Detroit Wedding Photography Pricing for Candid, Documentary-Style Couples
Over 1,300 weddings photographed ♥ 5-star reviews ♥ 20+ years experience ♥ Fast two-week turnaround
Happily photographing weddings in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Rochester, Royal Oak… and to Infinity and Beyond.
Award-winning Metro Detroit, Michigan wedding photojournalist's transparent pricing for couples who value real moments, incredible storytelling, and experienced guidance without inflated luxury pricing.
Wedding photography is one of the few parts of your wedding that becomes more valuable over time.
My couples want photos that feel honest, emotional, joyful, and completely like them without stiff posing or wedding day performance anxiety.
Here’s how my Metro Detroit wedding photography pricing works.
- Digital Files are delivered within TWO FREAKING WEEKS of your wedding day!
- You may use the wedding photos however you'd like as we share the copyright.
- All HIGH RESOLUTION images are HAND EDITED (for color correction, contrast, exposure and clarity) and ready to use. Clients usually receive well over 1,000 wedding photos for larger packages.
- Photos are hosted in a secure online gallery for a year to share with friends and family.
- Print directly from a professional lab connected to my site or print them yourself. YOUR CHOICE.
- Social Media sneak peeks posted as soon as they are ready for 8 and 10 hour weddings. As time allows for smaller packages.
- Photoshopped retouches for up to 10 of your favorite wedding photos. The photos look so good, only one client has ever used this benefit!
- Multiple locations are fine.
- FREE mileage up to 50 miles from Troy (otherwise it's $50 to travel 50-100 miles from my home). If you're further than 100 miles from Troy, you fall into the Michigan "Destination" weddings category.
- If you're looking for add-ons and bells & whistles, please scroll below for my Detroit wedding photography pricing guides. If you're planning a shorter wedding, keep scrolling even farther! Having a Michigan "Destination" wedding? Yay, I love to travel. Scroll, baby, scroll! It's all there.
- Deposit fee questions? I require a 50% retainer for the package you choose to secure your date.
- Collaboration with you to CUSTOMIZE your day according to YOUR needs.
- Unlimited email consultations to work on logistics, tips and timelines to maximize your FUN.
- Digital PLANNING GUIDE included at booking to get you off to a great start.
- Professional, award winning, unflappable, five-star expert wedding photographer. I've seen it all; I've got your back. I'm the default wedding coordinator who can troubleshoot just about anything the day of your wedding.
- My stellar reputation after photographing over 1,300 weddings and having over 1,300 ecstatic couples who love vouching for me!
Why Do My Wedding Photography Packages Offer Such Strong Value Compared To Most Wedding Photographers Near Detroit?
After photographing more than 1,300 weddings, I’ve learned something important: couples who truly value photography usually are not looking for the “cheapest” photographer. They’re looking for someone they trust completely to handle one of the most emotional, unpredictable, and meaningful days of their lives with calmness, experience, creativity, and heart.
That’s exactly who I love working with.
Even with one of the longest-running wedding photography careers in Michigan, hundreds of five-star reviews, and a reputation built almost entirely on referrals, my pricing is still well below many photographers with similar experience and credentials.
Why?
Because I intentionally built my business around accessibility, long-term relationships, and genuine human connection instead of luxury-market pricing games.
I want thoughtful, emotionally present couples to have access to exceptional documentary wedding photography without feeling like they need a second mortgage to hire someone they trust.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Marci is an absolute A+!
"Marci was a calming presence, she never brought problems to us, only solutions, she was completely flexible, kept us smiling even when we felt stressed. We cannot recommend her highly enough!"
♥ High-resolution edited digital files ♥ Two-week turnaround ♥ Timeline guidance and planning help ♥ Secure online gallery ♥ Printing and downloading rights included ♥ Documentary coverage plus posed family and wedding party portraits (and some candid ones too) ♥ Over 1,300 weddings photographed
Wedding Photography PricingMetro Detroit Area
8 Hours Coverage
The Popular Package
$2,900 - One photographer - Me! Great for couples who have ceremonies starting after 2:00 ish. This meets 90% of my clients needs.
10 Hours Coverage
The Breather Package
$3,300 - One photographer - Me! Perfect for couples with a noon or 1 pm ceremony start time or have a really late dinner planned. This one offers a bit of breathing room in the schedule.
Add A Second Photographer
Totally Unnecessary But Available
+ $1,000 - Add in a second full time, seasoned professional photographer to either of the top two packages. None of the images you see on my website are from weddings with a second photographer. I photograph 99% of my weddings solo.
