For today’s Ask SW post, I’m tackling a very common question about a wedding vendor many couples are on the fence about: videographers. I think blanket suggestions about what to include or exclude from your wedding (or wedding budget) are silly, because we all have different priorities, so instead, I wanted to share some insight from our past couples and a few suggestions depending on which way you’re leaning.
It’s only fair to get my bias out of the way first. We had a videographer, and we made major cuts elsewhere in our budget to fit them in (you can read more specifics here). Three years later, we are still VERY pleased with this decision. I watch the highlights film whenever I want a pick-me-up, and we always cuddle up on the couch and watch our 45-minute long-form film as part of our anniversary celebrations. Besides the fact that I am already looking forward to sharing these with our kids some day, I think my favorite thing about our video is that it includes all of our loved ones in living, breathing, moving color. Everyone looks SO (SO, SO) happy. I know they won’t be around forever, and being able to have this record of them is precious to me.
However, had I not been able to make enough cuts elsewhere to afford a videographer I was thrilled to hire, I would likely not have hired anyone at all. Personally, I feel like there is a big gap between “bad video” and “good video,” instead of a gentle gradient of talent. Had I not been able to hire my preferred video team, my plan would have been to collect as many GoPro cameras as possible (we have one and they take amazing footage!), handed them out to my most trustworthy, observant, and artistic friends, and created our own film after the fact. I’m not alone in this, apparently! One of our past featured couples, Erin and Joe, did exactly this: “We purchased a GoPro camera for guests to use to videotape the ceremony and reception instead of paying for a videographer. We were able to save money, and the GoPro provided more personal candid shots of the wedding, which was what we wanted.”
While it’s incredibly easy to find couples who were thrilled with their decision to hire a videographer (yay!), it can be a bit harder to find couples who were happy with their decision to NOT hire – and it does seem more common to find ones who wished they had. I was glad to find this perspective from one of our Southern Bride Bloggers, Jewel: “While planning my wedding, I read a couple things about people really regretting their decision to not hire a wedding videographer. Ben’s and my budget, however, didn’t allow us that luxury. And this made me sad. So I prepared myself for the regret and the disappointment in the months following our wedding, when I’d kick myself over and over again for not biting the bullet and doing it. Well, we’ve been married for eight months now, and happily, I haven’t even thought about having a wedding video until now, as I’m writing this blog post. In the past eight months, I have never said, “Oh, I wish I could watch a video of my wedding.”
So there you have it, belles! A few different perspectives on the tricky question of whether or not you should hire a videographer for your wedding. I’d love to hear: did you or did you not hire one? Are you happy with your decision? Have any budget-trimming tips for those who’d like a little more wiggle room? Do share!
We’re sharing a quick and simple piece of wedding planning advice based on our most frequently asked questions every so often! Feel free to email us with your own question, or pick up a copy of the Southern Weddings Planner for all of our best resources in one place!
Every year on our anniversary at 5:00 (the time of our ceremony), we have a bottle of champagne and view our wedding. It is a wonderful way to start our anniversary celebration and relive that special day. As we’ve been married 27 years, we also get to see friends and family no longer with us. We haven’t looked at our pictures in years, but the video gets an annual showing.
What an amazing tradition, Alice! I love that!!
Well, obviously as a cinematographer, I am slightly biased. :) But YES!! We tell sweet couples all the time, PLEASE hire someone talented to capture your wedding – you don’t want just a video of your day, you want a film handcrafted with love and the long-term in mind!! We want our brides and grooms to be cuddling up on the couch and pressing play twenty, thirty, sixty years from now!! The greatest gift we could give to anyone making such an incredible commitment of love and determination is a gorgeous, love-filled film that truly captures the joy they shared while making it. :)
Although we did not originally budget for a videographer, we ended up hiring one for our upcoming wedding in October and I am so happy that we did. We actually really lucked out with ours, he was a friend of my sister’s from college and he ended up introducing us to our photographer. They are both so wonderful and they work together often so we knew it would be a great fit for everyone. When I talk with my married friends, the majority of them say that if they could go back and change one thing they would have hired a videographer to capture their day. I love that we will have a video to look back on to remember what a special day we shared with all the ones we love most!
Great article Emily, I honestly wish I would have read the GoPro comment three months earlier for our wedding!
I was the same as you, I only wanted a certain level of professionalism and unfortunately it was thousands of dollars over what we could budget. I sadly had to see a videographer as a add-on after we booked a wildly talented (and expensive) photographer.
But you know I would rather have amazing photographs with no video than average photographs with an average video.
One bonus to other brides who had to make this cut and were sad about it. Not having videographers & technology all around on my special day helped lessen my stress. If I was being filmed the whole time, I would have had extra pressure to make every moment camera-worthy.
We did not hire a videographer because it was not in our budget & I wanted to invest in a great photographer (which we did & were so happy with!) While I don’t regret not having a videographer to capture the entire day, I do regret not having someone at least record our ceremony. My advice if you are not hiring a videographer is at least having someone record the ceremony. Most likely a friend or acquaintance could do this or if you need to hire someone I aniticipate it wouldn’t be a huge expense.
Our wedding budget did not have room for my dream videographer, so we decided to skip it completely. Then, about a month beforehand, on a whim I asked a talented and creative friend to take some video for us, not expecting much at all. He did an incredible job, went above and beyond, and the video is something my husband and I truly cherish. It’s not what I thought I wanted, but it’s perfect for so many reasons! We especially enjoy having the footage since the photos from our dream photographer came up a little short of expectations. My advice? Don’t be afraid to get creative or ask a friend for help when the budget comes up short. You never know – you could love the end result!