During the holidays, it's a common time for engagements.  After the excitement, one begins to plan their wedding day, and probably blind to what a typical wedding costs. I have found that most brides-to-be are shocked, along with their fathers who sometimes pay a large portion of the costs, at what a wedding day entails, and will costs.

A quick search at a free website, costofweddings.com, will reflect the average costs of a wedding in your particular area, by simply entering your zip code of the marriage location.  Here's what I found for Universal City:

• The average costs of a wedding in Universal City, TX is $27,320!
• Number of guests between 101 - 200, $23,234 - $38,723
• A single guest could add between $195 and $239 to the total cost of your wedding

Ok, that being said, so what is the average costs of the venue, catering, flowers, and photography?  Well, you can find out the average cost by visiting this site.  Keep in mind, that the prices mentioned are not what the vendors provided, but what the wedding couples actually paid.  In the last year alone, I have witnessed wedding couples paying upwards of $10,000 just for the venue alone.  Sometimes this includes the food and decorating.

But let's address the one cost that needs to be considered.  The one item that you should have left over after the wedding day, besides the wedding gown and rings!  Photography!  A well vetted professional photographer's purpose is to document, and preserve your memories of the most important day of your life.  So what should you expect to pay?

• Expect to spend $3,212 or more for Well-Experienced, Highly Regarded Professional Photographer.

What do you get for this?  Well that depends upon the packages offered.  But you need to know what really is included, and what hidden costs may lurk in the background.  When you commission a professional photographer, it should be completely disclosed what "is" and "is not" included in the price quoted, and if you don't see what you are looking for, ASK!

The culture of Matrix Digital Arts Photography has always been to be completely upfront with our clients on what is and is not included, and what it will cost for the extras not included.  This is one of the reasons we score so high in our reviews, and have received accreditation by the Better Business Bureau.  Speaking of Reviews, that's a separate Blog topic we need to cover.  They are not always what they reflect.  How much did the vendor pay the client to provide that review?  Watch for a follow-up to this topic!

Michael Holeda

Executive Directory and Photographer