Should We Hire a Videographer for Our Wedding?

So, you’re planning your wedding and you’re wondering “should we hire a videographer or just a photographer to capture our big day?”

To give you a frame of reference, we’ve photographed around 200 weddings over the years and I’d estimate that approximately 30-40 of those couples had a videographer.

You certainly don’t need a videographer, but the question is how much do you value motion pictures vs. still photographs? Decide what’s important to you as a couple and budget accordingly.

Here are a few things to consider when you’re deciding if you should hire a videographer for your wedding.

HOW WILL YOU USE YOUR PHOTOS AND VIDEO?

When deciding what to add or cut from your wedding budget, sit down and think about how you see yourself experiencing your wedding photos and video after the wedding.

When it comes to photographs, will you be hanging large prints on the wall and showing friends and family members an album of all of your wedding photos? Will you be posting your video online and holding screenings for friends and family when they visit? Or saving it for just the two of you when future anniversaries roll around? Ask yourself how much joy each of these activities will bring you and think about how much that’s worth to you.

There are no right or wrong answers here and only you and your to-be can decide for yourselves.

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND VIDEOGRAPHERS NEED TO WORK TOGETHER.

More so than any other vendors, your photographers and your videographers will be working hand-in-hand throughout your entire wedding day. This means that their shooting styles and personalities need to mesh or problems could potentially arise.

If you decide you want to have both photo and video at your weddings, here’s what we recommend you do to make sure your photographer and your videographer are compatible:

Sit down and decide which one is more important to you: photo or video. If it’s photo, hire a photographer first and ask this person if they can recommend a good videographer who they enjoy working with. And vice versa. This way, you’ll ensure you have a cohesive team capturing your wedding day.

Contact us directly for a list of wedding videographers we love working with.  

ALL-INCLUSIVE COMPANIES

Finally, I should mention that there are plenty of companies out their that offer both photo and video. The benefits of these companies are that 1) they’re cheaper and 2) you know they’ll work well together.

The potential pitfall of these companies is that many of them tend to be jacks of all trades, masters of none. It’s kind of like going to your doctor’s office and getting your annual physical plus having a wisdom tooth removed. It doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence. This doesn’t apply to every photo/video team, of course, but if you have the budget for it, it’s typically better bet to hire a specialist than someone who dabbles in various mediums.

So, should we hire a videographer or not?!

Bottom line, it depends on your priorities and your budget. If video is super important to you, make sure you hire a videographer whose work you love. Then use the funds you have left over on a photographer who fits your budget. If video doesn’t interest you, feel free to hire someone cheap. Or skip it altogether. Every couple is different and there are no right or wrong answers.