The cost of a wedding photographer in Crested Butte, Colorado ranges from $4000-$9500 depending on coverage hours, experience, number of photographers and included product options. This range is for professional photographers in Crested Butte offering a full-day of 8-10+ hours of coverage with a high-end album, second photographer and the expertise of a seasoned professional.

Average Wedding Photographer Cost in Crested Butte, Colorado

Budget Wedding Photographer ($2500-$5000)

Budget wedding photographers in Crested Butte are priced from $2500-$5000  

• Limited coverage and expertise
• Products are low-end
• Lacking local knowledge or beginning their career

Standard Full-Day Wedding Photographer ($4500-$9000)

Common full-day wedding photographers in Crested Butte are priced from $4500-$9000

• Full-day coverage (6-10+ hours) and include an engagement session
• High-end albums and print products
• They offer a second photographer

Luxury Wedding Photographer ($9000+)

Luxury wedding photographers in Crested Butte Colorado are well-established studios who have been local to Crested Butte for many years and are experts about the area.

• Full-day coverage and include additional coverage such as engagement sessions or rehearsal dinner
• Premium albums and long-lasting high-end printed products
• Multiple photographers and can include video options

Micro Wedding/ Elopement-Style Wedding Photographer ($2000- $5000)

Micro wedding and elopement-style packages are available at most photography studios. These photographers might offer hourly coverage for events that just include the ceremony and some photos of the couple after.

• Hourly prices are $200-$300 per hour
• Micro wedding packages average $3000
• Coverage is 2-5 hours
• Perfect for 10 or less guests
• Digital files are included, albums are not

What Affects the Price?

There are several factors affecting the pricing of a wedding photographer, some are specific to Crested Butte like local knowledge of the mountains, weather and locations.

• Hours of coverage: 8+ hours are a full-day of coverage with more hours being more pricey
• Multiple photographers: More photographers can add cost but also add coverage and variety
• Products & albums: High-end studios will provide albums and printed products from reputable printing companies and stand by their products with lifetime warranties
• Experience & Reliability: Established photographers with extensive portfolios are more expensive then photographers just starting out

Second Photographers

Many photographers will provide a second shooter to accompany them during a full-day wedding. These photographers will shoot with lens and in locations that complement the lead photographer or hold equipment and help with organizing guests. It can be a great bonus to maximize your coverage time as well as provide a back-up if something unforeseeable were to happen to the lead photographer or equipment.

Engagement Sessions

Engagement sessions are a wonderful way to get to know your photographer better and get comfortable with his/her style before the wedding.

• Pro images during a different season than the wedding
• Multiple outfits and locations
• Practice posing and being in front of the camera
• Great for wedding websites, on save-the-date cards or wedding invitations

Albums and Products

Professional products and albums are a perfect way to encapsulate your wedding day. Albums can cost anywhere from $50 at Shutterfly to $9000 from professional printing companies. High-end alums come in a range of sizes and have a variety of beautiful fabric options for the cover including embossed text or metal inlays, thick pages that lay flat to showcase large panoramic photos, photographic paper that will last the test of time and a personalized box to keep it safe in. Products can include canvas and metal prints for your walls, album blocks and photo boxes for your bookshelf and parent gifts. It is important these products are printed by professionals for durability and quality.

Travel and Destination Fees

Many photographers will charge for extra travel time for destination weddings. In Crested Butte, many photographers will charge $50-$200 extra for traveling over 30 miles. Long-distance travel fees include airfare, lodging, local transport and reimbursement of food.

Editing and Post-Production

This is one of the biggest invisible costs. Often editing takes much longer than the shooting. Professional post-production is 13-35 hours of work for one wedding day includes:

• Culling through thousands of images
• Color correction, exposure, cropping, removal of unwanted elements, retouching etc.

Packages that cost $6000 for your 8-hour wedding day include the 10-30 hours of editing. This includes all their years of software experience as well as the cost of the programs such as Lightroom, Photoshop and file storage. The difference in wedding photography pricing can often be seen in the post-production. A well-experienced photographer can create consistency throughout their weddings, which means you know what you are getting as well as have a fast turnaround.

What is Typically Included in a Wedding Photography Package?

Wedding packages include coverage time, an engagement session, a professional album, high-resolution digital files, an online gallery and a second shooter.

