Do Videographers really make a difference?

We hired a videographer and it was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding, I’ve said if 938 times on here and I’ll say it again. Photos are great, but they will never be able to depict the sound of the music while you walk down the aisle, the voice of your new spouse reading you their vows, or the laughs of all of your loved ones in the same room, possibly for the only time ever. I’d be lying if I said that I watched our video frequently, but we have watched it a few times. It’s been great to share with loved ones who couldn’t make it and we can’t wait to share it with our children one day. I used to LOVE watching my parents wedding video.


Our videographer didn’t do anything outside of the video, I’m not sure what you’re asking there. When looking for a company, the things we focused on were their packages and their personalities. We wanted someone that we felt like we could be friends with. You do spend your entire wedding with them after all.

View Quoted Comment YES YES YES!! Everything Caytlyn said! Not only are we having videography, we are actually prioritizing it over photography. We will have our videographer from getting ready, to the last guest leaving! Not only does it provide all the benefits Caytlyn mentioned, but our videographer said we can also pull still photos from the video! So we can extract photos of moments that the videographer captures and the photographer doesn’t.

So we are actually not even doing a photographer. We are doing a cinematographer instead. We have heard so many stories about very good well-known photographers taking great pictures, however the couple never gets the pictures that they want etc. like for example a family friends daughter got married and she didn’t get one picture with her mother and they spent a lot on this photographer from what her mother said.


We don’t have to worry about problems like that because video footage is video footage. Our cinematographer makes a highlight film for us about five minutes long, and also gives us 1 to 2 hours of raw footage of our wedding day.
We also care a lot more about capturing the day versus capturing images. We want to watch our vow being exchanged again and again. We want to watch our first dance again and again. I also always hate the way I look in pictures.We also figured we can take stills of the video footage to make photos if we like the way we look in some of them.
We decided to go with the cinematographer specifically because their style is more contemporary with bold colors, darker undertones, and rich highlights. They shoot in HD and the look is similar to a movie trailer.

FH and I are against videographers and didn't want one, but we got an amazing deal (like 50% off amazing)!

I've heard from both sides. We've had friends that had one and loved it, and others that said they regretted it and wish they saved that money or put it towards something else. I feel that if you know you're going to get your money's worth and watch it over and over, then it's worth it. Plus, if you plan on having children, it would be a cute thing to show them! Again, if we didn't find our videographer when we did, we wouldn't be having one lol. We just can't justify spending over $1k for a video we'll watch maybe once a year, BUT ours is $500 after the generous discount we got lol.

It really depends on what you want from your videographer. Usually they'll have their packages on their website, or you reach out to them and they'll send you their information. Some include the raw footage with every package, others only include it with a more expensive package. Same goes with video length, it all depends on what that videographer has their packages set at and how they're set up. What mattered to me when I was looking and comparing, were the packages and their personalities, like Caytlyn mentioned, we wanted someone that we felt comfortable with, and who would work well with us and our guests! Our videographer just happens to be someone local that I know through mutual friends! His packages weren't outrages prices, and like I said, he was nice enough to give us a very generous discount! He'll be there for about 8 hours and will capture all of our major moments. He asked us what we def. wanted him to tape, and things we could skip (like getting ready...we don't care about that lol). He'll have a second shooter (his wife, how cute?!), will provide a clip on mic for the ceremony, and some other stuff.

We initially weren't going to hire a videographer, but since we postponed due to COVID, we decided that we actually wanted to book one! So we spent 2 months watching tons of different videos from tons of different videographers and narrowed down which video styles we liked best. We also decided that we wanted both a long and a short video, so we filtered through options based on the packages they offered. We're now super excited to see how our video turns out!


Consider the following before booking a videographer:

-what do you want included in a videography package (How many films? Raw footage? Drone coverage? Two videographers? Etc)?

-are you looking for more of a creative edit, or a documentary style, etc?

-what length of film do you want (social media teaser, 5-7 minute highlight film, hour long film, etc)?

-what is your budget?

-how many hours will you need them for?

Use that information to help filter through videographers in your area, and then setup meetings with 2-3 of your top choices to see if they'd be a good fit!

We didn't have one. They are crazy expensive in our area and I couldn't justify the thousands of dollars. We would never really watch it anyway, not enough to justify. My cousin actually recorded our ceremony on his iPhone, and aside from when he sent it, we never even watched that again.

