Wedding Flowers

Your wedding photographs will be the longest lasting reminder of your wedding day.  Long after the frozen top tier of wedding cake has been eaten,  and as the anniversaries tick by, your wedding photographs will remain in frames and albums as constant reminders of the happy day that you got married.

It is no wonder then, that your wedding photography is one of the most important aspects of your wedding.  Photographs can be formal, posed shots,  or candid images documenting your day. You should spend time thinking about the style of photographs that you want,  and try to find a photographer who you trust to capture the overall feel of your wedding.  You should also choose a photographer who you get along well with,  as they will be sharing some of the most intimate moments of your wedding day, and mingling amongst all of your guests.

Wedding photography and videography can be one of the most expensive elements of your wedding budget, yet they are something that you can’t do without.  But with so many options,  how do you know how much you should pay?

Wedding photography and videography costs can vary wildly, depending on the standard of professional that you hire.  A budget photographer runs from $100 - $1500 depending on the hours that they will spend at your wedding.  As you being to spend more, the photographer will be available for more hours,  will provide more proofs,  give you nicer sample albums, and may use extra photographers at your wedding.  Higher end, luxury photographers can charge anything up to $10,000 and beyond. Because of this wide range of prices, it is very difficult to decide what you should be paying for these services.

What is the average cost of wedding photography in my area?
A good way to find the average cost for wedding photography in your area is to get quotes from a variety of photographers.  As you learn about what is included in their packages and then survey their work you will quickly get an idea of what you can expect for your budget in your area.

So how much does wedding photography cost, on average?
Most wedding experts cite putting aside 7 – 10% of your total budget for the costs of wedding photography and videography.  If you find this amount does not get you the quality that you want, then you will have to reprioritise the other areas of your wedding to try to allocate more of your budget to your wedding photography.

What is the average cost of wedding videography?
As with photography, the cost of wedding videography can vary greatly depending on the videographer’s experience and quality as well as what is included in a package.  Budget videography can start at $350, and run up to $1,000, while higher end professionals can charge $3,000 or more.   The more you pay, the more number of cameras at your wedding,  the higher quality image and sound will be,  and the better editing you will have for the finished product.

What should I pay for wedding videography?
This will depend on what you want from your wedding video.  Some brides do not want a video at all.  Others, may only want a short, simple recording of their ceremony.  Still others may opt for a full feature video of their special day, edited to play like a movie,  with various camera angles, close ups,  visual effects and even a soundtrack.   Make up your mind about what you would like, and then ask various videographers for a quote.  Choose a package that suits both your needs and your budget.

At the end of the day it will be your own choice as to whether you feel a photographer and videographer is offering you good value for money,  and if you can afford to include their fees in your budget.  You will be looking at these images for the rest of your life, and may decide to allocate more of your budget to be able to get higher quality photography and videography.  Flowers and cakes won’t last longer than the wedding,  while the photographs can last forever.

Websites:
http://www.costhelper.com
http://www.costofwedding.com/
http://www.weddingusa.com/stories/video_cost.htm