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At the luxury level, planners and couples aren’t necessarily looking for the cheapest rate. They want the best person for their vision. They’re used to paying more to get exactly what they want, so assuming you have expertly curated your portfolio to appeal to your aligned ideal client, your pricing should be at an appropriate level.

Research has shown that people equate prices with value. For example, if you see a $60 bottle of wine next to a $5 bottle of wine, which do you believe is higher quality? The same goes for how you price your services.

This does not mean you should arbitrarily add zeros to your existing rate. Your work, of course, must be at the level you are charging. Assuming it is, you actually aren’t doing yourself any favors being well below the market rate of photographers and filmmakers working with these planners.

One caveat here: Don’t entirely let go of flexibility. Sometimes an opportunity will come around where the couple doesn’t quite have the budget you desire, but it is a portfolio-maker. Maybe it’s your ideal couple or an incredible destination. It may be worth saying yes if getting those images and/or footage is likely to set you up for success in the long run.

Once you consistently make these 4 mindset shifts, you’ll notice how much easier it is to network with planners and land the lucrative jobs you desire.

Of course, this expectation may change in the future, but as it stands today, if you are unable to deliver next-day sneak peeks, a planner is likely to choose someone who can.

Remember, a planner can hire you over and over again. In most instances, you’ll only work with the couple once.

Often, when we say the word “client,” we are referring to the couple. But these days, it’s actually quite rare to be booked directly by the couple for high-end weddings.

The majority of the time, you work with a planner. So one mindset shift you should consider in your desire to book more high-end weddings is to see the planner as your primary client… and your couple as a close second.

With this mindset shift, it’s critical to understand what a planner needs and wants—versus the couple. This can be a major shift for photographers and filmmakers used to working directly with couples who choose packages based on their budget.

Luxury planners have the same type of money mindset as their affluent couples. In other words, planners need to believe, at a glance, that you can be a reliable and professional part of the team that creates the experience the couple wants.

It pays to recognize that planners aren’t interested in albums, prints, thumb drives, or other final assets. Yes, they understand these may be important to the couples down the line, but at the booking stage, it’s not part of the equation.

When you pitch preset packages complete with prints, albums, or set lengths of video footage to choose from, it tells planners you don’t understand their business. Giving these options to them during the interview stage instantly tells them you’re not at their level, and they’re going to have to spend time and energy getting you up to speed.

Planners already have so much on their plates—99% of them won’t take the time to teach you this fact. They’ll simply move on to another photographer or filmmaker who “gets it.”

Additionally, this simple misstep makes you seem higher risk. You could be the absolute best photographer or filmmaker on the market, but you’re very unlikely to get a chance to prove it. With thousands of small details to manage—not to mention hundreds of thousands to millions of client dollars on the line—planners are looking for any way possible to mitigate risk.

By understanding exactly what planners are looking for, you can increase your chances of booking more high-end weddings.

These facts should be telling you to ditch the preset packages. They don’t work for high-end clients, and they don’t work for planners.

Here’s the real deal: Affluent couples don’t want stuff. They have enough stuff.

What they really want is a bespoke, one-of-a-kind experience that hasn’t been done a thousand times… and they’re willing to pay for it.

They also see value in hiring someone to work out all the details. They can just show up to a beautiful, seamless event—and enjoy themselves.

That’s why they hire a wedding planner. Planners are able to take their grandest ideas and turn them into an unbelievable reality, giving them memories they’ll treasure forever.

For the majority of couples, hiring the right people to document these moments is so valuable to them, that they often attribute a significant portion of their budget toward photography and videography.

Now that you understand they don’t want to “buy off the menu,” appreciate white glove treatment, and consider capturing the moments of the day incredibly valuable—what does that tell you about how you approach pricing?

Let’s say you’re a wedding photographer or filmmaker eager to work with high-end clients.

What exactly do you need to do to break into the world of luxury events?

The crucial first step most creatives neglect is to get into the minds of affluent clients—and the planners they hire.

Once you understand how they think about money, what they value, and how to deliver it, you’ll be able to meet the expectations these types of couples have.