View Quoted Comment Yes! Absolutely all of these things to consider in this list. This post right here was basically my experience with what us out there when looking for videographers and things they offer. the standard of what you should be looking for when you get a videographer should have things like Drone, highlight film, music, any extras they may offer like Instagram teasers, and most importantly RAW FOOTAGE! I personally would suggest opting out if they don’t offer raw footage and only offer just a highlight video.

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I am asking if you like met them before the wedding, if they helped you plan your timeline or anything? Did they make the whole experience more special, or just show up, video you, then bounce until they give you the photo? Do videographers do sneak peaks of any sort like photographers?

We are not having a videographer, I personally don’t see the point.

View Quoted Comment Our videographer will be working with our photographer to coordinate schedules in order to maximize time for both of them. He said he could be as hands on or hands off with the timeline as we would like. We plan to just give him our wedding timeline, and he and the photographer will work out their plan of attack from it. I don’t think most videographers do any sort of sneak peek, because editing film takes MUCH longer and is much more involved than editing a photo. Most videographers now offer a short 2-3 min highlight video in their packages, and some will complete it first so the couple has something to share with their friends and family shortly after the wedding. Then, the full length video (anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the photographer) and raw footage would be delivered later. If getting something return to you quickly is important, I would ask the videographers you speak to you what their process is and how long it typically takes to receive your highlight video

View Quoted Comment We met with our videographer to go over our timeline, but we pretty much came up with it on our own with a little help from our DOC. I think that asking for help with that from our videographer and/or photographer would have been too many hands in the pot. We loved our videographers and they kept us smiling and laughing the entire day, but our expectations of them were the same as our photographers. Are your photographers making the day more special for you?


Our videographer didn’t give us a sneak peak, but our package included a highlight film that was a few minutes long, like you usually see on social media, and a documentary edit. We got the highlight film within a couple of weeks and the documentary edit a month or so later.

It honestly depends on your budget. We are opting to not have a videographer because it’s extra expense that we can’t afford. But, friends will be encouraged to take videos throughout the day/evening and we are excited to see those... but probably won’t get a lot.


I also have married friends that said they watched the video once. 🤷🏽‍♀️For me- it won’t be worth it. I’d probably just watch them once.

Yes, get a videographer! I had a friend who was about to opt out of one for her wedding, but she compromised with her husband to just do a 5-8 minute reel instead of getting the whole thing. She was so glad that she decided to go even with just that option because it made it extra special. While photos are nice to look back at there is something more special when you see bits and pieces of your wedding through videos I will also be going for the video reel option for my wedding.

I wanted video more than photo haha. because i actually watch my video since it's like 3 minutes compared to looking at my hundreds of photos

So we initially decided to only have a photographer for our July 2021 elopement. We finished paying her off and began sitting with the thought that we NEED a videographer... especially since it’s just us two eloping with our dog on the beach. This week, I finished contacting all possible videographers / cinematographers that we may be interested in. We’re made sure to contact local, small businesses (we love supporting our local Portland community) to help them grow!


As for what we’re looking to get from our videographer: short 2-4 minute highlight film; social media sneak peek, drone footage, and lots of memories that can be relived.

We are not having a videographer. This is our second marriage and I never watched my video from the first one so I personally don’t think it’s worth it in my opinion. We’re using the $2300 to offer an open bar for our guests instead.

At the end of the day it's a personal decision. We opted not to have a professional videographer (not due to budget constraints, but because we simply didn't feel the need for one). We had an amazing photographer and felt that was enough. No regrets!

We weren’t going to hire a videographer, but then I realized that I wouldn’t get to see the processional....EVER! I wouldn’t actually get to see my own wedding that I planned so hard, because I would be the last one down the aisle 🤦🏻‍♀️ So, I hired a videographer solely for the ceremony, but he gave us a good price for 3 hrs & we decided to go for it. He will provide a highlight reel (great for sharing on social media if you do that kind of thing) and raw footage of the whole thing. I’m far more excited about the video than the pictures (but I hate taking pics 🤷🏻‍♀️)

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All of this!!!! We absolutely love our wedding videos and hiring videographers was the BEST decision we made, for all of the reasons listed above plus some. They are worth every single penny.

I chose to have a videographer because My grandma can't travel from California to Massachusetts. Due to medical reasons. I promised her I'd send her a copy of the video.