How to price wedding photography packages

Package price = (total package cost + fixed payment fees) ÷ (1 − margin − processing %). Total package cost = your CODB per hour × all hours + second shooter + album and prints + travel.

A wedding takes far more time than the hours of coverage on the day: consultations, a timeline call, travel, culling and editing, gallery delivery and album design. A package price that only counts coverage hours leaves the rest unpaid. This guide prices a package from every hour it takes and every cost it brings.

Step 1: know your CODB per hour

Your cost of doing business per hour is a year of business costs plus your salary, divided by the hours you work in a year. If you have not worked it out yet, start with how to calculate your photography cost of doing business.

Step 2: count every hour

For each package, add the hours of coverage on the day, culling and editing, and meetings, travel and admin. Time your own weddings if you can; your past jobs are the best guide to your future ones.

Step 3: add the direct costs

Direct costs belong to this booking only: a second shooter's fee, the album and prints, travel and accommodation. Use quotes from your own suppliers.

Step 4: fees and margin

If clients pay by card, the processor takes a percentage of each payment plus a fixed fee per payment, so a package paid in several instalments costs more in fixed fees. The margin is profit for the business on top of your salary, which is already inside the CODB. Use your own processor's rates and your own margin; the 3% + $0.30 below is an example input.

Worked example: two packages (fictional numbers)

A photographer with a CODB of $85.23 an hour (the example figure from the CODB guide), paid in 2 instalments with example processing of 3% + $0.30 each, and a 20% margin. These are example numbers, not suggested or typical prices.

	Package A	Package B
Coverage + editing + admin hours	6 + 24 + 5 = 35	8 + 30 + 6 = 44
Time cost at $85.23 an hour	$2,983.05	$3,750.12
Second shooter	none	$500
Album + travel	$300 + $80	$300 + $80
Total package cost	$3,363.05	$4,630.12
Price for a 20% margin	$4,368.38	$6,013.92
Processing fees	$131.65	$181.02
Profit on top of salary	$873.68	$1,202.78

Package A in full: ($3,363.05 + $0.60) ÷ (1 − 0.20 − 0.03) = $3,363.65 ÷ 0.77 = $4,368.38. Processing takes $4,368.38 × 3% + $0.60 = $131.65, leaving $873.68 profit, 20.0% of the price. Package B works the same way: ($4,630.12 + $0.60) ÷ 0.77 = $6,013.92.

Spread over the hours, Package A comes to $124.81 per working hour and Package B to $136.68. The second shooter, two more hours on the day and six more editing hours add $1,645.54 to the price.

Rounding and presenting packages

You will probably round each price to a figure you are happy to show. Round up, or check the margin first if you round down: at $4,300, Package A's fees would be $129.60 and profit $807.35, an 18.8% margin instead of 20%.

Keep the hours and costs behind each package in your notes, so when a supplier raises prices you can re-price quickly. When a couple asks for a custom package, price it the same way rather than discounting an existing one.

Price your own packages in the wedding photography package calculator, and plan the instalments with the deposit and payment schedule calculator.