have a good understanding of the specifics and do not know what to anticipate.

Providing your customers with well-organized wedding photography packages makes it easier for them to understand the intricacies of the deliverables you provide.

In addition to this, it is to your advantage as a photographer to have well-defined wedding photography packages. This allows you to be forthright and clear, right from the start, regarding the extent of your services and the pricing associated with them.

How many photo packages do you recommend purchasing? What kind of rates do you offer for Wedding photography packages? If these are some of the questions that you are having trouble answering, then it is very likely that this guide may be of assistance to you. Allow us to guide you through it!

So, what to include in an average Wedding Photography Packages

Finally, what components of the package should you be including in your wedding Photography Package? Here’s the rundown:

• An Engagement session
• A backup photographer
• Pre-wedding, ceremony, portraits, and reception coverage
• Proofs, prints, albums, and/or a USB drive containing photos
• When necessary, travel and lodging
• High-resolution, edited images
• Letter of permission to print
• Contract for Wedding Photography – This is something that you absolutely need to have in place right away. This is the factor that determines whether or not someone will hire you, and it makes no difference whether they found you on Instagram or through a personal connection.

Here are some of the most important ADD-Ons to keep in mind while designing your wedding photography packages:

• Password-protected online gallery for your clients
• Extra coverage hours
• Rehearsal coverage
• Additional photographers
• After-the-Wedding Shoot
• Multiple locations
• Special albums/books
• Canvases

The following components are typically included in the majority of photography packages offered for weddings:

The cost and initial deposits
The package should provide specific information on each component that constitutes the photographer’s service. It ought to display a price, indicating whether or not the VAT is included. It should also make it crystal clear how much of a deposit is necessary to secure the booking, as well as the date by which the remaining balance of the package price must be paid in full. The answer to this question varies from nation to nation. Around one month to two weeks before the wedding,

Coverage of the day’s events in photographs
The amount of time that a single photographer will be present at your wedding to take photographs. Frequently, the package will include language such as “up to 6 hours” “up to 8 hours” or “from the ceremony until the speeches.” The price of the package is obviously impacted by the total amount of time that the photographer spends photographing the event.

Nicollet T ( LA Based Wedding Photographer)

A portrait sitting held prior to the wedding
It is possible that it will involve a pre-wedding photo session. This session will take place several months before the actual wedding. There are also those who refer to it as an “engagement photo shoot.” It’s more like a play session where you and the photographer can get to know each other better. This page contains additional information about the pre-shoots.

A stick of USB memory
There is a possibility that the package will come with a USB memory stick containing the edited photographs in high resolution (this means you can use the images to make your own prints or albums online, using the suppliers you choose).

A predetermined quantity of digital photographs
The package that you purchase should specify the number of photographs that you can anticipate receiving after the wedding.

A predetermined quantity of prints
In the past, photographers would customarily include a number of different prints (6″x4″, or 7″x5″, or a large one for the wall, but not many photographers do that these days).

A video compilation of the best still photographs
It’s possible that the photographer will put together a short video set to music that showcases the most memorable photos from the wedding.

A wedding album
It could include a photo album of the wedding. The fact that there are so many different album suppliers in the market makes this aspect of the comparison even more challenging.

A large frame or canvas
It could include a single framed wedding photo as well as a canvas print for you to hang on the wall. It ought to specify the size of the frame or the canvas (or whatever other product it is), as well as the anticipated delivery date.

An online Gallery
The vast majority of photographers will provide you with access to a personal, password-protected online gallery that you can use to show off your new photos to your loved ones. Quite frequently, this gallery will give you and your relatives the opportunity to buy individual prints at prices that have been determined by the photographer.

An album serving as a sampler
It is possible that it will include a preview album, which is a photo book that displays all of the edited photographs printed in an affordable book. This is not an album of wedding photos.

Backup Photographer
The option to hire a second photographer is one that is provided by some wedding photographers. The majority of photographers who specialize in weddings work under the assumption that the second photographer will be present for the same amount of time as the main photographer.

