Comparing wedding photography packages and looking for an explanation of services? We’ve got you covered with our NYC Photography Pricing Guide! Note: the cost for wedding photography fluctuates quite a bit, but this guide can provide ballpark estimates for your specific wedding style and needs.
NYC City Hall Wedding + Civil Ceremony Photography
With a courthouse wedding or civil ceremony, you probably won’t have much to photograph in the way of pre-ceremony activities or wedding reception. The primary focus is on the marriage ceremony itself and the celebration and newlywed portraits to follow.
At Sasha Chou Photography Studio, we love helping couples navigate an New York City Hall marriage ceremony! We believe city hall wedding can be fun, festive, and oh, so romantic.
Visit https://projectcupid.cityofnewyork.us/app/cupid#/auth/login to get started with the process, or get in touch with a Sasha Chou team member here.
*On the higher end of city hall wedding photography packages, some couples like to add on a bit of time to photograph a celebration, party, or dinner afterward. Let us know if that’s something you’re interested in to create a custom package for your day.
Civil ceremony photography typically covers:
- Walking into the courthouse or ceremony location
- The ceremony
- Newly portraits following the ceremony
- A few friends and family celebratory photos
- Newlywed toast
Typical Price Range: $500-$1,500
Approximate Hours of Coverage Needed: 2-3 hours
Number of Photographers Needed: 1
Wedding Size / Number of Guests: 0-15 (check the courthouse policy for number of guests)
Intimate Elopement Photography
Maybe you love the idea of a small ceremony, but City Hall isn’t really your vibe. Central Park offers a serene, scenic place for elopements. Get more info on how to get married in Central Park and elopement information, and view a recent elopement here.
Elopement photography typically covers:
- The walk over to the elopement ceremony site
- The ceremony
- Couple’s portraits
- Toast and celebration pictures
Typical Price Range: $1,500-$3,000
Approximate Hours of Coverage Needed: 2-4 hours
Number of Photographers Needed: 1-2
Wedding Size / Number of Guests: 0-15 guests (check the courthouse policy for number of guests)
Micro Wedding Photography
Now you can have the best of both worlds: an intimate elopement feel and time-honored wedding traditions. A micro wedding is just as it sounds. Take a traditional wedding and trim off all the fluff. You can invite your closest circle of friends and family and focus on what matters most to you. With a micro wedding, you can still book a small wedding venue, wear your favorite wedding attire, cut the cake, and share a first dance—all scaled down a bit. Micro weddings allow you to prioritize those extra-special moments but save a little time and money.
Micro wedding photography typically covers:
- A few getting ready / detail shots
- First look or wedding party photos
- Marriage ceremony
- Couple’s portraits
- Reception photos (This may or may not include the newlywed send-off depending on how many hours of coverage you have. Alternatively, you can also do a pretend send-off for photos if you want to keep the reception going longer.)
Typical Price Range: $3,000-$5,000
Approximate Hours of Coverage Needed: 4-6 hours
Number of Photographers Needed: 2
Wedding Size / Number of Guests: 15-60 guests
Traditional Wedding Photography
Traditional weddings are picking back up as couples and guests have fewer travel restrictions and wedding venues and vendors are back in full swing. Need some help getting started? Check out this post to see some of our favorite NYC reception venues!
Traditional wedding photography packages typically include:
- Getting ready / detail shots
- First look and/or wedding party photos
- Family portraits
- Marriage ceremony
- Couple’s portraits
- Reception photos (This may or may not include the newlywed send-off depending on how many hours of coverage you have. Alternatively, you can also do a pretend send-off for photos if you want to keep the reception going longer.)
Typical Price Range: $3,500-$6,000
Approximate Hours of Coverage Needed: 6-9 hours
Number of Photographers Needed: 2-3
Wedding Size / Number of Guests: 75-150 guests
Luxury Wedding Photography
And finally, we have the luxury wedding packages. Some couples want go all out for wedding day. After all, if there were ever a time to splurge, this would be it! Luxury weddings often take place at premier venues and are professionally planned and designed with the help of a wedding planner. Luxury weddings tend to be a bit more involved and host more guests, so the photography team has more ground to cover, which requires more time and team members. This is the crème de la crème of wedding photography packages!
Luxury wedding photography packages typically include:
- Pre-wedding photos (some packages or photographers allow you to add on brunch or rehearsal dinner photos)
- Getting ready / detail shots
- First look and/or wedding party photos
- Family portraits
- Marriage ceremony
- Couple’s portraits
- Reception photos (This may or may not include the newlywed send-off depending on how many hours of coverage you have. Alternatively, you can also do a pretend send-off for photos if you want to keep the reception going longer.)
Typical Price Range: $5,000-$7,000
Approximate Hours of Coverage Needed: 9+ hours
Number of Photographers Needed: 2-3
Wedding Size / Number of Guests: 200+ guests
*Adding videography services will increase the price of each package. Booking photo and video with the same team will reduce costs.
Why You Should Consider a Second Shooter or Associate Lead Photographer
As much as most wedding photographers would love to be in more than one place at one time, it’s just not possible. But your wedding day will be filled with too many wonderful moments to count. In order to document every moment from different perspectives, it’s a good idea to go ahead and hire the second shooter.
I’ve yet to have a couple who regretted that choice, and I’ve had many who said that was one of the best decisions they made. For instance, with a second shooter, you can capture a single moment from the perspective of each partner during the ceremony. Or you may want to capture your wedding guests’ reactions and close ups of the first kiss. A second shooter makes these multiple perspectives possible.
Another benefit to having more than one photographer is simply having another set of hands. As wedding photographers, we’re experienced in troubleshooting minor mishaps and guiding family and friends where they need to be. With two people this process will be much more efficient. One can work on posing and framing the shot while the other can win a smile from a fussy baby or fix your outfit when needed. We can keep things running smoothly and on time to ensure a stress-free day.
What is the difference between a second shooter and associate lead photographer?
Typically, a second shooter is a photographer who is skilled and experienced in photography but does not own their own photography business. They’re often employed by or partnered with a photography studio and help out with sessions and weddings.
Some large studios contract out to miscellaneous second shooters or photographers in training; however, here at Sasha Chou Photography Studio, we have a dedicated team of in-house associate photographers to maintain a consistent style, quality, and process.
An associate lead photographer is a fellow professional photographer in the industry. Sometimes, both photographers may have their own businesses, but they will work together on a wedding for one reason or another.
Why You Should Hire Photo & Video for Your Wedding Day
Our passion is using visual art to tell love stories. Through photos and video footage, you can relive one of the best days of your life for years to come. TikTok videos may be fun, but professional videography is powerful and captivating. Years from now, you may want to share your wedding day with friends or family—maybe future generations—who were not there. Having both photo and video allows you to freeze-frame your favorite moments and create art from the experience, and video allows you to relive the day. Both are beautiful ways to preserve memories.
View our post here to see why we recommend hiring a team for photo and video together (pssst, it’s cheaper!)
More About the Sasha Chou Photography Studio NYC
Sasha Chou is a boutique New York City engagement, wedding, and maternity photographer. She specializes in timeless, photojournalistic images. Discover her style by visiting her portfolio here. Learn more about the dedicated Sasha Chou Photography team here. To book video or photography services or learn more about wedding packages, click here.
Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @sashachouphotography and Facebook @SashaChouPhotographyStudio to see what we’re up to!