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

Selecting a wedding videographer can be exhilarating yet overwhelming. It’s like stepping into a world filled with laughter, tears, and heartwarming moments captured in motion. But when all wedding films start to blend into one, and life’s other priorities take over, it’s easy to hit to pause and refocus on any one of the million other things happening in your life.

If you’re nodding along, then this guide is tailored for you. We’re diving into the critical questions you need to ponder before diving into the deep end of videography planning – saving you time and ensuring a fun, focused experience.

1. 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.

If you’re planning for this year (2024), the time to book is now – seriously, right now. For those looking ahead to 2025, and viewing videography as a top-tier priority, an 18-month lead time is prudent. Remember, the closer you get to your date, the slimmer the pickings become.

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

If your wedding is THIS YEAR (2024) and you want a wedding video

You should be booking your videography team ASAP.

Most vendors are already booked for 2024 so if you haven’t been thinking ahead, I am so sorry to tell you that you’re already behind the ball on this. But that’s REALLY good to know because you don’t want to be the couple scrambling for a videographer 2 months before your wedding. 

If your wedding is more than 12 months away

Couples who consider their wedding video to be a top priority believe it’s critical to book the RIGHT videographer. Booking 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 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. 

2. 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.)

3. 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—which gives you national averages and includes $0 gifted services which brings those averages way down), expect to budget a significant amount for quality videography.

Ultimately your budget 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 or studying film in college who’s trying to make a little extra money. If you don’t value video, that’s probably just fine with you—but know that it will impact your photographer and wedding planner quite a bit so do ask their opinions.

For the Cape Cod region – think $6,000+ for good videographer.

4. 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 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!