How much does it costs to open and run a content creation business?
When you first start out as a wedding content creator, it is easy to think about your income purely in terms of what you charge per wedding. But once you sit down and add up everything it actually costs to run your business professionally, the picture looks a little different. This is not meant to put you off, quite the opposite. Understanding your real costs is what helps you price your packages confidently and stop undercharging for the work you do.
Costs breakdown:
Website:
Your website is your most important piece of real estate as a creative business and it comes with ongoing costs. Hosting typically runs anywhere from £2.99 - £30 per month depending on the platform. I use Hostinger where you can grab a deal at only £2.99 per month.
A professional email address:
Something like hello@yourbusinessname.com rather than a Gmail account, usually sits around £3 to £6 per month and it is one of those small things that makes a big difference to how seriously couples take your enquiries.
Gear:
Your equipment is your biggest upfront investment and it doesn't stop there. Memory cards, batteries, lenses, gimbals, iPhone mounts, microphones, cases for travel, replacement accessories — the list grows over time. Many content creators also factor in a monthly amount for a gear fund to cover repairs or upgrades.
Travel:
This one is easy to forget when you are pricing a package. Fuel, train tickets, parking at venues, and occasionally overnight accommodation for destination weddings all add up across a full season.
Video editing software:
Whether you pay for CapCut, Filmora or Adobe Premiere Pro, editing software is a recurring cost. CapCut costs £10.99 per month, and Filmora is coming in at £45 per year.
Canva Pro:
For creating content, client-facing documents, pricing guides, social graphics and anything else that needs to look polished and on-brand, you can do everything with Canva Pro. is one of the most useful subscriptions a creative can have. It runs at around £10 to £15 per month.
Content Delivery:
This is one that often gets overlooked entirely or absorbed into a Dropbox subscription that was never really fit for purpose. As a wedding content creator delivering hundreds of video clips to clients, you need a platform that can handle large files, support professional presentation, and reflect the quality of your work.
With our current 50% off lifetime offer, you can grab FileCurator for only £7.99 per month or save a further 25% when you subscribe per year at only £72.
Online Contract Signing:
Sending contracts professionally and getting them signed digitally is non-negotiable if you are running a serious business. PandaDoc handles this cleanly and keeps a clear record of every agreement. You can use their free tier!
Online Calendar Booking System:
Calendly's free plan is genuinely useful for managing discovery calls and consultations and it syncs with your calendar. Again the free platform is great.
Business Insurance:
Public liability insurance is something every wedding content creator should have in place before they shoot a single wedding. Costs vary but you are typically looking at somewhere between £100 and £200 per year for a solid policy.
When you look at all of these costs together, a realistic monthly overhead for a properly set up wedding content creator business sits somewhere between £150 and £300 per month before you have even considered your own time or any marketing spend.
That is not a reason to panic. It is a reason to price properly. Every package you offer needs to cover these costs and then pay you a salary on top of them. If you have been wondering why your income feels smaller than your booking calendar suggests it should be, this is often where the answer lives.
*Costs at the time of publishing - these may vary.