Our 2021 Wedding Photography Survey Results
Our latest survey results are in! We contacted our database of thousands of engaged couples Australia-wide with a comprehensive survey to see how Covid-19 has changed their wedding plans with a primary focus on wedding photography. We compared these to the survey we conducted in November 2020. These were the results from those that completed the survey.
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Question: If Covid-19 has stopped you from booking your wedding what are your primary concerns?
We were interested to see the impact Covid-19 has had on wedding plans, and if the statistics had changed in the months since our last survey. Venue restrictions and the uncertainty of guests being able to attend was the primary concern of our couples. We saw a 10% decrease in couples concerned over their job security and health risks, which is in line with feedback we've received that couples will feel more confident to book their weddings as soon as there is security around borders opening.
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Question: Will you be having a professional wedding photographer?
An overwhelming response of our surveyed database will still be having a professional wedding photographer for their day. In our latest survey over 97% of those surveyed will be having, or have had a professional photographer for their day. This saw a slight increase from our previous survey, and proves that professional wedding photography is still very much a valued part of weddings in 2021.
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Question: Given the current situation with Covid-19, how important is it for you to book your wedding photographer?
We were interested to see if Covid-19 has changed the priority of booking a wedding photographer. While importance has dropped slightly, this shift was minimal as wedding photography remained an important aspect to consider when booking with over 83% of our surveyed database still believing this is an important or very important supplier to book for their big day.
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Question: Where will you look for a wedding photographer?
We were interested in receiving some statistics on how Covid-19 has changed the way couples are searching for wedding photography - has this turned purely to digital? Google, Facebook and Instagram remained the leading ways couples look for wedding photography along with referrals. An interesting shift was the increase in couples who would be looking at wedding expos. While digital is still in front it shows that some couples still like the option to plan in person.
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Question: What are the main features you are looking for when booking a wedding photographer?
We were interested in surveying our database to see if Covid-19 has changed their priorities in what they value when booking a wedding photographer. While we adjusted a few options in the latest survey in response to the previous one, the most interesting statistic we saw was a 13% increase in those surveyed valuing flexibility in date changes. This survey showed 46% of those surveyed valued this feature when looking for a wedding photographer. Other values remained consistent with our last survey with quality, style of images and price being the highest features considered when booking.
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Question: How far in advance will you book your wedding photographer?
We were interested in receiving some statistics on how Covid-19 has changed the timing of when people book their wedding photography. We saw an increase in the 9-12 month range in this latest survey. This is promising as it shows that people are forward thinking and based on feedback from our database many are looking at 2022 dates, and will book as soon as it is confirmed that Covid-19 restrictions will ease and enable them to go ahead with their wedding plans.
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Question: How many photography quotes will you get?
We were interested to see if Covid-19 has changed the number of photography quotes couples would get when they are searching for a wedding photographer. Three to four quotes remained consistently the average of the number of quotes, with people who would receive 6 or more dropping in number. This resonates with previous feedback we have received from couples that they are time poor and find the process of receiving too many quotes overwhelming.
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Question: How much are you prepared to spend on wedding photography?
We were interested to see if Covid-19 has changed wedding photography budgets. Our results from the latest survey were similar to late last year with most couples budgeting between $1000 - $3000 for professional photography.
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Question: What are the most important values of a brand that you want to know before booking?
We were interested to see what our survey participants valued in a wedding photography brand, and if Covid-19 has changed this. We saw an increase in reliability as a desired trait. This was valued by 90% of our latest survey participants, up from 77% in our previous survey. This looks to be a direct result of the insecurity around date changes and flexibility. They also highly value quality, affordability, and trustworthiness in a wedding photography brand.
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Question: What fears do you have about booking wedding photography?
We were interested to see how Covid-19 has changed the fears surrounding booking wedding photography. Most notably, the fear "What if I have to cancel my wedding" has increased from 23% to 47.75%. This could be connected to the uncertainty of lockdowns during the pandemic and the higher possibility that weddings may not go ahead on their scheduled date.
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Question: What fears do you have about your photographer?
We were interested to see how the fears about photographers have changed over the past year. From November 2020 to September 2021, "style of images" as a fear has reduced from 71.68% to 53.10% and "approachability" has decreased from 51.33% to 38.94%. During this time period, the fear of "reliability" increased from 37.17% to 46.02%.
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Question: Traditionally you would spend hours looking for a photographer and check his or her galleries to decide whether or not to book them. Now, if you could book directly online and skip the above process, what would make you feel most confident to book?
We were interested to see what factors are needed for a brand to be trusted enough to book online and how this has changed from November 2020 to September 2021. Most notably, in both November 2020 and September 2021, "prices and package options" was the most selected option, with over 70% of respondents selecting this in both November 2020 and September 2021.
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Question: Would you choose and book your photographer from a trusted national brand online?
We were interested to see if couples would book with a national brand as the wedding photography market is known to be fragmented with lots of individual operators. Consistently over the two surveys over 80% of respondents said that they would book their photographer from a trusted national brand online.
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