If you are planning a wedding in New Hampshire, photography is one of the first big budget questions you will run into, and one of the hardest to answer. Prices are all over the place. You can find someone for $2,000, someone else for $7,000, and a whole lot of options in between. So what should you actually expect to pay, and what are you really paying for?

Here is my honest answer, based on shooting weddings across New Hampshire.

A New Hampshire wedding day, shot at Dell-Lea in Chichester.

The short answer

Plan on $3,000 to $6,000 for a full day wedding photographer in New Hampshire, and up to about $7,000 once you add a second photographer, extra hours, albums, or other add ons. That range covers most experienced, professional photographers. Below it, you can absolutely find talented people, but you need to look much more carefully at what is included, and what is not.

What my $5,000 wedding package looks like

My eight hour wedding package is $5,000. It includes a second photographer, full resolution digital downloads of all of your images, and a gallery that typically has over 1,000 photos.

I tell my clients to expect 60 to 100 photos per hour. With a second photographer, that number can go up, because you are getting two angles on the same moments at the same time, not just more photos for the sake of more photos.

An engagement session is available as a discounted add on. I used to bundle it into some packages, but I found that a lot of couples had already had engagement photos taken, and they wanted to swap that part around. So now it is optional, with an incentive to book it with me.

Why offer it at all? An engagement session gives us a chance to get to know each other before the wedding day, and it gives you a chance to see how I work behind the camera. By the time your wedding arrives, you are not working with a stranger. That comfort shows up in the photos.

What separates a $2,000 photographer from a $5,000 photographer?

Experience is the big thing.

A $2,000 photographer may not offer a second photographer. They may not have a strong understanding of off camera lighting or posing. They may struggle in less than ideal lighting situations, and weddings are full of those.

That does not mean every lower priced photographer is a bad choice. It means you need to do more homework. Ask to see full wedding galleries, not just a highlight reel or an Instagram grid. A full gallery shows you how a photographer approaches the entire wedding day, from getting ready through the reception, in good light and in bad light, when things are running on time and when they are not.

A New Hampshire lighting problem you should know about

New England has a lot of barns and wood paneled rooms. They are beautiful, and they can be tricky.

If someone tries to use a flash on their camera in a warm, wood room, that light bounces around the orange room and turns skin tones very orange. Being able to get your flash off your camera allows for more dynamic lighting and more aesthetic results. It is a small technical difference that makes a huge visible difference in your gallery.

When you are comparing photographers, this is a great question to ask: how do you light a dark barn reception? The answer will tell you a lot about their experience.

A first dance in a barn reception hall, lit for warm wood and string lights instead of flat on camera flash.

How many hours do you actually need?

Most weddings can be covered with six to eight hours of coverage.

The two things that tend to push that longer are how important the getting ready portion is to you, and whether you have a special exit planned. If you want both of those covered well, make sure your package includes them, rather than assuming they will fit into a shorter booking.

Costs to ask about up front

All of these are great to ask about before you book, because they can change your total:

Travel and lodging. This is a big one. Some photographers will charge if you travel outside of a particular range, so ask where that line is.

Prints and albums. Ask what is included, and what an album or a large print costs if you want one later.

Add ons. Engagement sessions, second photographers, and additional coverage time are the most common ones.

Videography and content creation. If you want a videographer or a content creator too, those can add to your costs as well, so factor them in early instead of treating photography as the only visual budget line.

How long until you get your photos?

I edit my galleries in the order I take them. In a busy season, for example October in New England, which can be very busy, you can expect four to six weeks.

A lot of wedding photographers will put a longer time frame in their contract, typically eight to 12 weeks, and give themselves a little bit of a grace period. It is kind of an under promise, over deliver thing. If a photographer quotes you 12 weeks, ask whether that is a worst case timeline or their normal turnaround. Both can be true, and it is worth knowing which one you are getting.

Red flags when you shop on price alone

A lot of price shopping can leave clients with higher expectations than what a budget photographer can typically deliver.

Sometimes budget photographers will not carry insurance, or pay taxes, or have backup gear and backup workflows in place. That can cause a lot of headaches for couples down the road. Your wedding day cannot be reshot, so ask about insurance, backup equipment, and what happens if a card fails or a camera goes down. A professional should have a clear, calm answer.

New Hampshire is affordable, but fall books fast

New Hampshire can be an affordable wedding location compared to some more sought after locations, such as Boston or some of the fancier locations on the seacoast. The White Mountains have some beautiful venues, and you can get a lot of value here.

October and fall season tend to be well sought after times, though, and venues and vendors can be stretched thin. Availability is not always guaranteed during those times, so it is good to book early if you are planning a fall wedding in New Hampshire.

Hilltop portraits with New Hampshire mountain views behind the couple.

Before you book, decide these things

Before you sign with anyone, including me, decide:

Whether you want a second photographer. How many hours of coverage you would like. If you would want to include any add ons, like an engagement session, albums, or large prints. Whether you want a videographer or content creator, and how that fits your budget.

When you know those answers, comparing prices gets much easier, because you are comparing the same coverage, not just the same headline number.

A first kiss at the gazebo at Dell-Lea.

The bottom line

You do not need the most expensive photographer in New Hampshire to get beautiful wedding photos. You do need an experienced photographer, a clear package, full galleries you have actually looked at, and a plan for lighting, hours, and backup.

If you are planning a New Hampshire wedding and want to talk through what coverage makes sense for your day, I would love to hear about it.