How Much Should You Pay For A Photographer?

Most couples ask this question because they’re trying to avoid one thing: regret.

Wedding photography isn’t just a line item on a budget sheet. It’s the only part of the wedding that grows more valuable as the years pass. Your flowers wilt. Your cake gets eaten. Your décor gets boxed up. But your photographs and films become part of your family history.

So the real question isn’t “How much should I pay?”

It’s “How much regret can I afford?”

What You’re Actually Paying For

People think wedding photography is about hours and digital files. It isn’t. It’s about expertise, emotional intelligence, timing, direction, problem solving, and the ability to anticipate moments before they happen.

A professional team isn’t just capturing what’s in front of them. They’re shaping the whole experience of the day.

At MJ&Co, our couples don’t just get images. They get:

• A professional studio with a real process

• A two-photographer team, both fully capable lead shooters

• Consistent lighting, posing, and moment-driven storytelling

• World class editing and film production

• A plan that keeps the day running smoothly

• Backup systems, reliability, and hundreds of weddings worth of experience

This is why our clients are happy. They get what they paid for, and often more. Couples who don’t hire us rarely feel the same way.

Why Underpaying Creates the Biggest Regret

People underpay for wedding photography all the time. The story usually sounds like this:

“We wanted you. You were our first choice. But you were booked… or above what we thought we could spend. We went with someone else. We regret it.”

One couple wanted us for both photo and video, but we were already booked. They hired a team for photography and another for video. What they got in return was a lesson they never wanted to learn.

The videographer didn’t show up. He sent someone else. They filmed the day, handed over a hard drive of raw files, and basically disappeared. No film. No storytelling. No emotional arc. Just technical footage that meant nothing to them.

The couple fought with the vendor for months. Eventually, they paid us to salvage the footage and edit it into something they could at least sit through. We did what we could, but important moments simply weren’t filmed. The bride told us she wished she had changed her wedding date just to have us there.

The photographer was better, but not by much. The bride felt unorganized, rushed, and unsupported. What most couples don’t see coming is this: photographers manage your timeline as much as your planner does. When time runs out, inexperienced teams panic or shut down. Experienced teams adapt and make magic anyway.

That bride didn’t just wish she had paid more. She wished she had designed her whole date around having the right team.

Paying More Doesn’t Buy Luxury. It Buys Peace.

Another bride hired us for video only. Her planner pushed her into choosing a photographer she didn’t even want.

We filmed the day, and she kept coming to us with simple photography requests the other photographer couldn’t or wouldn’t accommodate. So we stepped in and captured what she needed, quietly and professionally. After experiencing both teams side by side, she told us plainly: “I wish we had hired you for everything.”

She liked her photos. But she didn’t like the experience.

That’s what people forget. You’re not hiring a photographer. You’re hiring the emotional tone of your entire wedding day.

A good team makes your day better.

A bad team pulls energy out of the room.

Your happiness shows in the photographs either way.

So What Should You Actually Pay?

Here’s the most honest rule of thumb:

Your photography budget should match your floral budget.

If you can afford to make your wedding beautiful, you can afford to remember it beautifully.

Most couples put thousands into making their wedding look amazing, then trust the documentation of that investment to the lowest bidder. That decision makes no sense once you’ve lived through a wedding day.

Professionals don’t cost more because they’re fancy. They cost more because they remove risk. They deliver results. They make sure your wedding is documented with care, intention, and an eye for legacy.

Why MJ&Co Costs What It Costs

Our pricing is higher than most. But our value is higher, too.

• Two fully trained pros, not a main shooter plus a barely paid second

• Professional editing that takes days, not hours

• A real process from consult to delivery

• Experience navigating anything a wedding can throw

• A calm, confident presence that keeps your day flowing

• Films and photos that make people smile, cry, and relive the best moments of their lives

Couples hire us because they want storytelling, not snapshots. They want a team that makes their day feel effortless. They want images and films that still hit them in the chest in ten, twenty, forty years.

The Bottom Line

If photography matters to you, invest in it.

If storytelling matters to you, hire a team that understands it.

If you want a wedding day that feels as good as it looks, choose photographers who know how to make that happen.

And if you want to avoid the sentence we hear more than anything else…

“We wish we hired you.”

…then choose a photographer or team whose work makes you feel something. Not just a good deal. Not just availability. Real emotion. Real trust. Real experience.

That’s the cost that’s actually worth paying.