Why is 8 hours the most popular? 90% of weddings do take at least 8 hours if you're looking for coverage of a bit of getting ready, the ceremony, portraits and you're having dancing and/or some activities planned after a meal. I do offer shorter hours, but that only works if you're planning a wedding without a reception, which is pretty rare. If you're not sure which package suits you and you don't want to overpay (who does?!), let me know your ceremony time, the time they are serving dinner and if you're having a "First Look" to knock stress levels down and get the majority of the posed pictures out of the way. That way I can give you a really good ballpark of which package is best for your needs.
Having a Shorter Wedding?
6 Hours
The Skinny
$2,500 for 6 hours of continuous coverage with one photographer. This package works for clients who are in one location, aren't having a first look and don't want much coverage of themselves getting ready.
4 Hours
The Quickie
$2,000 for 4 hours of continuous coverage with one photographer. This package works for clients who are in one location and aren't having a typical reception with dancing.
2 Hours
The E-Lope
$1,500 for 2 hours of continuous coverage with one photographer. This is enough time for a ceremony and some family photos. Only available M-TH or within a month of the wedding if on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Looking for shorter, smaller wedding photography packages? I'm happy to work with you. The photographer for your wedding will be either myself or my photography partner and fellow photojournalist, Rodney Curtis. If you are booking my regular, 8 or more hour wedding package (which really and truly is what 90% of clients who want coverage of a bit of getting ready and have a dinner and dancing planned really and truly need at least 8 hours), you are specifically reserving ME for the day and I will be your photographer. But of course, feel free to hire Rodney to photograph your full day instead of me. He's AWESOME! Travel fees will apply for any weddings further than a 20 minute drive from Troy for these smaller packages.
Having a Michigan "Destination" Wedding?
8 Hours
The Normal
$4,000 for up to 8 hours of continuous coverage with one photographer. Printing and download rights of edited, high resolution digital files included. I will pick up travel fees.
10 Hours
The Long
$4,500 for up to 10 hours of continuous coverage with one photographer. Printing and download rights of edited, high resolution digital files included. I will pick up travel fees.
12 Hours
The Two Day
$5,000 for up to 12 of continuous coverage with one photographer. Printing and download rights of edited, high resolution digital files included. Can be split over 2 days. Travel fees included.
Having a wedding up North or on Lake Michigan or more than 2 hours from Troy? I am happy to travel around "troll country". Why are the fees higher than the "regular" packages? Let's say your wedding is a 3 hour drive from Troy and you have an 8 hour wedding, that's a 14 hour day for me. I will need to get a hotel coming and going so I'm not pooped for your wedding. It also means it is more challenging to book weddings back to back, so it effectively limits the number of weddings I can photograph on the weekend of your wedding. But I also LOVE beautiful settings, so here I am. I can't offer a second photographer at this time, but that shouldn't be an issue since I photograph almost all of my weddings by myself anyways.
If you want to learn more about my out of Michigan and out of country destination weddings, please check out my destination page in the wedding section.
Add-Ons, Bells and Whistles …
Wedding Albums
Flush Mount or Lay Flat
$1000 for either one large 14x11 inch flush mount album with 40 sides or one large 14x11 inch lay flat album with two smaller (11x8.5) identical parent albums. These are hand designed to your taste and the material alone are quite expensive. I'm happy to point you in the direction of fun DIY albums if you'd prefer.
$350 for a one hour session with my booked wedding clients. My couples tell me this is a great way to meet me, get to know each other and learn to speak Marci fluently. You'll be amazed how great you look! Please check my portrait section for locations.
Add An Extra Hour
Add Some Padding
$400/hr. for any of my wedding clients needing an extra hour of coverage. This can be added on the day of the wedding if need be.
or email me directly at photography@marcicurtis.com
Office Tel. (248) 688-9294
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Marci Curtis for the win!
"Marci is the best. As a photojournalist, she’s everywhere, but so stealth you’re not aware you’re being photographed. As a result her images are so candid and pure. They and she are just exceptional. People look at images from our wedding and smile. Another thing, Marci knows everything about weddings! If you’re in need of a vendor, she has recommendations! She’s also a calming voice during the planning period and beyond. But it’s her photos and her approach that sets her apart. And she loves what she does. That really comes through in talking with her and in her incredible work."
- Wedding Wire Review from Georgea, Ann Arbor City Club
What is the average cost of Detroit, Michigan Wedding Photography?
According to the fantastic wedding photography group, Fearless Photographers, where I'm a proud member, wedding photography in the United States is the most expensive in the world!
What Most Detroit Wedding Photographers Charge
Here in Michigan, I polled wedding photographers asking what they charge for 8 hour packages in the Metro Detroit area and was surprised to find that 42% of Detroit wedding photographers reported their typical costs for wedding photography packages cost in the $4,000 - $6,000 range. 37% of Michigan wedding photographers book weddings in the $3,000 - $4,000 range.
10% charge over $6,000. 9% are in the $2,000 - $3,000 range.
