I understand your sticker shock. Finding the love of your life was easy, compared to the choices for wedding vendors. And the prices! Wedding expenses in Northern Virginia are a little higher than many areas, wouldn’t you agree?
To get a feel for what local couples are paying, please visit this site – www.costofwedding.com
This is data entered by couples who have already had their wedding. So you get the real cost of things.
As of 2010, here’s what you will find on the first page:
“On average, US couples spend $20,398 for their wedding. However, the majority of couples spend between $15,299 and $25,498 while their wedding budget is typically 50% less than the amount spent. This does not include cost for a honeymoon or engagement ring. Understanding average wedding cost now can help you with your wedding budget later.”
Did you catch that? MOST couples send TWICE what their budget amount is! The main reason for this is because their budget is incorrect from the start — typically, that is because couples determine their budget from online websites such as “The Knot” or from national magazines. These sources have a national audience, so the figures they use are an average of costs all across the nation.
www.CostofWedding.com allows you to get a clear picture of what couples are paying locally.
If you enter the Fairfax County zip code of 22030, you will get these results:
http://www.costofwedding.com/index.cfm?action=search.weddingcost&zipcode=22030&go=Show+Wedding+Cost
Notice what is says about photography:
Item | Average Spent |
Engagement Photographer | $951 – $1,585 |
Engagement Videographer | $1,119 – $1,865 |
Wedding Photographer | $2,239 – $3,732 |
Wedding Videographer | $1,681 – $2,801 |
“Wedding cost or average spent based on spending of other brides and grooms not wedding vendor prices. Spending and prices can vary widely. You should expect to pay 25% to 50% more for a well-experienced professional. Investigate all options and choose products and services that best meet your needs.”
You don’t want an AVERAGE photographer, do you? For the most important day of your life, don’t you want to trust it to experienced, professional photographer?
For images you will WANT to preserve, expect to pay 25% to 50% more than these rates.
For real value, combine the cost of your engagement, photography and video services in one collection.