Wedding Photography Pricing in Connecticut
So, you’re planning a wedding, and it’s time to find your wedding photographer. But maybe you’re not sure of what a wedding photographer costs.
I’m going to get straight to the point:
As of 2023: the average cost of wedding photography in Connecticut is about $4,000.
Please note the “about” in my statement. There’s no precise answer to this since all wedding photographers structure their packages and pricing differently from one another. Similarly, years of experience and skill determine this average.
Wedding Photographers with a one to two years of experience are likely to charge somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000 since they’re building their portfolios. Wedding photographers with several years of experience are likely $2,000 to $3,500. Wedding photographers with many years (6+) of experience are obviously going to be $3,000 and higher, with the luxury/high-end wedding photography starting around $4,500 and averaging $6,000.
For the record, there are exceptions to this. But that’s for another time.
So what can you expect to pay? Well it really depends on…
What/How much coverage YOU need
Generally, most brides want their photographer to capture last hour of getting ready through most of the reception. 8 hours tends to be the appropriate amount of coverage for this timeline. This coverage includes getting ready, bride and groom portraits, wedding party portraits, family portraits, ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception…and minimal travel time. Weddings with lots of driving between locations should expect to add on an extra hour or two. I don’t want to get too specific for the sake of keeping this simple. Just know that 8 hours is the average to capture most of your wedding day IF you are keeping things standard.
Now Let’s Talk Value
Two things determine value: years of experience and included coverage. Let’s first talk coverage:
Just like how you need to decide what parts of your wedding you want documented, you also need to decided what you’re looking for in a wedding photographer’s coverage:
1 vs 2 photographers?
Wedding Album?
Online vs Downloadable gallery?
Engagement Session?
Printing rights to your digital photographs?
These items may already be included in the pricing, or they may be add-ons. Again, it varies amongst photographers. Determine what YOU want.
EXPERIENCE!!!
In case I haven’t stated this enough, experience is a big determiner of pricing! There’s no fast-track to learning wedding photography and/or learning how to handle the immense pressure of being a wedding photographer. As your wedding photographer, I’m not just controlling lighting, posing, staging, composition etc. I’m also:
-helping you plan your timeline
-keeping the timeline on track on your wedding day
-balancing getting the needed photographs but also making sure you’re comfortable and relaxed to actually enjoy your wedding day
-knowing when to be assertive and give direction vs keeping back and getting candid coverage/letting moments happen organically
-handling changes or unexpected circumstances with professionalism
…You get the idea. A wedding photographer does so much more than take pictures.
