When Is It Worth It
Given the choice, most of us would relive our wedding days over and over again, and hiring a professional videographer to capture the entire day is our chance at doing just that.
Its worth it to hire a videographer if you have room in your budget and youre interested in seeing your wedding as your guests did especially if you missed a lot of moments while you were in another area taking photographs. Just dont forget to tip your videographer for a job well done!
Tip : Keep Your Packages Simple
If you are offering packages, dont offer too much within them. Make sure that your clients have upgrades available, because this increases your earning potential. When I coach other videographers on their pricing and packages most of them tend to give away too much. So many videographers offer ceremony in full and speeches in full edits as part of their base package. These should always be an additional product, because these are both one of the easiest edits to make the most out of an up-sell.
How Much Does A Wedding Videographer Cost In 2021
With months of preparation and excitement leading up to your wedding, youre ultimately only able to live it once. Thankfully, you can hire a photographer and videographer to capture almost every moment, large or small, of your wedding. These professionals can also package it neatly so you can look back on the footage and enjoy it for years to come.
Hiring a photographer for your wedding day is likely a given, but you might be wondering about the cost to hire a videographer and if its worth the extra expense.
To find out the specifics of videography costs, we turned to Lauren Grech, the CEO & co-founder of LLG Events, a New York City-based international event management and design firm, and an adjunct professor for New York Universitys event management program.
Read on to discover what you can expect to pay for a videographer to film your big day and the kinds of services that are included in a basic videography package.
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Be Sure To Charge Enough For Weddings
The average wedding will be at least 12 hours of filming plus an additional 10 to 40 hours of editing to ensure the finished project is top-notch. So, youll likely need to charge enough to make up for a full work-week in terms of hours. Most wedding clients spend between $2,500 and $3900 for their projects according to Wedding Wire. So be sure to charge based on market value.
What Questions Should I Ask A Wedding Videographer Before Hiring
Its important to find a videographer whose work you love and who is within budget, as well as a professional whom you feel comfortable with. Youre going to be spending a lot of time with your videographer, so he or she should have a personality you love! Here are a few questions that are important to ask a wedding videographer before hiring:
- How would you describe your videography style?
- Can I choose music for my wedding films?
- Have you worked with my photographer before?
- How many weddings have you filmed? How many weddings will you film this year?
- When will I receive my finished, edited wedding video?
- Have you shot at my venue before?
- Can you describe your editing process? Do I get any input into the final product?
- Can you share your wedding packages list and wedding video cost?
- Can I see a finished wedding video that you created for another couple?
- Do you typically bring a second shooter or assistant to weddings?
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How Can I Save Money On My Wedding Videographer
We highly recommend hiring an experienced wedding videographer for your wedding and yes, that does cost money. However, there are ways to save some cash without sacrificing having an awesome wedding video:
- Cut the time: As mentioned, the more time your wedding videographer is filming at your wedding, the more youll pay. To save money, you can have your videographer skip the pre-wedding getting ready process, or leave halfway through your reception. A four-hour videography package will certainly cost less than a 12-hour one. Some videographers can shoot your ceremony only if you prefer. You can adjust your wedding timeline to make sure your videographer doesnt miss the important moments like special dances or toasts.
- Dont ask for extras: Extras like drone footage or Super 8 film will add to your wedding videographers prices. Keep your wedding video simple, with minimal effects to keep costs downand dont go overboard making revisions to the final product.
- Ask for raw footage: The editing process tends to be the most time-consumingand therefore, the costliest. Your videographer may be willing to film your wedding and simply give you the raw footage rather than editing it into a final wedding film or highlights reel. You may choose to have this footage edited later on, or not.
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Clients Arent Paying Just For Footage
Its very wrong to believe that the cost of wedding videography covers only shooting and post-production work.
When determining how much does a wedding video cost in 2020, you also have to factor in the experience and the reputation of the videographer.
Creating a wedding video is a highly artistic process. Each videographer has their style and vision. In addition, they carry the huge responsibility of capturing all of the special moments in the most attractive way.
Clients are paying for the experience and the vision of the videographer.
This is the main reason why working with a more experienced wedding videographer tends to cost more than hiring a newbie for the job.
Videographers who have a well-established clientele and who have been around for years reduce the risk linked to the shooting itself. Hence, clients are paying for a risk-free experience and an outcome that meets all of their requirements.
Theres a skillset linked to putting together a wedding video. This skillset develops over time. Thus, clients who want the best and most experienced professional should be prepared to spend a larger sum of money.
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What You Should Look For In A Good Videographer
Like your photographer, you want to look at your videographer and make a connection with them. After all, theyre going to be filming you throughout the day so the last thing you want to feel is uncomfortable!
Most couples like having a videographer who will blend into the background and film them in a natural way that makes them feel more comfortable, rather than having them pose all the time. So if youre not used to being on camera this is a good option for you!
Unobtrusive and non-distracting videographers who have an easy booking and confirmation process are the preferred suppliers of couples who have planned their weddings before. They also love it when their videographer can work with their venue to get shots of the ceremony or reception setup, or even drone shots across the venue .
Where couples feel like their videographers could improve comes down to the time in having the final product returned. They were also less than impressed when important moments such as the speeches or first dance were missed, or when they focused too much on the couple and not the atmosphere of family and friends as well.
