WHAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUR WEDDING BUDGET SHOULD BE ALLOCATED TO PHOTOGRAPHY?
Wedding Budget Allocation
According to the industry experts here is a breakdown of a typical wedding budget. In Canada, the average cost of a wedding in 2017 is $26,000 and about $30,000 in Toronto, Vancouver, etc. In a recent survey, about 60% of the couples interviewed confessed that the funds that will cover the wedding will be borrowed from the family, through credit cards and lines of credit, gifts and donations from friends. About 60% of brides interviewed indicated that the cash gifts are an important part of the wedding budget.
Table 1. Wedding Budget Funding Sources for a Typical Toronto and Canadian Wedding
| Who is funding the wedding budget | % of Budget | Toronto Amount | Amount of the rest of Canada |
| Parents | 15% | $4,500 | $3,900 |
| Credit Cards | 13% | $3,900 | $3,380 |
| Friends - Cash Gifts | 5% | $1,500 | $1,300 |
| Couple | 67% | $20,100 | $17,420 |
| Total | 100% | $30,000 | $26,000 |
As a side note, in Quebec, it is customary for guests to mail a cheque then they RSVP, which helps the couples plan better the food expenses as the guests commit to attending the wedding. Also, he money from friends helps with the retainers needed to secure the venue, photographer, church, etc.
As a Toronto wedding photographer, I am directly interested in the local market but will also calculate the national averages, so here is the budget breakdown.
Table 2: An Average Wedding Budget Breakdown for Toronto and the rest of Canada
| Wedding Cost Item | Toronto | Rest of Canada | % of budget allocated |
| Reception | $15,000 | $13,000 | 50% |
| Photography | $3,000 | $2,600 | 10% |
| Outfits | $3,000 | $2,600 | 10% |
| Flowers | $3,000 | $2,600 | 10% |
| Entertainment | $3,000 | $2,600 | 10% |
| Wedding Rings and Bands | $2,400 | $2,080 | 8% |
| Gifts | $900 | $780 | 3% |
| Stationery | $900 | $780 | 3% |
The Total does not add up to 100% because every couple choses different items that are more important for them and forego some others.
Please keep in mind that averages are always misleading and every couple is unique so their preferences and wedding budget allocation differs. For some couples the location is more important than anything else, while we had couples whose photography costs were 30% percentage of their wedding cost as they loved photography. There is no right answer here, the budget allocation depends on your priorities.
As a multiple award winning studio and more important, as a Judge in the Professional Wedding Photographers competition, (please scroll down to the judge panel section), we formed a professional opinion on the quality of photography. Let's take a look at what different budgets can buy you.
Table 3. Prices for a 10h Wedding Coverage with 2 Photographers and an Album Included.
| Price | Quality rating (out of 5 stars) | Comments | Advice |
| $10,000+ | ***** | World Class Photographers | Go for it if you have the budget |
| $10,000+ | *** | Studios with strong marketing | Volume is more important than quality. Don't buy! |
| $6000-$10,000 | ***** | Very talented local photographers shooting for a long time | Go for it. Amazing professionals who will soon be world class! |
| $4,000-$6,000 | **** | Studios with smaller marketing budgets and located outside downtown | Go for it! Volume and quality is important |
| $2,500-$4,000 - our price | **** | Experienced photographers very well known yet | A slightly better investment. Quality is key to drive volume and jump in the category above. |
| $1,000-2,500 | ** to *** | Part timers, newcomers | Risky investment, inconsistent quality and customer service. |
| Free-$1,000 | * | Newbies without any experience | Do not buy...no portfolio, no experience, no backup equipment. |
If wedding photography is a big deal for you and you want high quality images, you should allocate at least $3,000 of your wedding budget to photography. That is for a 10 hour coverage, with two photographers and an album included. Those are exactly our Toronto wedding photography prices