What national surveys say couples spend on wedding photos and video, what changes the price, and how to compare quotes from Ohio and Pennsylvania photographers and videographers fairly.
“How much should we budget for photos and video?” is one of the first questions couples ask us, usually right after they’ve booked the venue and seen what everything else costs.
The honest answer is that it depends on what you want, where you’re getting married and who you hire. But you don’t have to guess. Large national surveys give a useful starting range, and once you know what moves the price up or down, quotes start to make sense.
Here’s what the surveys say, what’s behind the numbers, and how to compare photographers and videographers in Ohio and Pennsylvania without comparing apples to oranges.
The best-known numbers come from The Knot Real Weddings Study, which surveys thousands of recently married couples every year. Its latest figures put the average spent on a professional wedding photographer at about $3,000. The middle half of couples spent roughly $1,500 to $4,700, with a median around $2,800.
Other sources land in a similar neighborhood, a little lower or higher depending on how they collect their data:
Why the spread? Each survey asks different couples in different ways, and averages get pulled up by big-city weddings. Treat these as a range to plan around, not a price tag. The Knot’s data also shows guest count matters: couples with more than 100 guests spent noticeably more on photography than couples with 50 or fewer, mostly because bigger weddings need more hours or a second photographer.
Video usually costs a bit less than photography, though not always. The Knot’s study puts the average spent on a wedding videographer at about $2,300, with the middle half of couples spending roughly $1,000 to $3,300 (median about $1,900). It also found that a little over a third of couples hire a videographer at all.
WeddingWire reports an average near $1,800, with most couples between $1,000 and $2,500. Zola’s index runs higher again, averaging close to $4,000 with most couples between $3,200 and $4,800.
Video prices swing more than photo prices because the finished product varies so much. A short highlight film is a very different amount of editing work than a full ceremony edit plus speeches plus a longer documentary film.
Our tip
When couples skip video, the regret we hear most is about voices: the vows, a parent’s toast, a grandparent who isn’t with them anymore. If the budget is tight, even a few hours of video covering the ceremony and speeches can be worth asking about.
Many studios offer both, and some couples like having one contract, one planning call and two teams who already know how to work around each other. There’s no reliable national survey for bundled prices, so the simplest way to budget is to add a photography figure and a video figure together, then see whether a combined package comes in lower.
A bundle can save money, but compare it the same way you’d compare two separate quotes. Look at who’s actually there on the day (one person doing both, or a photographer and a videographer), how many hours each covers, and what each delivers. Zola’s advice is the same as ours: weigh bundled pricing against hiring each separately.
On our city pages you can filter for businesses that offer Photo + Video in that city.
Two quotes can be $1,500 apart and both be fair. Usually the difference is in what’s included. These are the big ones:
Location does change prices. The Knot breaks its averages down by region: its Midwest average for photographers is about $2,900 and for videographers about $2,200, while its Mid-Atlantic averages are among the highest in the country, about $3,800 for photography and $3,000 for video. Ohio is generally counted as Midwest, and Pennsylvania is often grouped with the Mid-Atlantic, though The Knot doesn’t publish which states fall in each region.
Within a state, big metros and smaller cities differ too. Photographers working mostly in and around Philadelphia or Pittsburgh may price differently from someone based in Altoona or Youngstown. Zola’s survey data, as reported by Axios, found Cleveland-area couples planned to spend noticeably less on their whole wedding than the national average, which is a good reminder that national averages aren’t local prices.
Hiring outside the nearest big city can sometimes save money even with a travel fee. The reverse is true as well: a pro from a larger metro may be worth the drive if their work is exactly what you want.
National numbers only go so far, so we show what local businesses actually list. On each city page, every listing shows its Starting at price for that service (photography and videography each have their own), or “Contact for pricing” if the business hasn’t added one. You can filter listings by budget and sort by price.
Once enough listings in a city share a starting price, the page also shows a small price box with the low, middle and high starting prices among them. Until a city has enough listings with prices, we leave the box off rather than show a misleading number.
Remember that a starting price is just that: the smallest package. Your quote will depend on the hours and extras you choose.
Our tip
Use starting prices to build a short list, then ask each business for a quote on the same thing: the same hours, the same number of people, the same deliverables. That’s the only way the numbers line up.
The cheapest quote and the best value aren’t always the same thing. Line your quotes up side by side and check:
Most photographers and videographers ask for a retainer or deposit when you sign, which holds your date. It’s often a meaningful part of the total and usually non-refundable, because they turn down other couples for that date. The rest is commonly split into one or two payments, with the balance due before the wedding.
Terms vary from business to business, so read the contract for the exact amounts, due dates, what happens if you change the date or cancel, and what happens if they can’t make it. Plan the payments into your budget timeline so the final balance isn’t a surprise in the busy last month.
Our tip
Build your timeline before you choose a package. Once you know when the ceremony starts, how long family photos take and when the reception wraps up, you’ll know how many hours you really need.
Browse wedding photographers and videographers by city, compare their starting prices, and see the work they’ve done at venues near you.