Services & Investment
Seattle Wedding Photography Pricing
How Much Does Good Wedding Photography Cost in 2023?
When it comes to the cost of wedding photography in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle wedding photographers charge anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 depending on several factors: experience, hours of coverage, number of photographers, deliverables and of course, quality. According to Seattle Bride, couples are budgeting an average of $35k for their weddings, and of that, you should allocate 10-20% to photography. Our studio rates begin at $7,200.
Per hour per photographer, we start at $800, which covers wedding photography planning, photography, post-production and licensing of the photos.
What's Included?
Our collections are made up of these four components:
- Coverage (the time we spend making your photos, including engagement photos)
- Post production (editing, curating, finessing, laying out of albums etc)
- Digitals (high res, licensed JPGs royalty-free and in perpetuity) stored online and delivered via a flash drive
- Tangibles like prints and albums
Coverage
Most weddings typically run an average of 8-9 hours, with cultural celebrations running all day up to 12-13 hours. A micro-wedding or elopement would be around 4-5 hours for fewer than 30 people.
Here is a general breakdown of how much time is needed for wedding photography:
- 1-1.5 hrs Getting Ready Photos: This covers the happy couple, starting from the tail-end of hair/makeup, to getting into the dress/suit/tux, photos of friends and fam hanging out, a bit of set up. We love these prep photos because they set the tone for the day and start the story of your wedding day. These photos also make for great openers for your wedding album and slideshow.
- 1 hr First Look with Portraits of the Happy Couple: This is where the couple sees each other for the first time on their wedding day. Logistically, doing a first look helps tidy up the day and makes it less stressful, grouping formal portraits to the front part of the day so the couple can enjoy their ceremony and reception without worrying if all the key photos have been dealt with.
- 30 mins Group Formals: Family, wedding party group photos! Usually it’s immediate family, with extendeds happening after either after the ceremony or the during the reception.
- 30 mins Ceremony Coverage: This is the average time for a simple ceremony. Catholic masses, Muslim services, Jewish weddings, Indian ceremonies and other cultural festivities can take up to an hour.
- 1 hr Cocktail Hour: Happens right after the ceremony, usually for an hour. Couples may rejoin after signing their documents, or go off with us for more photos since the light is often better later in the day. Whatever you decide, we’ll help list down all the pros and cons.
- 3ish hrs Reception Coverage: This covers dinner service, toasts, cake-cutting and dancing. If you decide on a sparkler exit or fireworks, more coverage may be needed.
- 1ish hr here and there for Transition Buffering: For weddings with more than one location (e.g. Hotel to church to reception venue), travel takes time. There’s driving through traffic and parking, some walking perhaps. The fewer transitions, the more time we have for photos!
To nail down your coverage, check out our guide on planning your wedding photography.
Post-Production
Our studio makes sure to deliver only edited, finished high resolution photographs in digital and print. This means using the latest post production software and tools, as well as archiving services to preserve and protect your photos online and offline so you have peace of mind. We also provide album layout services so you can enjoy your wedding photos for many years to come in a professionally handmade heirloom book with archival photo papers that can last up to a century. Post-production takes about 6-8 weeks after your wedding.
Digitals & Deliverables
We offer both digital and tangible products, such as non-watermarked JPG image files you can view on any system both online and offline via a flash drive that’s mailed to you after your wedding. Our tangible products offered range from prints, books, albums to canvas wraps and framed and matted museum-grade fine-art prints.
Our online gallery system offers 24/7 shopping where you can access all these products easily for a worry-free shopping experience – AND you can share it with your family and guests as well so they may purchase digitals and/or prints or books themselves.
Other Considerations
Destination Weddings: If you are planning a destination wedding, travel fees will apply depending on the number of hours/days needed. It is best to sit down with your photographer to determine how much coverage you actually need.
Budget: Wedding photography typically makes up 10-20% of your wedding budget. According to most wedding blogs, a budget of $30k is the typical spend for a wedding in Seattle these days, so putting aside $3-6k for your wedding photography is a good start.
Sales Tax: Last but not least, if you reside in Washington, there’s a sales tax. The rate changes periodically but hover around 10% in Greater Seattle, depending on where you live. If you live out of state, we are not obligated to collect.
Experience and Peace of Mind
Ultimately, what you get when you work with Jenn Tai & Co is peace of mind, knowing you’ve hired skilled and experienced pros in the business. Our photographers each have over 15 years shooting weddings. We know the industry, its processes, our vendor friends and the intricate details behind planning and photographing a celebration, whatever the size. Weddings are their own particular type of event, an important day heightened with emotion and, naturally, a little stress. With collectively over 500 weddings under our belts, there is no scenario for which we’re unprepared photographically and beyond. We are the calm and confidence you will trust and lean on when it comes to documenting all your moments, big and small.
Ready to learn More?
Let's Talk!
Chat with us using our chat service or head over to our contact form to send us an email! We’re happy to go over our options with you.
