Wedding videography costs over $1,257 on average, according to theweddingreport.com. Here are some tips from the experts to make your videography fees manageable.
Before you book your videographer
1. Choose the right video length.Tim Alan Smith of Tim Alan Smith Videography in New York City says, “Some brides get longer edits [such as a one-hour video], some get short-form [such as 20 minutes] and some get both.” View a full 20-minute, edited video to see if you can envision that being enough time for yours, and perhaps save half on your video package for the shorter edited video.
2. Insist on HD. “If a videographer attempts to charge you extra for high-definition video, find another potential videography company,” says videographer Justin Cristaldi of jrcx.com in New Jersey. “Anyone who takes this business seriously knows they must upgrade their equipment in order to bring you the best quality they can.” And that means no extra charge for HD.
3. Go ceremony only. Cristaldi says you can choose to have professional video only at your ceremony to save several hundred dollars. Or, elect ceremony plus first dances and cakecutting only, also to save hours and hundreds from your package.
4. Avoid pros who charge by the hour. Your ceremony could get delayed, and you don’t want your videographer to leave or charge you overtime to capture reception moments.
5. Choose a package with no extras. As with photography, choose a package—for now —that just
covers the shoot, not the video edit, montages and copies of the DVD.
After the Wedding
6. Get it now, edit later. Start with raw footage, Smith says, “Editing costs almost as much as the videographer’s shooting time, so arrange to get all of your wedding footage shot gorgeously and handed to you on DVD. You can have it edited later—or not.” This will save hundreds of dollars (and in some regions of the country thousands of dollars! Again, check costofwedding.com to see what prices are near you).
7. Don’t pay extra for special effects. Cristaldi says that effects such as sepia, black and white, slow motion, and silk/soft focus might take an editor just an extra hour at most, so you are entitled to it for free.
8. Ask for free montages. Use your computer’s software to scan your own baby photos or honeymoon images, then edit them into a slideshow. When you give this DIY creation to your videographer, says Cristaldi, he can add it to your video for free.
9. Ask for free copies. Our experts agree that it’s reasonable to ask for two to fi ve free copies of your DVD. Anything more than that, and the company’s likely to charge you.
10. Ask for a free podcast. Cristaldi says, “It only takes an editor a few minutes to export video highlights for YouTube, iPhone or other online viewing sources, even e-mail. This way, your friends and family from all over the world can see your footage if they were unable to attend your wedding.”
11. “Avoid anyone who’s not willing to negotiate,” says Cristaldi. “Any reputable professional should be willing to compromise in tough times within reason; if not, they are in the wrong business and not for you.”