What you need to know before you book a wedding videographer (for 2024 & 2025)

Choosing a Wedding Videographer: What You Need to Know

Checking out wedding videos can be a lot fun. If you’re someone who loves wedding films for the sheer pleasure of it, you know that binge-watching them can bring a world of laughter, tears, and heartwarming moments captured in motion. You get to know and feel for people you’ve never met and never will. Every watch is a heartwarming adventure.

But when it comes to researching for YOUR wedding, things can become overwhelming. Pleasure-watching films becomes a thing of the past. Wedding films start to blend into one another, and studios you loved previously and knew you’d remember become distant memories that you can’t seem to find again.

If you’re nodding along, then this article is tailored for you. I’m going over the critical questions you need to think about before diving into the deep end of videography planning. My goal today is to save you time, make watching videos fun again, and keep you from pulling out your beautiful hair.

How Soon Should I Book A Wedding Videographer?

The ideal time to book hinges on two factors: your wedding date and how crucial videography is to you.

For prime dates like September Saturdays in New England, the early bird catches the worm.

I can’t say this enough: the second and third weekends of September 2024 are not going to be available to book in June 2024.

For the northeast coast, the most popular dates for this region are Saturdays in September, followed by August, June, and October.

If you’re doing some last minute planning for 2024 the time to book is now, seriously, right now.

If your wedding is 12 months away, couples who consider their wedding video to be a top priority believe it’s critical to book the RIGHT videographer. Booking 12-18 months in advance is recommended when you want to lock in that special crew.

So, if you’re a 2025 couple and you want to enjoy this time being engaged or you’re a busy law/med student and you know that year is going to be really intense between school and wedding planning—it’s time to start getting serious about who you want to film your wedding.

The Experience Matters as Much as the Product

Are you camera shy, like you might not be yourself, or feel like you’ll be overwhelmed in front of a bunch of cameras throughout the day?

Just like your photographer, you’re going to be with this team all day. How do you want them to make you feel? That’s going to be just as important to consider as what you want your film to look like.

You want a videographer that films your memories but doesn’t necessarily become a memorable part of your wedding day. You do want to love your team and have fun with them. You don’t want to remember your day for the wrong reasons. (ie, Because your videographer got stuck on the Sagamore and missed your ceremony or they gave you a weird vibe.)

Understanding Different Types of Videography Studios

Unless you’re in the wedding industry or close to someone who has planned a wedding within the last decade or so, you probably aren’t super aware of the different types of studios and why that is so very important to your experience.

Boutique Studios:

Boutique Studios:
Boutique studios are owner-operated and can be local or travel worldwide. They typically charge a premium for their services because their time is their company’s “inventory,” which is very finite. These studios take on a select number of weddings each year to ensure they provide the best possible experience.

They understand how important this once-in-a-lifetime event is and treat your wedding as if it were their own. Every detail, from the initial consultation to the final edit, is handled personally by the owner or a small, dedicated team, ensuring a deeply personalized and intimate experience.

If you value a close, collaborative relationship and a bespoke approach, a boutique studio is the best fit.

Regional/National/Worldwide Studios:

These studios operate on a larger scale, whether within a specific region, across the country, or internationally. They often book multiple weddings on the same day and rely heavily on freelancers and staff who handle different aspects of the wedding.

Your wedding may be assigned to various departments: project management, videographers, editors, and colorists. While this approach allows them to handle a higher volume of weddings and can offer lower prices due to economies of scale, it can sometimes feel less personalized.

However, they are well-suited for couples looking for affordability and last minute bookings. With that said, the more popular your wedding date is and the closer you are to booking that date—the harder it will be for THAT studio to find a freelancer.

Collective Studios:

Collective studios consist of a group of trusted, independent videographers who have come together under one brand. They share similar styles and standards, ensuring a consistent level of quality across all their work. When you hire a collective studio, you are guaranteed a certain standard, but the specific videographer you work with may vary.

This model combines the reliability of a larger operation with the personal touch of individual artisans. Collectives often have the flexibility to handle a variety of wedding sizes and styles, offering a balance between personalized service and broad expertise.

Choosing the Right Studio for Your Wedding

Understanding these differences is crucial in choosing the right videography studio for your wedding.

If you value a deeply personalized, intimate, and owner-operated experience, a boutique studio might be the best fit. If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option or need extensive resources, regional, national, or worldwide studios might be suitable. A collective studio can offer a middle ground, providing trusted quality with a personal touch.

By knowing what each type of studio offers, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your priorities and expectations for your big day.

Set the Right Budget for your Wedding Videography

Expect a high-quality videographer to cost the same as your photographer

Contrary to popular, generalized advice (looking at you, The Knot—who lowballs the average price giving couples heart attacks every year), expect to budget a significant amount for highend videography. Equal or greater to what you allocated to your photography.

Videographers and photographers will be about the same amount because the same amount of work goes into each service (actually, much more goes into video but for the sake of this article we’ll call them even).

People struggle with understanding how video could even be close to equal. Which is bananas.

Real life analogy: go edit a TikTok or a Reel and compare it to long it takes you to put together a carousel—come back and tell me which one was fun and which one made you want to quit using technology forever and live off the grid gathering nuts and berries for sustenance. Video is a deep and dedicated labor of love.

Ultimately the budget you set for video ties in to how high of a priority is a wedding video to you.

If it’s high and your memories are vitally important, allocate a healthy budget to video along the same lines as your photography budget.

If it’s not as high of a priority, and you only want to budget a couple thousand or less—you can absolutely find that. There is always a trade off.

Lower range prices are where you’ll be discovering those who are just starting out as a wedding videographer, studying film in college who’s trying to make a little extra money, or are filming in volume. 

If you don’t value video, that’s probably just fine with you—but know that it will impact your high end photographer and wedding planner quite a bit so do ask their opinions.

For the Cape Cod region – think $7,500+ for a quality videographer/cinematographer.

Know you wedding video style

Match your personality to a visual style

As you immersed yourself in wedding films, certain styles resonated more than others. This connection is key. The visual style should echo your personality, ensuring that when you watch your film, it feels authentically ‘you.’ Whether it’s a light and airy feel or a more dramatic tone, your chosen videographer should be able to align with your vision.

This is your foundation for booking a wedding videographer

Armed with these insights, you’re now equipped to embark on your videographer hunting journey. Understanding your priorities, budget, style, and the importance of timing will pave the way for a smoother, more enjoyable experience. And remember, the sooner you start, the better your chances of securing the videographer who will turn your wedding memories into a cinematic masterpiece.

By the way, we’re available to film fabulous weddings throughout the entire east coast

If you’re looking for a videographer and love our work, we’d be thrilled to talk with you. Check out our main site and drop us a line to start the conversation!