Wedding Package Pricing

[green_photog]

<p>I have a wedding package pricing question I would like to ask for your help here. I have a simple package $1600 for 8 hr and $200 for every hour after that. Bascially, it's $200/hr but I bundled it for 8 hrs as that's about 80% of what my clients are aiming for.</p>

<p>Some couples didn't know their exact wedding timeline. For those couples, I just assume it's from 1pm-9pm and if they wanted to add more hours after they have finalized the timeline, I'll adjust the final invoice closer to their wedding day.</p>

<p>The problem is that they often forget about the fixed number of hours part 9 months down the road and it came as a mini surprise to them when I send my final invoice. Most of them paid for the extra hours and some chose to skip some parts of their wedding to stay within the agreed number of hours.</p>

<p>I kind of think now that adjusting the invoice after the fact is not a good practice so maybe I should give them a higher estimate at the meeting. But then I am afraid I might lose their business.</p>

<p>I just wanted to ask what is your take on my per hour billing practice, is that a good idea?</p>

<p>The other way I can go about my pricing is that I pretty much know what kind of hours they'll need at the meeting within an hour or so accuracy. And I just quote the job according to that and stick with that unless there's major change. If it turns out I'm out of an hour or so, I'll just eat that and not bill the clients.</p>

<p> </p>

[curt_kalkstein1]

<p>Would it help if you went over all the terms of the wedding about a week before? I imagine you collect your final payment at about this time anyway. And, while going over their last minute check list, it's nice for them to hear from you at about that time just for the peace of mind.</p>

[michaelmowery]

<p>Can you please explain your package because you seemed to have stopped at $1,600 for 8 hours. I can only guess you are giving them the files for free at that point. Anyways you need to book a minimum number of hours which would be 8. It sounds as if you are booking only 5 hours $1,000 in order to seal the job but in reality it will end up being closer to 8 or 9 hours in the end. If you have any knowledge of weddings you know they will be at least 8 hours minimum unless it is some very small party for which they will tell you. You have to be up front with all of this.<br /> Any overtime after the fact is billed after the wedding and payment received before handing over any product.</p>

[michaelmowery]

<p>By the way the houly rate today is $500 for Seasoned professionals and I stress SEASONED because everyone today seems to be a professional photographer. $200 an hour was back 15 years ago. You need to raise that to at least $350 minimum if you have any skill.</p>

[katrin_d.]

<p>I suggest you touch base with clients BEFORE sending an invoice. I usually email them at least 6 weeks prior to their wedding to schedule a Skype session (I mostly do destination weddings) so we can go over their timeline and list of formal photos etc. That's when we finalize the details such as start & end time before I send the final invoice so there are never any surprises. I also let them know that they can always add hours even on the day of and then bill accordingly. Never had a problem, always get paid and most couples upgrade. I don't "eat hours", like my attorney, I bill for them. ;-)</p>

<p>Then again, you seem to have priced yourself as a cheaper, high volume photographer so things might be different in that price bracket? Not sure if you're in the position to charge more, if your branding and quality of work support higher rates so that's something only you can answer. </p>

<p> </p>

[green_photog]

<p>My wording is "up to 8 hours of coverage - $1600 and $200/hr after 8 hours". I choose 8 hour because that covers most of my clients' needs and leave me room to upsell to those longer ethnic weddings. For the short 3-4 hour bookings I will give quotes close to $1,000 mostly.</p>

<p>This was comminicated and written down on the contract but after 9 long months some people could forget they only get me for 8 hours and not 10 or more. When I remind them at the final meeting before the job, some were unpleasantly surprised. In reality, I only increase my final invoice if they were planning to be over by 2 hours. An hour or so more I'll just eat that myself.</p>

<p>Micahel, photogs in NYC probably command more but most part-time shooters in my town stop at $2K and some even have to throw in prints and albums to get $2K a job.</p>

