How much are wedding photographers in Ireland?

Tough answer. The short answer is anything between €1700 – €2500 for a Full Day’s work for a good photographer. However, there is so much to consider.  It’s like asking why is a pint of Guinness in Temple Bar Dublin €6 and not around a fiver like most counties? The answer being a €6 pint may not be the best tasting stout but it includes the cost of live music in a venue with huge overheads. It’s the same with Irish wedding photographers, their cost value is based on their services, experience and awards.  At the top end of the scale a wedding photographer who works exclusively with Irish celebrities is going to cost a lot more than most wedding photographers in Ireland. However their photos may not necessarily be the best. But they do know how to relate to someone that might otherwise have you tongue tied. They also have NDAs (Non Disclosure Agreements) to adhere on the day.

So each Irish photographer will have their own overheads to cover from type of gear, studio rental, insurance and mouths to feed at home. But costs also go up based on experience, awards and availability. Some photographers have no studio and have an affordable mortgage in the middle of Ireland. They may also be working as a part time photographer. All these factors are taken into consideration when a wedding photographer sets his or her prices. A lot of photographers will state that the “cheaper the photographer the less the quality of a service you will receive“. I’d somewhat disagree, there are some amazing wedding photographers in Ireland that aren’t charging an arm and a leg. They have their reasons, some don’t want to bother with the work that goes behind social media.  Sometimes it’s cheaper to lower your costs and not be on Instagram 24/7 to attract new customers.  Others are just starting up their business but have an amazing eye for wedding photography and some just don’t do advertisements. They work solely on word of mouth and don’t fork out thousands on Google ads and online directories. However there is merit in that the cheapest photographers come with risks, like any trade, you have to ask what’s the catch when the deal is too good to be true. We’ve all heard the horror stories that come with booking a cheap wedding photographer such as this poor couple in Fstoppers article.

So rather than talk about the cheapest wedding photographer or the most expensive wedding photographer. Let’s ask “how much should you spend on a photographer?” Well, according to the many surveys done by One FAB Day , Weddings Online , Confetti and Lovin , Irish wedding photographers cost between €0 – €10,000. Yeap, that’s the scale we are working with today, from a photographer willing to work for free to build a portfolio to a photographer with award winning images of the latest celebrities. For most of us that want good photos with a well established photographer then you’ll be spending in the region of €1700 – €2500 for a Full Day’s work. I fall in that category. The most important thing though is “Can you relate to the photographer’s portfolio?” If you want to see yourself in his/her photos then pick up the phone and call, because the 2nd most important thing after the style of photography and budget is “How do I know my photographer won’t be an absolute eejit on the day?”