Couples often tell me that one of the most frustrating parts of early wedding planning is trying to work out what wedding suppliers cost, particularly when prices for the same thing can differ so much! Here’s my straightforward breakdown of what a wedding photographer costs in the UK, and what you’re paying for.
In short, from my experience couples typically spend between £1200 and £2500 for full day wedding photography in the UK.
My full-day coverage starts from £2200 for one photographer and £2700 for two, so I sit towards the upper end of this range. If you’re wondering why prices vary across photographers so much, or what you’re actually paying for, the rest of this post breaks it down from the perspective of a photographer who’s been capturing weddings for over 15 years.
How much does a wedding photographer cost in the UK in 2026?
According to Bridebook’s 2026 Wedding Report, the average UK couple spends £1484 on their wedding photography, with most spending between £500 and £2500. It’s important to bear in mind that this calculation most likely included a mix of both full day and part day packages, so it’s a starting point rather than a hard and fast rule.
What do different pricing brackets usually include?
Every photographer is different, but from my experience, here’s a rough picture of what to expect from wedding photographers in these pricing brackets in the UK:
Under £1000: Often a newer or part-time photographer, or shorter coverage such as a few hours around your ceremony. This is a good fit for smaller weddings or tighter budgets.
£1000-£1500: For this budget, you could get a very experienced photographer for shorter coverage of your day, or full day coverage from a photographer who has a bit of experience and is starting out.
£1500-£2000: This is the mid range market for wedding photography and what many UK couples spend. Packages in this price range generally include full or nearly full day coverage from an established photographer, with an online gallery of edited photos.
£2000-£3000: In my opinion, this is what you should be looking to spend if you’d like a photographer with significant experience who spends more time on each wedding with a considered editing style and the option of a second photographer where it suits your day. This is where my packages sit as someone who has been capturing weddings for over 15 years.
£3000 and above: This price range is typically photographers who are positioned at the upper end of the market who specialise in higher budget weddings. They offer premium and luxury packages, typically a full day with extras such as multiple photographers, albums and an engagement shoot.
These are rough guides, not rules, and the cost of wedding suppliers varies across the country. What matters most is understanding what a price includes, so you can compare like for like. I’m a big believer in fully transparent pricing and list my packages and what’s included in full on my website.
What impacts the price of wedding photography between quotes?
Experience. Knowing how to handle weddings calmly and photograph them well comes with time and experience shooting weddings across every season, style of venue and weather.
Hours of coverage. Put simply, a full day and a few hours of coverage aren’t the same job.
One photographer or two. Couples sometimes opt for a second shooter to capture their wedding to get a more in depth coverage of their day. I explain this more in “Do we need a second shooter at our wedding?”
What happens before and after the day. How much time a photographer spends editing your photos and looking after you as clients.
What’s included. How many edited photos you can expect to receive, as well as optional extras such as printed albums, wall art, USB sticks and print boxes.
What goes into the price of wedding photography?
The cost of wedding photography can seem like a lot at first, but there is an enormous amount of work that goes into capturing a wedding and it’s not just limited to the time a photographer spends with you on the day.
For each wedding, I spend over 50 hours working on your day from your first enquiry to your final gallery. This includes:
Getting to know you and planning your day. I work with my couples on the run up to their day to get all the information I need to capture your day and tailor my approach to each unique wedding day.
Travelling to and photographing your wedding. This includes adding lots of buffer time to ensure I’ll still be there on time if I run into traffic, arriving at your venue early to scope it out, and sometimes leaving later than planned because the timeline has run late.
Culling your photos by hand without AI, so your story is told from the perspective of someone who was there.
Editing every photo by hand in my true colour style, so each photo looks both its best individually and beautifully cohesive as part of your full set too.
Backing everything up multiple times. I take the safety and security of your photos extremely seriously and put time into ensuring they are backed up in multiple places and locations so your files are safe even in the event of hard drive failure or data loss.
Coordinating with suppliers. Speaking with any suppliers I need to, including trusted second shooters.
Costs of running my business as a professional. Public liability and equipment insurance costs, backup equipment, professional image delivery services, editing and accountancy software, professional computer equipment, the rising cost of digital storage.. the list goes on!
How do I compare photographers fairly?
Price is only part of the picture and a few questions will help you compare photographers on a like for like basis:
How long will you attend?
Will I get a preview of my photos shortly after the day?
How many photos will we receive in our final set and in what time frame?
Do you have insurance and backup equipment? How will you look after our files?
Can I see a full gallery from a real wedding in a venue like mine?
What extras are included (second photographer/album/print box)
Are there any extra costs not listed on your website? Eg. travel and accommodation
What matters is knowing exactly what you’re getting for the price.
Is a more expensive photographer worth it?
Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life and after your outfits are put away and the cake is eaten, your wedding photographs are what’s left and are the proof your incredible day happened!
Your wedding only happens once and can’t be recreated, so it’s really important to make sure you are hiring someone reliable and experienced to ensure your day is captured properly with the care and attention it deserves.
On top of this, excellent photographers capture a wedding in a way that brings all those emotions back to you every time you look at your album, and it’s for this reason I believe professional photography is one of the most important things you can invest your wedding budget in.
What’s your advice for couples on a budget?
Weddings are expensive and the cost of hiring a well-established photographer for an entire day is not always in budget, and that’s absolutely ok!
If you’re in this situation, my advice would be to see if you can hire an experienced wedding photographer for a few hours rather than a very cheap photographer for the entire day.
From my experience, the photos couples most often look back on from their wedding are the ceremony, the family photos and the couple portraits. In my opinion, having beautiful photographs of those key parts of the day taken by a well-established photographer will always be better value in the long term than having “ok” photos of the entire day from start to finish.
You’ll be investing your budget in the most crucial aspects of your wedding photography and the photos you, your family and friends will look back on for years to come.
Hello, I’m Cat.
For over 15 years I’ve been capturing weddings in my unobtrusive, colourful style for couples in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and all over the UK. Having beautiful photos of your wedding isn’t enough for me - I want to make sure you are comfortable and get to enjoy your day too