Your wedding day is approaching and you’ve made the decision to hire a wedding videographer to preserve your memories in the best way possible! Chances are there won’t be as many wedding videographers in your area as photographers which means a smaller pool of talent to choose from. Here are a few recommendations to ensure you don’t get ripped off and end up with a wedding film that tells your love story in the best way possible.

Be wary of the middle men!!!

I recently saw a Facebook post where a bride had hired a company to do photos and video for $1,800 total. She thought she had done her homework… the examples on the website were stunning, they had claims such as “America’s Leading Photo/Video Team and over 2000 weddings shot and edited. What could go wrong???

After a bit of research she discovered that she hadn’t directly hired her photographer and videographer but instead hired a third party company that would provide those services. The company charged $1,800 and then sub contracted a photographer and videographer at lower rates so that they can pocket the difference.

In her Facebook post she expressed her discontent that many of the photos from her wedding were missing or lost, she had not received a final wedding film yet, and overall she was extremely disappointed with what she had received.

Unknowingly to the bride she had hired a photographer and videographer that were willing to work an 8 hour day and edit all of their content for a few hundred dollars each. More than likely these vendors were not full time and were likely still learning their craft. They lacked the professionalism of a vendor who does wedding photography or videography full time. They didn’t properly store the files when they got home and ended up losing some of the data. At the end of the day they likely weren’t invested in the couple or their craft.

Be sure when talking with potential vendors that whoever you are talking to is going to be the person who is filming your wedding. There are plenty of companies that offer wild claims but in reality they do not care about you and will send the cheapest photographer and videographer to your wedding to capture your day, not what you thought you were paying for.

Be sure to look at full examples

Of course when choosing a videographer you are going to look at examples of their work, who wouldn’t. You might be amazed at the clips posted on their Instagram account or even work that they shared with you through messaging apps. What you need to know is that they have experience shooting full weddings.

What I mean by that is it is very common practice with wedding photographers and videographers to have styled shoots. A styled shoot is where they bring in gorgeous models, have florists pitch in with their best arrangements and secure an amazing venue. The photographers and videographers are styling the couple taking all of the time they need to get the most gorgeous shots ever. The goal of a styled shoot is to have amazing portfolio pieces.

This work posted to IG or their website is not a true representation of what their work will look when they are under pressure the day of the wedding, working with whatever lighting conditions they have. Be sure to see full albums for photographers and entire wedding films from your wedding videographer.

Make sure you vibe with your videographer

Seems kind of obvious but take the extra time to meet in person or at a minimum have a Zoom chat with your videographer before hiring them. A wedding day has so many moving parts and the last thing you want to do is meet your videographer for the first time the day of. Imagine trying to feel comfortable with someone sticking a camera in your face and they are essentially a complete stranger.

Personally I try to meet all of my clients in person when possible a few times before their wedding day. I want to establish a friendship where they feel comfortable and know that I have their best interest in mind the entire day.

This point also refers to my 1st point about avoiding the middle man. You want to meet directly with your wedding videographer before putting down your deposit and signing your contract!

Avoid hiring friends when possible

I have to say it, don’t hire your friends when possible. I get it you want to give your money to friends and I do too but there are certain situations where it can be a bad idea. If your friend is a super experienced professional things will likely work out but if they are a hobbyist I promise you will be better served by a professional.

A professional wedding videographer works anywhere from 10-40 weddings per year. We understand all of the in’s and outs, we know where to be at the right time and I’m also there to ensure you have a great day.

The first couple of weddings I shot were for friends. At the time I was pretty experienced with my cameras but I literally had zero idea of where to be to get the best shots. I didn’t invest in backup audio solutions and may or may not have lost audio (whoops) of the ceremony and to be honest when the couple was stressing I was stressing with them. I’ve come a long way from those weddings and now understand all of the little nuances and have backup audio sources and backup camera angles so I don’t miss a thing!

If having a quality wedding film is a priority to you then I definitely recommend hiring a professional and letting your friend know you would rather have them as a guest.

Do your research

When it comes to finding a wedding videographer I have some good news, there aren’t as many videographers as photographers in this world 😂.

Take your time to find someone whose work really connects with you and you think can tell your story. Pay attention to the colors in the film, the audio and of course the way they share the story of your day. The first time you watch your film back you are going to LOVE IT. What’s important is that the 10th or even 100th time you still love everything about it.

Dig deeper and look for reviews about that videographer on Google, Yelp, Wedding Knot or even their Facebook page. The great thing about online reviews is they don’t lie. A vendor can’t remove negative reviews and the reviews will give you a better picture of what it is like to work that wedding videographer.

My goal with writing this is to help you make an informative decision and to ensure you don’t get burned. These tips don’t just apply to wedding videography but all wedding vendors. Spend a little extra time and you will surely hire the dream team for your wedding day!