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Average cost/price Wedding Photographer

What’s the average cost/price of a Wedding Photographer in Dublin, Ireland, 2024 (UPDATED)

What’s the average cost/price of a Wedding Photographer in Dublin, Ireland, in 2024?

UPDATED – 2024

Preparing for a wedding and choosing the best photographer possible for your special day can be pretty stressful – I know, I’ve been there myself!


As a professional wedding photographer, I know that the whole process can bring a whirlwind of questions to mind. So, if you’ve found yourself asking yourself any of the questions below, I can help!

  • “What’s the typical or average cost for a wedding photographer in Dublin and Ireland?”
  • “Where can I find full Wedding Photography Packages and a reasonably priced photographer?”
  • “How do I avoid losing half of my wedding day getting my wedding photographs taken?”
  • “What’s the difference between a photographer that costs €900 and one that costs €6000?!”

What’s a Wedding Photographer’s average cost/price in Dublin, Ireland in 2024?

The Big Wedding Day Questions Answered!

Common questions:

  • How much will a wedding photographer cost and why?
  • How much is a great wedding photographer?
  • What’s the normal Irish wedding budget?
  • What’s the average price for a wedding photographer based in Dublin or nationwide in Ireland?
  • How can I save money on my wedding day or on wedding photography packages?
  • How do I avoid losing half of my wedding day getting my wedding photographs taken?

Believe it or not, these questions are all connected, which I’ll explain how below…

I hope that by answering these questions for you that I will help you to plan a stress-free wedding budget.

First off, I’ve Been in Your Shoes!

I got married on June 1st 2019, meaning that I’ve been on both sides of the camera – I’ve been the Groom and the wedding photographer, with hundreds of successful wedding shoots in my portfolio!


So, let’s discuss a few things worth keeping in mind to help you to plan a stress-free wedding budget…

Wedding budget and packages

The wedding budget is very important, and it’s usually the first thing that you’ll agonise and stress over as the planning starts and the costs slowly begin to mount. The budget will rightly have a HUGE impact on your wedding day, and what you choose to spend your hard-earned money on needs careful consideration.


The decisions you make at this key point in the planning process are likely to have the biggest impact on your memories, how you spend your day, how long you’ll need to spend looking at the camera, and how much time you’ll have to actually enjoy the big day with family and friends.


One of the most common questions I get from potential clients, and the question that I see most from a large of people on Facebook wedding groups is: “What’s the average cost for a wedding photographer, or a Documentary Wedding Photographer?”


The quick answer here is:


According to One Fab Day, as of this year (2024), the average price for a wedding photographer providing wedding packages in Ireland is between €2,000 and €4,000.


Now, while this rate might be okay for some, perhaps it won’t be for others.


Yes, I know it’s a lot of money! But is spending so much worth it???


Well, in the last few months alone, I’ve received many emails from people asking me to reshoot their wedding photos as they weren’t happy with their wedding photographer’s photos.


Now, it’s important to mention that this was not my work – more often than not, it was because they had hired either an inexperienced wedding photographer or mistakenly tasked a family member with their wedding photography!

Costly savings :(

I usually find that when looking back, a LOT of people regret saving €200-€500 on the cost of a wedding photographer, just so that they were able to book the more affordable option. I get that at the time, they likely needed the photographer’s cost to fit the price they had in mind for their wedding budget.


As opposed to being a cost-saving, however, more often than not, this penny-pinching turns out to be a ‘costly’ saving, especially when it comes down to the final photos, which can often be below par.


I always have to remind the wedding couples that, unfortunately, you can’t recreate the emotions, moments, and atmosphere of the most important day of your life! It’s impossible to re-shoot, so I strongly recommend that you make sure that you are very excited by your wedding photographer’s portfolio BEFORE you make the booking!


Here are some pointers to help you make the right decision:

First things first:

⦁ How important are your wedding day photographs to you?

The second question:

Would you risk hiring someone whose portfolio of photos is fine (but not great) if the price is far less – maybe €400, €500, or €900 less?

