How Much Are Brides in Southern California Spending on Wedding Photography?

In 2018, I started a survey to figure what brides in Southern California were spending on their wedding photographer as well as what Southern California wedding photographers were charging on average. There are many blog posts out there that give a national average and personally, I feel it is a bit misleading because so many different things factor into the final cost (total number of hours, products, the experience of the photographer, etc...). We surveyed hundreds of local brides who got married in the past few years and nearly 100 local wedding photographers and this is what we found out...

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And this is what photographers reported back:

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So what does this all mean?

This survey was created to educate brides on what other brides are paying on average for wedding photography services and what local wedding photographers are charging on average. It is in no way to tell you that you need to pay $xxxx.xx amount. But it's important to understand the above information.

I used to be a wedding photographer for about 9 years. I worked part-time but still came in contact with a lot of brides inquiring about my services. Often times when I asked for their photography budget, they responded with, "Oh, I don't know what wedding photography costs!" There are so many blog articles about this out there but I feel like they lack real information. So I am hoping that brides will read this and look at the data I collected and go forward with more of an understanding as they look for and hire their wedding photographer.

So how much should you spend on your wedding photography? The answer is: as much as you're willing to spend. You'll come across a wide range of different prices that photographers charge and there is so much depth as to why they charge those prices. On top of the amount of work goes into photographing an event and editing post-wedding, there are also other things that go into pricing such as the cost of doing business and the years of experience the photographer has. A great and experienced photographer will know what to do when things don't go as planned, they will know how to handle tough situations, and they'll know how to properly photograph your wedding and get all those shots you need.

With all that said, here is my advice to brides:

Your photos (and video - but we're talking about photos in this blog post) are all that you will have from your wedding day that you will be able to look back on and reminisce on all the memories. They will be all that you have left to show your kids and grandkids. Don't skimp on a good photographer. Hire someone whose work you love even if it means cutting the budget in other areas. Hire someone you connect with because they are one of the few vendors who will literally be with you the entire day. Hire someone you like. Get recommendations from your friends and family. Research wedding blogs and vendor guides. Ask questions. Ask to see entire wedding galleries so you know what to expect from them. You want to hire someone who creates photos that you will be happy to look at for the rest of your lives. And if you ever need recommendations, I would be more than happy to help. But in the meantime, you can find all of our vetted wedding photographers whom I can't recommend more below:

FIND YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER TODAY!

I hope that you found this article helpful!