What to Consider before deciding on what to include in a wedding Photography package

Time: Think About How Long It Will Take to complete the gig

Time: Wedding photographer prices typically include six-eight hours of coverage and an unlimited amount of photos. The longer your client wants your photography service to stay at the event, the more your client has to pay. Extra hours are to be charged.

It can be hard to put a price on a wedding photo. They will hang the wedding pictures in the family home for decades. Their worth is highly emotional and incalculable.

You will, in fact, spend a good chunk of the wedding day taking photographs. However, many amateur photographers underestimate how much effort is required beyond the wedding day itself. You can’t make $1,000 in a day if you charge $1,000.

The time spent shooting is only part of the equation when calculating the total amount of work involved.

• Taking engagement photos if included in the package, meeting with the couple before the wedding to go over details, and creating and filing all necessary contracts and paperwork.
• How much time it takes To get there- the travel costs
• Creating prints, digital copies, Editing images using any editing software, and album designs, as well as uploading and sorting images.
• After everything is said and done, photographing a wedding takes more than a day. This is a question to which answers will vary somewhat from photographer to photographer.
• “Even though the wedding itself only takes about 10 hours of time, I personally spend closer to 30 or 40 hours on the whole package,” Says Nicollet T ( LA Based Wedding Photographer)
• Do you have to travel a long distance for the wedding event? Are you going to be driving to the wedding gig, your client may have to pay a per-mile fee or may have to pay for airfare and accommodations if it is a destination wedding.

Budget for Equipment and Marketing

Equipment and Advertising Spending Plan
Wedding photographers put more than just time into a job. It’s important to factor in the cost of photography equipment and other miscellaneous costs when setting your prices.

It doesn’t matter if you already have a fantastic wedding camera and lenses; camera bodies eventually break down. That camera body won’t be cutting edge any longer.

It’s possible that you’ll want to upgrade your lens, repair your current one, or require maintenance on your equipment.

Also Read: 7 Best Cameras for Wedding Photography

When making a financial plan, it’s important to factor in not only the price of new and repaired equipment but also things like

• Photo Editing: Do you have to spend a significant amount of time editing and retouching your wedding photos to ensure they look absolutely stunning?
• Additional applications, such as financial planning and client management
• A personal computer and printer;
• The price of website hosting for a virtual resume or CV;
• Expenses related to promotion, such as advertisements and wedding expos;
• Spending money on a helper/second Photographer if you decide to use one- Second Shooters/Staffing: Do you have to be accompanied by a second shooter or assistants? then this makes an additional Charge
• Paying for government fees;
• If you don’t want to work from home, you’ll need to factor in the cost of renting an office or studio space.

Images: The cost of your wedding photographer should include the actual images. You can receive digital files in a variety of ways, including via an online gallery and/or a USB drive.
Many wedding photography packages include a “print release,” which means you can use the photos for personal use only. However, be aware that you will most likely not have a full “copyright release,” which means you will not own the photos and will not be able to sell them, and your photographer will not be compensated.

Prints: Some wedding photographers include photo prints (or a print credit—money you can use to purchase prints) in their rates. While you are not required to purchase your prints from your photographer, they will most likely turn out better if you do.
Albums: You may include a wedding album in your package. Your clients have the option of designing and purchasing the album.
Extra shoots: Some photographers include an engagement shoot as part of their package (62 percent of couples do a pre-wedding engagement shoot). Bridal portraits, trash the dress sessions, and coverage of your rehearsal dinner are likely to cost extra.” Wedding Wire

Use Multiple Rates for multiple packages

Each wedding is one of a kind. If not, there’s no reason for them to be. The best solution for a couple can often be found among several alternatives. And it ensures that the wedding photographer is treated fairly.

The couple who wants a small, intimate ceremony in their backyard can select a different package than the couple who wants a large, extravagant ceremony and reception.

Consider the time commitment and final output when setting prices for the available choices. Among my offerings are a minimally priced package that covers just the ceremony, a full wedding package, and a full wedding package that includes an album and a large canvas print for the wall.

Maintain a Low Complexity

When it comes to the planning of a wedding, engaged couples have somewhere in the neighborhood of a billion and a half decisions to make (to use the correct mathematical term). Don’t let picking a wedding photographer be one of the stressful decisions for your big day.