Personally, I want thoughtful, fun, emotionally present couples to have access to exceptional wedding photography without needing a $6,000–$10,000 photography budget.
That said, I’m also not trying to be the “cheap” option.
My couples book me because they love candid storytelling, want guidance without awkward posing, appreciate experience, and care deeply about having photographs that will feel like them years from now.
When you hire me, you’re not just hiring someone with a camera. You’re hiring:
♥ An experienced documentary photographer who can adapt instantly under pressure ♥ Someone who has photographed over 1,300 weddings ♥ A calm professional who can help keep your day running smoothly ♥ A genuinely helpful collaborator throughout the planning process ♥ A photographer whose entire career is built on making camera-shy people feel comfortable and natural
If you’ve been researching Detroit wedding photographers, you’ve probably already noticed that experienced documentary-style photographers with strong reputations often start well above my pricing range.
I may not be the most expensive photographer in Michigan, but I work very hard to be one of the best values.
Thanks for reading up on the average wedding photography costs for a good wedding photographer in the Metro Detroit area.
TOP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY PRICING:
1) How much does a Detroit wedding photographer cost?
- Wedding photography is an unregulated business. Wedding photographers can charge whatever they want. Lower pricing is often indicative of lack of experience, but not always. Luxury pricing assumes photographers are very experienced, but that's not always true either. So know your budget and set your priorities. Flowers are often more expensive than my fees. Are flowers more important to you than photos? If not, you might want to rearrange the budget. Look at the wedding photographer's galleries to see if you get the "feels". Do their samples photos make you laugh or tear up? What's your wedding venue like? All outdoors during daylight hours? You might not need a photographer who knows lighting. But if you're like most couples, you don't want your ceremony or reception to look like it took place in a cave. You want to connect with a photographer whose work you love, whose reputation is amazing and who still fits your budget.
2) Do I need 8 hours of wedding photography?
- How much of your wedding day story do you want photographed? It's not how big or small your wedding is, it's what you're doing on your wedding day that determines your timeline. Once you know that, you can decide how much of that you want covered. For example, do you want your details (dress, rings, invitations, etc) photographed? Do you want photos of you getting ready? Are you seeing each other beforehand? These are the variables for how long my day with you will last.
3) Does your candid wedding photography still include family portraits?
- Great question. YES! While I love capturing candids of all your family during the day, it's super important to give them instructions and have them looking their best (and at me!) while they're all dressed up and cooperative. I don't have a lot of those photos in my galleries because they're pretty boring unless you are in them.
4) Why are experienced wedding photographers more expensive?
- Because they know EVERYTHING! They can handle the entire wedding when things are going well and they can step in to fix things when they go sideways and not miss a beat. Examples? Storms, wardrobe malfunctions, meltdowns, illness, anxiety, a freaking pandemic, kids falling off docks, power failures, food poisoning, etc. I'm not saying stuff like this always happens, but it has happened and I've been able to swiftly pivot with a plan. But usually, the experience comes in handy in tiny ways - cajoling kids, getting couples to relax and lean into their day and make it feel natural (not awkward), to keep track of time and know exactly how to manage it. To anticipate the drunk maid of honor's gesticulating that will result in a wine stain down the front of the bride's dress or to ask the ushers to warn guests not to pet the dog coming down the aisle because he's terrified of strangers and already bit you earlier in the day. Not only do we know how to fix things, but we can prevent the bad stuff too. And we can make any venue look as fabulous as it should because we can light anything perfectly. We've also got tons of wedding tips to set you up for success!
5) How many photos are included in your wedding pricing?
- SO MANY isn't a great answer, but there are a LOT of photos. Way more than the wedding industry standard. Why so many? Because I like all those behind the scenes moments. You probably won't print them, but they do help to tell the story of your day. Other than when I'm quickly stuffing my face at dinner, I am taking pictures. Like all day long. One couple told me it was like have a photo version of a video. I average about 300 images an hour and edit it down to around 150-200 images an hour.
6) Why aren't prints included in your wedding photography package?
- The short answer is because so few of my clients use prints anymore. I'm in their homes often (once they start having kids or puppies) and I see they've got 4 or 5 nice enlargements hung on their walls and that's about it. Why make clients pay more for something they won't use?
7) Are engagement sessions included in your packages?
- This is another service I've moved to an "add on" selection. While most couples plan on having engagement sessions, it's not usually a top priority. Personally, I love them and encourage couples to do this, but it's a busy time leading up to a wedding and many couples just can't squeeze it in.
8) Can I share my wedding photos with friends and family?
- Yes, please! I want you to share them as much as possible. I have a fast delivery time of two weeks from the wedding, but I also post a 'sneak peek' as soon as the photos are ready for my 8 and 10 hour packages.
