Why Wedding Photography Costs More Than Almost Any Other Photography—And Why It’s Worth It

Why Wedding Photography Costs More Than Almost Any Other Photography—And Why It’s Worth It

If you’ve been deep in wedding planning, you’ve probably noticed that wedding photography costs way more than most other types of photography—except maybe high fashion. A portrait session might cost a few hundred dollars, while a wedding can run into the thousands. The difference isn’t just about the number of hours worked—it’s about everything that goes into capturing a wedding in a way that’s artistic and meaningful.

The Pressure Is Higher Than Any Other Photography Job

With most types of photography—portraits, commercial shoots, even events—there’s room for do-overs. If a brand doesn’t like their campaign photos, they can reshoot. If a headshot isn’t right, the person can book another session. Weddings don’t have that luxury.

A wedding photographer gets one chance to capture a moment. That means we have to be prepared for everything—low light, fast-moving moments, unpredictable weather, shifting schedules, and the chaos of a hundred people all doing different things at once.

We don’t just show up and take photos; we anticipate moments before they happen, adjust on the fly, and make sure nothing important is missed.

The Hours Go Far Beyond the Wedding Day

A wedding photographer isn’t just working the eight to ten hours of the actual wedding. The process starts long before that and continues long after:

  • Consultations & Planning: Understanding the couple’s vision, scouting locations, creating timelines, and ensuring every detail is covered as well as lodging and over night stays. No one wants to drive long hours after photo work, trouble seeing is a real thing with eye fatigue
  • Shooting the Wedding: Typically 8 + hours of straight work, often with only a short break, managing timelines, lighting, and capturing everything from the smallest details to the biggest emotions, and the family dynamics 🙂
  • Editing & Post-Production: A full wedding gallery takes 30-50 hours of careful editing I personally work with a team and w got back forth on the final gallery for weeks—going through thousands of images, color correcting, adjusting exposure, and ensuring every photo fits a cohesive, timeless style

Professional Gear & Constant Upgrades

Wedding photographers invest tens of thousands of dollars into their equipment. High-end cameras, multiple lenses, flashes, lighting setups, memory cards, and backup systems are all essential. Unlike a studio photographer who can control the environment, we have to be prepared for any lighting condition—dark churches, bright midday sun, candlelit receptions.

And because there are no second chances in wedding photography, we have to carry backups of everything. If a camera fails mid-ceremony, we need another one ready immediately. That level of preparedness comes at a cost.

Then our computers, most of us have multiple of them, and they have to be top tier often in the 5k plus cost range with storage and ram capacity.

Why Wedding Photography Costs More Than You Might Expect

If you’re getting married in New York or Philly, you’ve probably already seen the numbers. Most experienced photographers charge somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 for full wedding coverage. Some go higher, especially in the luxury market, while others charge less, but may offer limited coverage, minimal editing, or be newer to the industry.

I’ve spent years refining my approach—documenting weddings in a way that feels like movie stills and intentional without being intrusive. I work with couples who value real moments over staged ones, and I structure my pricing to reflect that.

My Pricing

  • Full Weddings with 2 Photographers: Starts at $6,500
  • Intimate Weddings start at $4,500
  • Some Where in Between an Elopement and Intimate Wedding Start at $3,000
  • Elopements: Start at $2,000

I shoot both 35mm film and digital, which means you’re getting something deeper than standard wedding photos. Film has a richness, imperfection, and texture that digital can’t replicate. Blending the two creates a fuller, more honest story of your day. As well a the extra cost of film, to demystify its around 50-60 a roll for high resolution scans plus the film. And the extra step of sending in or hand delivering the film to my scan store.

Why My Pricing Makes Sense

You’re paying for more than just someone with a camera. I am a real artist and truly love my work. With so many years in this field I know how to anticipate moments, and document the energy of the day without forcing anything. I capture what’s actually happening—without making it feel like a wedding factory assembly line.