When it comes to pricing, try to keep things as straightforward as you possibly can. Find a happy medium so that you can cater a variety of options to different couples. When dealing with couples, try not to present them with too many options.

For instance, take a look at “veri Photography” based in Melbourne they offer different combo Packages Like the Wedding Photo+Video+Album Package ( Wedding Combo A, B , C)

What Min Things Commonly Included Budget-friendly Wedding Photography Packages?

Flash Drive USB
It’s a USB drive that comes in a nice case that can be used for presentation. The introduction of digital photography has resulted in this unintended consequence.

A compact container in which all of the wedding photographs can be stored in a secure manner. However, even though those days are long gone, it was only a few short years ago that you could have pictures delivered on a compact disc.

Printed Images
Prints are a rather unusual addition to wedding packages, which is somewhat surprising.

Even though prints are included in the wedding album If the clients want to frame some of them so they could hang them on walls. If they already have the digital file for print, it will be very simple for you to print it on your own. Photographers typically use print suppliers of a higher quality than standard retail outlets in comparison to retail outlets.

Wedding Album Albums are typically included as part of the packages that wedding photographers make available to their clients. The creation of a wedding album is one of the more traditional components that can be included in wedding photography packages.

Even in the days when weddings were still documented with photographs, albums were put together to keep the memories alive. Once upon a time, you made your way to a nearby shop in order to collect your prints as well as an album.

The total cost of your package will go up as a direct result of your decision to include an increasing number of these components. The price of the album, the USB, or the prints will have the photographer’s markup added on top of it.

The profit margin accounts for the investments made by the company in the production of the service. In addition, we go back to the hourly rate that a wedding photographer would normally charge for their services. It will take some time to put together an album, copy the photos to a USB drive, and arrange the prints in the appropriate order.

The hourly rate that the wedding photographer charges will have that entire amount of time subtracted from it.

Digital Images
This is something that all wedding photographers have in common. One could make the argument that this is the only part of the package that is truly necessary for them to have.

Once you have the digital images in your possession, you are at liberty to utilize them in any manner that you see fit. You could turn them into a poster or print them out to put in an album.

Other options include: After that, you will be able to upload them into an online photobook or album creator. Since they are already stored on your hard drive, there won’t be a problem with hardware obsolescence; if the software changes, you can easily save them in the new format.

How to Choose or determine Your Wedding Photography Services

Wedding photographers must determine how much to charge in addition to how much to charge. There are two popular alternatives. Full, all-inclusive packages or allowing clients to pick and choose what they want a la carte.

Packages have to be more straightforward for both the photographer and the bride and groom. Couples simply select the option that best suits them, and the selection process involves only one option, not several.

It is easier for the wedding photographer to mark a single package on the wedding photography contract and other paperwork. It’s also easier to remember package prices and options when you don’t have to look at a price sheet.

Nicollet T ( LA Based Wedding Photographer) a leading wedding Photographer in LA, USA says

While packages are more convenient, a la carte has its advantages as well. If there is something in your packages that a couple does not want, they may feel as if they are paying for something they do not want. Prices for a la carte wedding photography allow couples to select exactly what they want.

I employ a sort of hybrid of the two. I have three wedding photography packages to choose from. However, I do have a list of add-ons that allow couples to customize their packages.

Nicollet T ( LA Based Wedding Photographer- Freelancer

FAQs Wedding Photography packages

What Should a Reasonably Priced Wedding Photography Package Include?

A variety of professionals offer half-day wedding photography packages ranging in price from $1800 to $2600. The time allotted is adequate for the wedding ceremony, the location, and the first two hours of the celebration.

A professional wedding photographer will be able to capture all of the important rituals of your big day. If you want to capture images of the bride and groom getting ready for the big day, a wedding photography package with 8-10 hours of coverage is recommended.

Wrapping up Note

Pricing wedding photography is a difficult task. Photographers must strike a balance between pricing so low that their perceived value suffers and pricing so high that there are no bookings on their calendars.

As you strike that balance, keep these wedding photography pricing tips in mind.