Tips for Hiring a Wedding Videographer

Your wedding day is one of the most memorable days in your life so it’s only natural that you’d want it to be perfect. You will spend a lot of time and energy perfecting the arrangements so that the actual day can be stress-free. A videographer is an integral part of wedding prep since they’re the ones responsible for recording your special day.

Here are a few tips for making sure you hire the right wedding videographer:

Their Vision vs Your Vision

Their Vison vs Your Vision

It’s important to understand the videographer’s style and vision because if their vision doesn’t align with what you want your wedding memories to look like, you’ll be disappointed in the future. Videographers will most likely have a distinct filming style that will set their work apart from competitors, so find one that you feel matches your vision. You can go through their online portfolios or request samples of their work to ascertain their filming style.

Prior experience

Prior experience

You can find the most acclaimed videographer to cover your wedding, but it will be pointless if they don’t have considerable prior experience filming weddings. There are certain nuances which have to be captured at weddings with a storyline in mind that only someone who has experience filming weddings will be able to recognize. Make sure that you take a look at a videographer’s wedding film portfolio specifically before booking.

Pricing

Pricing

Usually videographers will have pre-assigned packages of their services at different price points that you can choose out of. However, you want to make sure you have a written agreement regarding the services you will be paying for to ensure you’re not charged separately for any add-ons. This includes and hard drives or prints you may want to include in the package. It’s important to resolve the charges for everything in writing before the event instead of having a disagreement with your videographer during or after the event.

Scheduling

It’s highly likely that the videographer you want to hire might be shooting events besides yours on the same day. Make sure when you confirm your booking with the studio, you clarify what time period you’ll need the videographer there and ensure that they are available then. Another thing to keep in mind when making a booking with a big studio is to check which of their team members will be available to cover your event.

Albums

Albums

It’s worth mentioning that the shots present in highlights album or the vendor’s website are examples of their best work. As a result, they may not help you choose between the few videographers that you’ve managed to shortlist. For a more rounded overview, be sure to ask for full videos from recent weddings. Pick an event that is as close as possible to your planned one, as it’ll give you a better idea of how the person manages that sort of lighting and setting. Be critical when reviewing these albums, observing the details and quality that are crucial to you.

Pro tip: Be wary of heavy editing. Request the videos to share unedited versions of some shoots and compare those with the edited variants. If the unedited versions look just a little less appealing than edited ones, it’s a sign that the videographer is good at his craft.

Their Equipment

Their Equipment

Your videographer will most likely not be needing an excessive amount of bulky equipment and will still manage to get stunning footage of your event. However, it is still best to do a preemptive check to ensure that they will be able to record video and audio comfortable. You can request samples they’ve shot with the same equipment also to get a clearer picture of what the footage will turn out like.

The Venue

The Venue

Although not necessary as a requirement, if your videographer has shot at your venue before, it can be a great advantage. They will be well versed with the lighting and angles that will work best and will have a much easier time setting up their equipment to get the best shot.

Their Team

It is important to know according to the package you choose, will you have one videographer covering your event or will they be assisted by other people in their team. Having an extra member of their team alongside them can mean variation in footage since they will be able to cover more angles.

Relationship with Other Vendors

This is a key point to consider especially if you’re hiring multiple videographers or a photographer separately. The chemistry between the people covering your event is very important because any friction between them will result in compromised quality of coverage from your event. Ensure that the videographer you hire is comfortable working with other vendors too!

Timeline of Deliverables

Have a straightforward conversation regarding the timeline of deliverables after the event. Keep in mind that the videographer has to split their time between shooting events and editing footage, so set realistic timelines with them. It would be ideal if you can include the timelines in your written agreement so that there is no ambiguity in the future.

Troubleshooting

Often missed upon when deciding which videographer to hire is the element of troubleshooting. Things are bound to go wrong on the actual event day since you can’t possibly control everything. Therefore, make sure you go over what considerations the videographer will be making to prepare for uncontrollable elements on your wedding day.

Conclusion

There’s no best way to pick a wedding videographer, but our list of tips should assist you in selecting the best possible vendor to capture all the memorable moments. As a side note, if you’re looking to get your videos featured in an online reel in the future, be sure to convey this in advance. Doing so will ensure the videographer focuses on capturing all of your details and comes equipped with all the props and accessories that help you stand out.