• Professional photography packages from $4000-$9000 offering 6-10 hours of wedding coverage
• Full-resolution edited digital files of over 600 images and an online gallery
  High-end professional album in a keepsake box with personalizing options
• Second shooter

Wedding Day Coverage

Wedding day coverage ranges from 6-10+ hours of shooting.

• 6-hour day will include coverage of the ceremony, the reception and portraits of the couple and family/wedding party
• 8-hour day includes getting ready for both parties, the ceremony, the reception, portraits of the couple and the wedding party/family
• 10+ hours gives the photographer a lot of time to capture a more extensive period of the couple getting ready, the ceremony and reception with longer hours into the dance party, couples portraits perhaps with multiple locations, the wedding party and family

Online Gallery Delivery

An online gallery is the prefect way to share your photos with your guests. It can also be an easy way for you to select the images for your albums and print products as well as download your files. Almost always is an online gallery included in the wedding day packages.

Print Rights and Digital Files

Print rights for digital file use and the ability to have and download your high-resolution digital files are included in the top tier of wedding day packages. The photographer still owns the rights to use your photos for their business use but you own the rights to print your images anywhere (Shutterfly, TinyPrints etc) and to share on social media.

• Digital files cost an average of $3000 if purchased outside of the wedding package
• Included in the $3000- $9000+ packages
• Most professional photographers do not offer individual digital files, but if they do they range from $150+ per image

It is important to find out from your photographer what type of digital file you are getting. Differences include size of the file (resolution), print maximum size (will it print larger than 5×7, 8×10 etc?) and whether you own the digital rights to reprint on your own.

Professional Editing

Most photographers will provide basic editing to all the delivered images, but some high-end photographers will offer advanced edits to a selection of images. This might include B&W images or retouching. Photographers may offer more advanced retouching for an additional fee. Basic add-on retouching will cost from $50-$150 per image. More advanced retouching will be in the range of $150-$450 per image. Some photographers will offer bulk editing packages for a set of selected images at the rate of $300-$900+.

Album Design Services

Many photographers will offer album design included in the wedding package. This includes image selection, layouts review and approval and cover material and customization.

When Should You Book a Wedding Photographer in Crested Butte, Colorado?

Weddings in Crested Butte, Colorado are booked 12-18 months in advance. Micro weddings and elopements book 3-6 months in advance and typically have more flexibility in their timeframe.

Why is the Booking Window So Early?

The booking window for Crested Butte is 12-18 months in advance because our wedding season is short (from June to October). Crested Butte can get snow as late as mid-June and as early as mid-September.

• Foliage in Crested Butte usually peaks mid-September and only lasts a few weeks
• The lupine field bloom in June
• The sunflower fields bloom in July

With Crested Butte being the wildflower capital June and July are peak for weddings among the flowers. Breath-taking snow-capped mountains with the golden aspen trees make mid-September prime wedding season as well. Crested Butte also attracts heavy elopement and micro-wedding traffic leading to full- calendars once the season gets started. Crested Butte is a small town with a limited number of venues and ceremony/reception locations as well as a limited number of photographers who know the area well. If you want your choice of venue and vendors, you need to book a year before your wedding date.

Popular Dates

The most popular dates for weddings in Crested Butte are the end of June, mid-July and mid-September. Flowers bloom mid-June to end of July. Foliage lasts from mid-September to mid-October but it is quite a bit colder in the evenings.

• End of June: Lupine fields and best weather
• Mid- July: Best flowers fields, risk of monsoons
• Mid-September: Best for foliage, runs the risk of snow and cool evenings

What To Do If Your Wedding is Soon

If your wedding is soon and you have not booked your vendors, start now!

• Visit Wedding Guide for a list of local
• Ask for alternative dates to Saturdays and alternative locations
• Crested Butte is surrounded by national forest which can provide a beautiful backdrop to a DIY wedding and is free for groups smaller than 9 people (larger group weddings need to purchase a permit- visit USDA to find out more

Is $5000 Too Much for Wedding Photographer?

In Crested Butte $5000 is a normal price for a professional wedding photography package. In fact, most expert local photographers are above $5000 for full-day packages. Factors affecting price:

• Years of experience and expertise
• Local knowledge and access to locations
• Reliability under mountain weather conditions
• Post-production and lighting expertise

What Couples Get at Different Price Points

Entry professionals will be in the $3000-$4000 price range

• Budget photographers from Denver and the surrounding cities who are willing to travel for little or no fee, but they do not have the local knowledge of the mountains.