<p>Katrina D. I started cheaper and I'm trying to keep my referral base. My average per job has gone up every year but not too dramatically so that I don't lose my referral base. What I don't want to see happening is a drastic increase in rate without any bookings.</p>

<p>Still even at my price range, I see my inquires and bookings decreased over the years as my rates go up. But my overall revenues had remained almost the same so I'm happy to earn the same while doing less.</p>

<p> </p>

[fotografz]

<p>I have a different pricing structure than you do (higher).</p>

<p>I base most quotes on a 7 hour shoot, which suffices for 80% of those who sign with me. I base the package price at $350 per hour. </p>

<p>Each client pays a non-refundable retainer fee when they sign, then pays the balance in full two weeks prior to the wedding date. </p>

<p>I have a section in the contract that allows the client to add incremental hours at a rate of $300 per hour (which includes processing for those extra images). $300 rather than the original $350 because the $350 takes into account overhead expenses, plus pre-wedding time and efforts which aren't part of the actual shooting. </p>

<p>The decision to add hours doesn't have to be made until the day of the wedding. When the 7 hours is up, I simply ask them if they wish to buy an extra hour (or more). This is payable upon picking up their materials. They pay the additional fee, or they don't get to take their images with them.</p>

<p>- Marc</p>

[pete_s.]

<blockquote>

<p>Any overtime after the fact is billed after the wedding and payment received before handing over any product.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That.</p>

<p>Sign up the client at the time of booking for however many hours they want.<br>

Ask the client closer to the wedding date to confirm exactly what time they want you to start. Then you can remind them at what time that means you will stop shooting. Also let them know that if it during the day it turns out that they want you to stay longer, perhaps due to unforeseen events, that is also possible but that will incur an extra charge according to the contract.</p>

<p>It's nothing unusual to charge for additional hours since it means more hours and more postprocessing. Just be open about it. After all, it is a service to your clients that you can provide if they so desire.</p>

<p>Regarding your price structure I think it makes sense to charge extra for real overtime but also it makes sense to pay less per hour if you buy more hours in advance. Did I make sense?</p>

<p>What I'm saying is that if I'm a client and I buy 10 or 12 hours I expect that to be cheaper per hour than if I buy 4 hours. At the same time, if I decide on the very day that I want the photographer to stay additional hours I would expect those hours to be more expensive per hour, compared to if I decided to buy those hours in advance.</p>

<p>That will also encourage the client to buy extra hours in advance if it turns out that their schedule has changed and not wait until the last moment.</p>

<p> </p>

[William Michael]

<blockquote>

<p>This was communicated and written down on the contract but <strong>after 9 long months some people could forget they only get me for 8 hours</strong> and not 10 or more. When <strong>I remind them at the final meeting</strong> before the job, some were<strong> unpleasantly surprised.</strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Maybe all that is required is a change in the method as to how you initiate; and the content of the message for that ‘final meeting’.</p>

<p>Maybe also there is need for additional ‘touch base communications’ during any long period that occur between booking and the final date of shoot.</p>

<p>For a couple of examples:</p>

<p>> you might just be sending the couple a general message informing them of the ‘final meeting’ – perhaps it would be better to be specific and indicate that one important task of the final meeting is to confirm the shooting time, you might refer that “you have booked 8 hours, but we should discuss if you think that there needs to be longer” or something like that. The point is if the content of any meeting is put on notice, then generally people are less aggravated by any topic of discussion when they get to the meeting, because there are no “surprises”.</p>

<p>> if there is a 9 month period, it wouldn’t hurt to send an email indicating that you will phone them just to "touch base" THEN - in that <em>telephone conversation</em> remind them that there are additional hours available (at a price) if they require them and generally discuss the timeline and how they are progressing with their plans.</p>

<p>In any case, when I charge a session by time any “additional hours” are charged at less than the “initial coverage rate”. My reasons are the same reasons that Marc has outlined.</p>

<p>WW</p>