The last and probably most important question:

⦁ How much would you pay for your amazing memories to be captured professionally on your wedding day?

Unfortunately, most couples really don’t realise how much of an impact the cost and quality of a wedding photographer and videographer can have on their wedding day. 

Need help choosing a Wedding Photographer?

Need help choosing a wedding photographer? Why not have a look at my detailed post on How to choose the right wedding photographer?

On average, the price for a photographer in Ireland and Dublin can vary massively, anywhere from €400 to €4,000. I know these figures personally, as I based them on my own research for my own wedding photographer when I got married!

I guarantee you that you’ll likely find many photographers at both ends of that scale. So, what’s the difference between the photographer you can book for €400, and the photographer you can book for €4,000 then?

Well, would you like an average photographer to work on your wedding day, or the best photographer with years of experience? (Of course, it’d be great to have the best photographer for the cheapest price, but that’s not really realistic!)

 That’s the difference – Unfortunately, there’s simply no way that you will book a great photographer with loads of experience for even €1,000.

The WOW Factor

Average price cost wedding photographer Ireland

For a wedding photographer to take truly breath-taking and memorable photos, it’s usually necessary to pay that bit more for experience.

I know that a great photographer can have very different meanings as each and every person has a different opinion. Personally, I recommend that you find the photographer that makes you feel excited when you go through their portfolio – someone’s work that makes you think, “WOW – what an AMAZING photograph of that couple!!!”

Back in 2019, when I was looking for a wedding photographer for my own wedding, I received a lot of quotes from photographers ranging from €1,000 to €2500. However, I didn’t see anyone with a whole lot of experience and with breathtaking photos as part of their portfolio.

In my humble opinion, when looking for the perfect photographer for your wedding, you really must find a wedding photographer who has a portfolio that excites you! Only then look at the costs of hiring him or her.

This is one of the main reasons why first asking for an average price is not a good idea, as the average price varies anywhere between €400-€4,000, but may not be an indication of the photographer being the right one for you.

When It Comes to Photography, You Get What You Pay For

From personal experience, I’ve seen that €2000- €3,500 are the ‘standard’ prices going for experienced and exciting photographers in Ireland. When you’re spending that kind of money, you’re truly going to be in good hands – believe me!

So, What’s The Big Difference?!

EXPERIENCE !!!

Having a highly experienced and highly talented wedding photographer on your wedding day ensures that you both have a stress-free day and that you’re safe in the knowledge that your WOW moments are being captured.

To me, as a wedding photographer, a stress-free bride and groom are so important – in another of my posts, I’ve gone through the secrets to a stress-free wedding – have a read by clicking here!

Experience is hugely important as a wedding photographer. Wedding photographers with experience can help you to plan your wedding day and they know how to work on the wedding day in order to ensure that they have a lot of good photos. They have to be able to achieve this very fast and in an efficient way – in doing so, you’ll have amazing photos but will still have a lot of time with your family and friends.

Can you imagine being dragged out of your drinks reception for hours to take photos?

Unfortunately, photographers without proper experience will likely waste time using poor locations that have little potential to capture good photos.

They can also waste important time and daylight trying to take these photos, all the while, your day is sipping by and you miss out on quality time with your friends and family waiting for you at your wedding reception.

Would you miss out on enjoying your wedding day for €400 euros in savings? Hmmmmm…

Believe it or not, it happens very often! Recently I shot a wedding where the bride’s sister told me that at her own wedding, she had had absolutely no time with her guests as the photographer took ages taking their photographs. As well as that, she felt her whole day was spent posing for him – she was understandably very disappointed!

Risky Business

That’s the risk – booking someone who is just learning about wedding photography on your wedding day, is not a position that you want to be in. You need someone who has experience in being fast and efficient.

Is Your Wedding Photographer Insured?

If you’re getting married in Fota Ireland, Altamont Gardens, or the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, or many other places for example; these locations require that your wedding photographer has an insurance policy of up to €6.5 million.


A cheap wedding photographer will likely NOT have any insurance and so can be banned from these types of venues.

