Well, of course you should have one at your wedding, who would ever say they don’t want images of their wedding day?

The REAL question is — How can I afford a Wedding photographer?

There are countless photographers everywhere from Facebook to local Wedding Network’s to word of mouth options, so where do you start?

Where do you focus your time at?

Let’s look at Roanoke, Virginia for an example, my local marketplace. Roanoke had more than 173 wedding photographers and then some, ranging from a few hundred bucks to several thousand. How can you know which ones to focus on first?

The reality is that you’ll never be able to research all 173 of them right away.

As a competitor, Carole and I don’t even focus on them because it’s nearly impossible.

Just take a look at the screenshot below.

If you look on Wedding Wire, you’ll see that in our region that includes Richmond, Lynchburg, Roanoke, southwestern Virginia and central Virginia, there are more than 593 wedding photographers alone, more than wedding venues even!

Even if you Google them, you’re going to find a list so large that it will make you’re head spin.

You can see from just a couple of screenshots above, there are too many of us out there. That has to mostly do with the cost of technology becoming more affordable in the last 15 years and almost anyone with a camera wants to be a ‘professional’.

How to Find the Right Wedding Photographer for you?

Step 1

First, I want you to understand that what is affordable to one couple, is NOT the same to someone else. You need to first look at your own budget. Simply input the total amount you plan on spending for your entire wedding, the calculator above will give you a low, medium and high range to work with.

The problem with wedding photographers is that they rely too much on creating great work that it creates an emotion which makes you want them… and they’re most likely way out of your budget. That’s not a bad thing, it’s purchasing with your heart and not your head. It’s one of the reasons why you see many wedding filmmakers and photographers overcharge for their work, it’s emotional.

Keep the emotion to a minimum when searching for wedding vendors, trust me it will save you a lot of money!

Step 2

Here’s what you do next.

Each market is different because the economics is different from region to region. For example, Roanoke, which is where I’m from has a low cost of living, thus a low cost for vendors.

If you live in New York city, you are going to pay a lot more for the same types of services, in that market about three times what is supported where I live.

Carole and I suggest going to Facebook to help quickly narrow down some local vendors. Join a local wedding group and ask a questions posting in this format.

“ISO a wedding photographer for my upcoming June, 13th, 2022 wedding in Roanoke, VA. I have a budget range of $1,500-$2,100. Please post a business name and website. Thank you!”

This will help set the stage in getting responses that work within the range.

Why a range?

For two reasons, first, companies like mine don’t need to know the exact amount that you want to spend on wedding photography and second, it helps funnel those that are close to your price point and allows you to consider them in the running.

Step 3

Collect the data.

You will need to write down the name of the business along with their website. If you have Google Sheets or Excel, then you feel free to use this great downloadable tool we created to help narrow down the right vendor.

At this point, you don’t need to contact any of them, just collect the information.

Download the Photographer Tool

The excel file is designed to help give you a percentage number based on the factors that they offer. For example, if their cost is within your budget, the percentage goes up and so forth.

This is where you will narrow your search to the top three photographers.

Step 4

How to pick from the Top 3 Wedding Photographers?

Once you have the top three competitors that best fit your budget, connect with them.

Visit their website, see what value-added services they have to offer and ask these questions if you can.

Can you tell me more about your style?
Do you have any hidden fees or travel fees? (not taxes but fees)
Do you have a contract we could look at?
What about rescheduling if needed?
What type of equipment do you have? (you can research the type of camera bodies, etc)
Can you provide me with samples? (if you don’t see much on the website)
How long does your processing take? (this can vary from vendor to vendor)
Do you offer flexible payment terms?

Carole and I would encourage you to do a phone, Face-time or in person meeting.

Learn more about the photographers and their personality because you will want them to have a good personality for your big day.

Picking from three is a lot better than choosing form more than 100 or more in your region. Most times, we’ve found that couples that follow the guidelines here tend to find someone that they are very pleased with too.

Step 5

What Should be the Determining Factor in picking THE one?

Well, thats a bit personal when it comes to choosing the right one.

It could be that you like the photographic style of one company over another.

Perhaps it’s a value-added feature like a replacement warranty or monthly payments to help ease the budget swell.

If you understand my point here, it’s choosing someone with the right fit for your wedding.

Look at our own business, we aren’t meant for everyone that connects with us and thats okay. Each business goes after a select demographic and you need to determine which of the three best fits your demographic.

Here at Wedding Photography and Films for example, our demographic are as follows:

Couples with a budget range of $20,000-$25,000+ dollars
Couples that are regional to the South Eastern part of the United States
Couples that like natural, photo journalistic style images and films
Couples that are smart with their money and appreciate value-added features

Not all companies are like ours, many shoot for the most expensive couple they can hire and thats it. Others, just want to make a fast buck and don’t provide any value-added services nor do they have a demographic other than budget brides.

No matter what the case, finding the right fit simply takes a bit of education to figure out which of the three best meets your needs.

And there you have it, you’ve just selected a great wedding photographer that you can afford, best fits your personality and doesn’t hurt the wedding budget in the process.

Let us know what you think in the comment section below, we love to hear from couples just like you!