How to compare wedding vendor quotes
The cheapest quote is often the most expensive per hour. Comparing totals compares different jobs.
The short answer
Normalise every quote to the same unit before comparing, usually cost per hour of coverage plus a list of what is included. Wedding quotes differ mostly in scope rather than in rate, so the totals are not comparable until the scope is.
The formula
cost per hour = quote total / hours of coverage
like-for-like total = quote + cost of adding anything the others include
then compare like-for-like totals, not headline prices
Add the missing items at their real standalone price. A quote without an album is not cheaper if you were always going to buy the album.
Worked example
Three photographers for the same wedding:
A: 2,400 · 8 hours · 400 images · no album → 300.00/hr
B: 3,100 · 10 hours · 600 images · album · second shooter → 310.00/hr
C: 1,900 · 6 hours · 250 images → 316.67/hr
A plus an album at 550 = 2,950 for 8 hours
B = 3,100 for 10 hours and a second shooter
The rates are within 6% of each other. C looks $1,200 cheaper than B and is the most expensive per hour, and it stops shooting before the first dance.
The questions that make quotes comparable
How many hours, and when do they start and stop. Coverage that ends at 8pm and coverage that ends after the first dance are different products at the same nominal day rate.
What is included in the price and what is an extra: albums, prints, raw files, travel, a second shooter, overtime rate. Overtime especially, because it is agreed on the night by someone who is not thinking about money.
What happens if they cannot attend. A supplier with a named replacement arrangement is carrying a risk that otherwise sits with you.
Where the real differences hide
Payment schedule. A deposit of 50% eighteen months out is materially worse for you than 20% now and the balance a month before, and it never appears in a price comparison.
Cancellation terms, which matter more than couples expect and are rarely read until they are needed.
For catering, the minimum spend and the service charge. A per-head price that looks competitive can carry a 15% service charge and a minimum that pushes you above the headcount you planned.
What the arithmetic will not tell you
Whether you like their work, and whether you want them at your wedding for ten hours. Those are the reasons to override the numbers and they are legitimate ones.
The point of normalising the quotes is to know what the preference costs. Choosing the more expensive supplier because their work is better is a decision. Choosing them because their quote looked cheaper is an accident.
What this leaves out
- Prices are illustrative and vary hugely by region, season and day of week.
- Assumes quotes are for the same date and location. Travel and accommodation for distant suppliers can change the ranking entirely.
- Excludes tax treatment, which differs between suppliers and is sometimes shown inclusive and sometimes not.
Common questions
- How many quotes should I get?
- Three is usually enough to see the shape of the market and more than five stops adding information. What improves the comparison is asking all of them the same questions, not asking more of them.
- Is a higher price always better quality?
- No, but a much lower price usually means less coverage, less experience or fewer inclusions rather than the same job for less. Find out which before assuming you have found a bargain.
- Should I negotiate with wedding suppliers?
- On scope, more than on price. Suppliers have limited room on rate and real room on what is included, and getting the album or an extra hour added is usually easier than getting the number down.
Spreadsheets that do this
The formulas above, already built and checked — so you fill in your numbers rather than the arithmetic.
Related guides
Last reviewed 22 August 2026