This is a problem and unnecessary stress that you don’t want in the week or days before your wedding.

A sample of my own Photography Permit –  Fota Gardens  

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER INSURANCE FOTA

Hiring an uninsured wedding photographer can hold potentially disastrous consequences for a location wedding.

Your photographs, safe and secure

Any good professional wedding photographer will have your wedding day photographs backed up in multiple places in order to make sure that they’re kept safe and secure. They’ll usually also ensure that they’re saved and backed up online just in case of a fire in an office, etc.

Online backup can very expensive though and most average photographers probably won’t have access to online copy, as it’s just too expensive to justify with what they’re charging. However, a true professional wedding photographer will always invest in this security.

Remember, when you book a cheap wedding photographer, you’re risking losing your photos if something goes wrong.

Image storage

A professional wedding photographer will always use a camera that makes an instant copy straight into the camera. Again, if something goes wrong, your photos are saved on two separate cards in the camera, so there’s no fear of losing your precious images.

Wedding photos

Do you want your photographs to look very posed and staged? Probably not.

Make sure to always check your chosen wedding photographer’s portfolio – this will give you a good example of their style of photography. When doing this, make sure that you look through one couple’s day and not a montage of the photographer’s best photographs from a hundred different weddings.

When I was on the hunt for my wedding photographer for my own special day, I remember looking at the photographer’s website – it was WOW but then when I suddenly came across a full wedding album that was very, very average… The photographer got lucky with ONE WOW MOMENT – ideally, you want more than that!

Wedding albums

How much do wedding albums cost and how much do you have to be ready to pay for a wedding album?

Well, why not have a look at my own post, Wedding Albums Ireland to have a clearer idea?

Don’t forget – a Wedding Album will stay with you FOREVER!

How much are Wedding Photography Packages? How much do you pay for amazing memories???

Wedding photography packages?

First off, let’s look at some examples of truly great photography:

Average cost wedding photographer Ireland
How much are you willing to pay for memories that last a lifetime?
Wedding photographer prices Ireland

Pictures can paint a thousand words, and choosing the right photographer can mean all the difference to your wedding day’s ‘story.

When choosing wedding photography packages, deciding how much to pay for your photographer, or who you’ll pick, remember one very important point: Your photographer will spend your entire wedding day with you. Before making a final decision on a photographer or wedding photography package, make sure that you check the testimonials of your chosen photographer.


For complete transparency, you can see my own testimonials right here: Wedding photographer testimonials


Similarly to how I’ve put together this post about photography, Keith Malone, a wedding videographer, has also taken the time to write about his perspective on hiring the right wedding videographer.

Finally, and probably most importantly, as a little word of advice when choosing your wedding photographer, the more relaxed and comfortable your photographer can make you feel in front of the camera, the better your photos will look.

I received this message yesterday from one of my own clients:

“Daniel, we had so much fun with you… it was like being with a lifelong friend… Thank you so much for everything. I haven’t laughed so much!”

In Conclusion:

There is no average price for a truly GREAT wedding photographer!

⦁ There is also no ‘magic’ – the best wedding photographer WILL cost money, but those photos will stay with you forever

Lastly, before you make your very final decision, try and answer this very important question:

If I book a cheaper option, will I be able to relax on my wedding day and be confident that my wedding photographer has the WOW Factor??? Is having peace of mind worth the €400/€500 saving?

Remember, that after your wedding, only your memories and photos stay with you – nothing else. So, please make a good decision to avoid disappointment – after the wedding, it’s already too late!
I hope these pointers have been helpful. Enjoy your wedding planning!


Also, one very last thing; if you’d like to go through my portfolios to get a clear idea of my own style as a wedding photographer, simply:

I’d love to be part of your very special day!

Daniel

www.dkphoto.ie

Average cost wedding photographer Ireland

2 Comments

  1. Hi Daniel, just wondering if you are free July 15th 2023 for our wedding in Newbay House, Wexford and church in Clonegal, Co Carlow.
    Thanks
    Sinead & Stephan

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