A good way to get around this is to make sure that your videographer has a timeline of how the day is going to run and what time speeches or dances etc are going to be happening. If you stray from the timeline, make sure your MC or venue manager knows to keep the videographer in the loop so they know when those important moments are now going to be happening.
Tip : Have Your Prices Ready In Brochures Available Upon Request
Instead of having the pricing on your website, put together Investment brochures which can be sent out on enquiry. I recommend you have a few different options. For instance, I have different brochures for clients getting married in the UK, in continental Europe and for further afield. If the client has more complicated requirements, if the wedding is over several days of events or, if a planner approaches me, I then put together a tailored brochure with a bespoke quote.
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In This Free Guide You Will Learn:
- How much should beginning wedding videographers charge?
- Should I charge per hour for wedding videography?
- Should the size of the wedding be reflected in the price I charge?
- Should my location and local competition affect what I charge for wedding videography?
- How should I price destination wedding videography?
- Should I have packages or à la carte pricing?
- Should I post my weddingvideography prices on my website?
- How to make more money with up-selling
- Know your niche offer and your client avatar
Seriously What Should I Charge To Video A Wedding
I didnt charge for my very first wedding video. I did it for free. There Ive said it. Do I regret this? No, not really. It was for my cousin, I did it as a gift. I wasnt a professional videographer at that time, but I had been looking into that possibility.
In the months previous, I had built up a little bit of experience filming and editing a few local parties. The stakes were low and I learned a ton.
The key phrase there is that the stakes were low. In other words, the couple in my first wedding video did not have any expectations set for me. They didnt have anything to lose, and neither did I.
It all worked out very well.
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Tip : Remember To Charge For Travel Days
When charging for destination weddings you should either offer packages which include the travel days before and after the wedding day or stick to your regular pricing and add on the fee for the travel days and the cost of travel and accommodation.
On a quick side note, dont ever consider back-to-back weddings in different countriesthis can only lead to disaster. Always plan your trip to allow for a day in location before the actual wedding day.
Wrapping Up On How Much To Charge For A Wedding Video
I think you should definitely charge an amount that is enough to cover your costs and a little bit of profit to re-invest in training or equipment. Experience has shown that many clients simply dont attach value to free work. Charge what you feel you are worth!
On a slightly random note, if you need a little help or inspiration, you might find our post about creating a tagline or slogan for your wedding business useful.
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Invest In Yourself And Your Business
Videographers tell me that what keeps them awake at night is knowing how best to invest so they can earn more money and work less.
Lets face itbuying new kit is not going to make you a better filmmaker. No matter how you try to justify this outlay on a camera or a lens, that investment alone isnt going to improve your filmmaking, editing or storytelling skills. Constantly buying new gear leaves a dent in your profits, so unless youre in this to just buy all the latest shiny new camera equipment, then there are much better ways to invest in your business.
Start by investing in yourself.
Developing your core videography skills to improve what youre offering to clients, but also work on your business skills. Working on your business means everything from branding and marketing, nailing your pricing, and getting the right exposure. And it also means working on your mindset and knowing your own worth.
What Affects The Cost Of Wedding Videography
Factors that affect the cost of a wedding videographer include their level of experience, the amount of time your videographer spends at the wedding, the number of videographers or assistants required, their travel expenses, the kind of final product youd like to receive, and any extras you may want.
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Should I Have Packages Or La Carte Pricing
This is completely up to you. Some people think that offering a wedding videography package is easier for clients to understand, but others think that having an à la carte option is the better solution.
A good reason to offer packages is that you and the client both know, from the outset, what youre offering. Couples will know exactly what theyre getting for their money. Offering an à la carte services means having a base rate for a basic film option, and allows you to make money from add-ons, either chosen during the booking process or later on.
I personally use a hybrid approach. I have a brochure of three different packages which I send to clients that come through my standard enquiry contact form, and the brochure includes optional upgrades to these packages. Some of these upgrades need to be booked before the wedding day, and some of them are more up-sells to make after the wedding has taken place.
However, if a wedding planner comes to me with an enquiry, I base my commission fee on a bespoke quote depending on the clients requirements and taking into consideration factors like over how many days would I be filming, the location, the number of guests and, of course, the clients budget.
I also have different brochures for UK weddings, weddings in continental Europe, and weddings further afield. The currency aligns with where the client is getting married.
What Clients An Expect In Each Price Range
Weve already touched upon the importance of communication and setting clear boundaries / expectations in advance.
To make things a bit easier to understand, however, lets examine what a client could anticipate in 2020 out of each package.
Whenever a wedding videography package costs less than 1,000 pounds, the client would be getting the bare essentials. Usually, the package involves the use of one camera and the attendance of one videographer. That professional will capture three to four hours of footage and a short clip.
A wedding videography package costing less than 1,000 pounds can also be provided by a relatively inexperienced videographer.
The packages that fall in the 1,000 to 2,000-pound range are the average. They usually give the couples all of the essentials without extras.
Such packages provide for hiring a videographer over the course of the entire wedding day, post-production, a full wedding video and a teaser or a highlight video that can be shared over social media. There will also be some flexibility in terms of formats that will be unavailable with less expensive packages.
Going over 2,000 pounds will give the clients all of the essentials mentioned so far and a couple of extras.
These extras could include drone footage, access to the raw video files, the attendance of a second videographer, a combined photography and videography package or HD / Blu-Ray footage.
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