Established local professionals will be in the $4500-$8500 price range

• Seasoned vets who know the area well, can get you to the top of mountains (safely) for the panoramic views, advise on weather conditions, help with the timeline and make solid recommendations of other vendors. Professional at handling issues, weather conditions and produce consistent results.

For the highest-end multiple-day photography studios the price range is $9000+

• Professional studios covering multiple events and photograph in remote locations. High-quality wedding albums and printed products.

Why Local Experience and Reliability Matter

Many out-of-town photographers are not aware of the sever conditions at 9000 feet in the Rocky Mountains. Local photographers know the locations you can (and cannot) get to for your ceremony and your photographs. They will advise on the weather conditions and mountain locations. They recommend other trusted local vendors. Experience photographing weddings is the best way to ensure reliability.

Risks of Choosing a Wedding Photographer Based on Price

After the day is over you are left with nothing but your memories and your photos. You want to trust that your photos will showcase your day with all the beauty and love you felt.

Missed Moments

Budget photographers lack experience in both photographing and editing. A seasoned wedding photographer knows what to expect from each part of the day. They are in the correct location for every moment and direct the second photographer and guests.

Inconsistent Editing

Budget photographers often are not full-time professionals. They might not be able to deliver reliable, consistent results.

• Professional full-time photographers have had years of experience
• Professional photographers have a consistent style that you can rely on

Lack of Backup Equipment/ Poor Equipment

Photography is expensive. From cameras to lighting to computers to programs.

• Experienced photographers bring high-end equipment, lighting and backups, so you can trust you will not miss any of your wedding day moments
• Proper lighting equipment allows for magical images such as star-skies, milky rivers and waterfalls

Timeline Expertise

The timeline of a wedding day is everything. Established photographers know how to organize a wedding day timeline. If you do not have a wedding planner, a seasoned photographer can help guide you with your timeline so that your day runs smoothly for your guests and vendors.

Wedding Photographer Cost FAQ

How Much Should We Budget for a Wedding Photographer?

Full day wedding coverage (8-10+ hours): $6000-$9000

• Two photographers
• High-resolution digital files
• Professional album and layout design
• Online gallery and a timeline consultation

A mid-range wedding package (6-8 hours): $4500-$7000

• Two photographers
• High-resolution digital files
• Album options
• Online gallery and a timeline consultation

A micro-wedding package (2-5 hours ): $3000-$5000

• One photographer
• Digital files
• Online gallery

Is 6 Hours Enough Coverage for A Wedding?

A full day of coverage is 8 hours and includes:

• Getting ready
• Ceremony
• Couples and family portraits
• Reception

A 10+ hour day will be more extensive and includes:

• Longer getting ready
• Ceremony
• Couples and family portraits including different locations
• Reception
• Exit event

If you are planning for only 6 hours of coverage you will have to cut some of the beginning or the end of the day, like getting ready or dancing/exit coverage.

Should we Book Photo and Video Together?

If it is possible, it is always best to book photo and video together. This means the professionals have worked together and are complementing each other’s styles. They also work together on the timeline and often will bundle pricing.

How Many Photos Does a Couple Receive?

Photographers will deliver about 100 photos per hour of shooting. These images will be edited and ready for print in addition to a select few having premium edits.

• 6-hour package: 500-700 images
• 8-hour package: 600-900 images
• 10+ hours: 1000+ images

How Long Until We Receive Our Wedding Photos?

Professional photographers will send a sneak peek of images within a week. A full gallery takes 4-8 weeks to deliver. This will be delivered in a downloadable online gallery. Many studios offer an in-person meeting post wedding to walk through products and offer a sneak peak slideshow.

Are Engagement Sessions Usually Included?

Engagement sessions are included in the middle and top packages for most photography studios.

• Great for getting to know your photographer’s style
• Helps you two feel comfortable in front of the camera
• Access to professional images for your save-the-dates and wedding websites
• Access to professional photos from an alternative season from the wedding date

Do not expect digital files or products to be included in your engagement session. Most photographers will offer product packages and purchase opportunities after your engagement session.

Need a professional wedding photographer in Crested Butte? Click here to connect with Third Eye Photography