When you start planning your wedding, hiring a wedding photographer is a no-brainer, but what about hiring a wedding videographer? You might think you don’t need or want one, or you might not have room in your current budget for one. But here are some things to consider, reasons why you might want to hire a videographer, and some tips for wedding day to make your wedding video the best it can be!

A Little Story About My Wedding

Let’s begin with a little story about my wedding. I did not have a wedding videographer, and it’s one of my (few) regrets. There were two reasons why we didn’t hire a videographer: 1) we couldn’t really afford one, and 2) all the sample videos we saw were terrible. And I mean terrible. The cheesiest music. Really sappy. Not at all what we wanted.

I got married in 2013 in Los Angeles. It doesn’t seem that long ago, but video technology has actually come a long way since then. And everyone in L.A. thinks they’re the next Martin Scorsese, so they all charge outrageous amounts of money. We weren’t inclined to spend $5000 on a cheesy wedding video.

Instead, we asked a friend’s wife to video our wedding ceremony with our brand new DSLR camera. We provided her with a tripod and an external microphone to pick up the sound. On our wedding day, we discovered that she had brought the tripod, but not the microphone! So although we had video of our ceremony, you couldn’t hear anything that was being said. Fail #1.

My mother-in-law also recorded our ceremony because my sister-in-law couldn’t be at our wedding due to the fact that she had just given birth three weeks earlier. However, my mother-in-law also did not use an external microphone, and even though she was sitting in the front row, the water feature at our ceremony site drowned out all the words. On top of that, for reasons that remain unclear, the final video was upside-down! Fail #2.

So yeah, I wish we had had a professional videographer, but I don’t regret not spending five grand on a cheesy video. What I wish is that we could have found a decent videographer at a reasonable price. And I’m happy to report that YOU, my friends, can find a decent videographer at a reasonable price. Lucky you!

TL;DR here’s the video version

Do You Need a Videographer + a Photographer?

I reached out to two of my favorite Sacramento-area videographers to get some input for this post. I’ve worked with both of them, and their work is phenomenal. Even better, their fees are not crazy. Here’s how Sway Garcia from The Uncommon Weddings answers the question of whether you need a videographer if you already have a photographer.

1. Wedding photos will help you remember your wedding day, but a wedding video helps you *relive* it. Photos capture a moment in time; video captures the scene as it unfolds.

2. A wedding photographer can’t capture the sound of your vows being spoken, or the sniffles of your parents during the ceremony.

3. A photographer can’t truly capture all the epic dance moves going down on the dance floor, like your Best Man dancing with your grandma, or your cousin busting out the break-dancing.

4. Nothing can compare to sitting down with your loved ones and watching the entirety of your ceremony and speeches full-length, with all the crying and laughter in between.

Tips for Getting the Best Wedding Video

Once you’ve decided to hire a videographer, there are some things you can do to ensure that you get the best possible wedding video. Philippe Calouro from Philippe Studio Pro gives us his best tips:

1. One thing I wish couples knew about wedding videography is the planning that goes into creating a nice video, especially if the couples want to do an interview where they tell their story or write letters to each other that are recorded on video.  A lot of times couples just try to wing-it on the day of, but it really comes out much better if they have thought of what they want to say in advance.  I always try to prepare my couples for that in our calls leading up to the wedding.

2. For getting ready, I notice that bridal parties often get ready together and the room gets really messy.  As videographers, we need room to take our shots and of course we want a nice clean background.  So often, I spend unnecessary time cleaning.  Brides, grooms and their groomsmen/bridesmaids may just want to pay attention to cleaning up as they go.

3. I notice that brides/grooms have a hard time putting their cell phone away on the wedding day, especially when getting ready.  It's hard to get a good shot when the bride is on her phone or texting.  Definitely recommend having someone else handle the phone.

4. The couple should try to make sure the photographer and videographer have connected in advance so that they can coordinate and make sure they both have time to get the shots they need and there won't be any conflicts on the day of the wedding.

As a wedding planner & coordinator, Philippe’s fourth point is definitely something I can help with. I’m in contact with all the wedding vendors in the weeks leading up to the wedding, so it’s easy for me to make sure the photographer and videographer are introduced over email and can put their heads together as necessary to make our mutual clients’ day a grand success.

So have I convinced you that hiring a videographer is the way to go? I hope so! If I were to do my wedding all over again, I would 100% hire a videographer!

Further reading: How to Search for a Wedding Photographer