There's no honest single answer to "how much does wedding photography cost" — it swings with your photographer, region, hours, and what's inside the package. So this tool won't guess. Enter the rate you were actually quoted, toggle the parts you want, and see your real total settle.
No made-up averages here. Every figure below is built from numbers you type in. quolby has no secret price database — this is a way to add up and compare the quotes in front of you, not a claim about the market.
Example slider position only — not a recommendation or market figure. Ask your photographer what they require to book.
When couples ask what wedding photography "should" cost, they're really asking about a bundle of separate decisions. Two photographers can quote wildly different numbers and both be completely fair — because they're pricing different things. Here's what sits inside almost every quote, so you can compare like with like:
The calculator above mirrors these one by one. That's the point: instead of chasing a mythical "average", you price the exact package you're being offered, at the numbers your photographer gave you.
You can find plenty of pages claiming the average wedding photographer costs a specific figure. We won't, because any single number is misleading the moment you leave the city and season it was measured in. A midweek winter elopement and a peak-Saturday summer wedding in a major city are not the same market. Quoting one average as if it applied to your wedding would be inventing a fact — and inventing numbers is the one thing this tool will never do.
Instead, do this: gather two or three real quotes, drop each one into the calculator, and line up what's actually inside them. That comparison — hours, second shooter, album, edits — tells you far more than any headline average ever could.
Got a couple of quotes? Run each through it:
If you're the photographer and couples keep asking you to itemise your pricing, the cleanest fix is to let them build the package themselves. quolby lets you set your collections and add-ons once and send a single interactive link where the couple picks options, watches the total settle, and can accept and pay the deposit on the spot — straight into your own Stripe. See the live quote maker or read how to send a wedding photography quote.
Honestly: it depends on your photographer, region, hours, and inclusions, and there's no single number that's true everywhere. That's exactly why this tool asks for the rate you were quoted instead of pretending to know it. Enter your real figures above to price your specific package.
Photographers commonly ask for a non-refundable deposit or retainer to reserve your date — often in the 20–50% range, but set entirely by them. Move the deposit slider to whatever they told you to see the amount due now versus later.
Only if the numbers you typed match your real quote. This is a calculator, not a bill — it adds up what you entered. Always confirm the final figure and what's included with your photographer in writing.
No. quolby is software photographers use to build and send quotes. Any deposit or balance you pay goes to the photographer's own account. This calculator doesn't process a payment at all — it just does the math.
Tell photographers what you're planning and let them send you a proper, itemised quote you can actually compare.
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