Other photographers with a similar artistic, film-based style in NYC and Philly charge anywhere from $8,000-$15,000 for this level of storytelling. I Really try to keep my pricing on the lower end of this margin, I am also middle class and love working with folks I can relate to, and can relate to me. As well as prefering a more laid back wedding vs the 500k productions that tend to want the 15-30k wedding photographer and to be publish in vogue, of course I care about vogue in theory, I have an ego, but I don’t read vogue and I really don’t care. I am more earthy than that.

I hope this helped to illuminate more about pricing and about my price structure.

Testimonials

“WOW! We could not recommend Gianna enough as a wedding photographer. The day of Gianna was fun, professional, and helped us make the most of every shot. She seems to have an eye for finding the perfect shot wherever we went throughout Brooklyn and knew where to take us to find interesting street art and views. She brought a positive vibe and great energy throughout. If you are looking for fun and unique shots, look no further!”

Gabby & Tom

“Gianna is a master of her craft & an all around incredible person who we are *so* grateful to have gotten to work with. Planning to have a tiny wedding ceremony in 2020 was a rollercoaster, but the stars really aligned when we found Gianna. Her photojournalistic style is so special; she captured us, our day, and the neighborhood we love so beautifully. Our wedding was very intimate, and Gianna fit right in & made us all feel at ease. It was a privilege to work with such a passionate and talented artist whose unique vision we could trust implicitly. If you’re looking for a photographer who will capture your day in a way you will treasure forever – seriously look no further! Each image is such a gift. We can’t thank you enough, Gianna!”

Dylan & Jordan

“Gianna was such an amazing part of our wedding. She was so flexible, accommodating, and friendly. Everyone loved her work. She first shot an engagement shoot with us and after that we knew we wanted her for the wedding. Those photos were a hit and everyone wanted to know who shot us. She was attentive when taking shots guiding us to get the most flattering ones and patient when we needed breaks or weren’t feeling the shots. She’s super down to earth and intuitive. We have her bookmarked for any future events and gave her info out to guests as well.”

Mischa & Samir

“I cannot say enough good things about Gianna. Her documentary-style vibe was the perfect fit for our more laid-back elopement + party. We never wanted anything to feel forced or cheesy. She has genuinely mastered the art of taking authentic and real pictures that are still so beautiful.
Not only is her work amazing, but she made everything feel so comfortable and easy. We all genuinely had a blast running around all over NEPA taking photos. It was a truly magical day and Gianna played a huge role in that!”

Kait & Jerry

“Gianna was brilliant I’m so happy we chose her to photograph our wedding. She was very flexible with timings (even last minute changes on the morning of) and made us feel relaxed and ourselves. My favorite thing is that she shot on film and digital, so special to have both mediums. She’s truly a master of her craft and a wonderful human. Thanks Gianna for giving us the best memories to keep forever”

Olivia & David

“So when you elope from Tennessee to have your wedding in NYC you want the best of everything; the best location, the ceremony, and the best photographer, and that is what we had! Gianna made our wedding a true fairytale! Gianna brought the city to us! Our photos were so unique and creative. We had so much fun traveling around the city that she knows so well. She captured the brilliance and magic of her New York and shared it with us, making our day so very special. The photos bring back the feel of day to us each time we see them.”

Lucy & Gary

“Gianna was an absolute pleasure to work with. Her passion, charisma, and energy really shines in her elopement photography. Her attention to detail and professionalism really blew us away. We couldn’t have asked for a better photographer for our New York City wedding. Gianna has a strong knowledge of the city and knew all of the best places to take stunning photos. Our family and friends could not get over how well our photos turned out and thought they should be featured in magazines! We will always have such vivid memories from our special day whenever we look at Gianna’s photos. Thank you for everything Gianna!”

Chris & Gillian

“Sometimes thank you doesn’t seem enough. You amazed us. When we first booked our wedding we had our fingers crossed we’d get to have you as our photographer and we can’t tell you how happy we were when we got you! Your passion and love for what you do shines through. It’s so lovely to watch someone who has truly found their unique talent in this world. We know every photo you took could not have been taken by anyone else. Our photos are beautiful, you’ve captured our happiest moments and turned them into something so special for us and our family. Thank you for everything – you are one of a kind. “

Jemma & Matt
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