Do You Need a Professional Wedding Videographer?

When working out your wedding budget, the video is likely to stand out as an area where you can save money. Many people decide to drop the professional video, go for a cheap option, or ask a friend to do the job for free.

Do You Want a Video at All?

If you aren't sure whether you actually want a wedding video at all, our advice is to do it! Don't make the mistake of thinking a video might be boring or embarrassing — a skilled videographer will make sure it's neither.

A wedding video is something to be treasured for generations — imagine how valuable it will be to your great-great-grandchildren. You can discard a video you don't like but you can't create a video you didn't shoot.

Cheap / Free Options

It's not hard to find someone who will produce the video for cheap or free. You may find that family and friends offer to do it for you. This can be a delicate situation, for example, if your video enthusiast uncle wants to do it but you would prefer a professional.

In virtually all cases a competent professional will produce a much better video than even the most enthusiastic amateur. There are many aspects to wedding videography which can only be learnt through years of experience dealing with this genre. If you choose to use a non-professional, make sure you understand and accept this fact.

Video vs Photography

Of particular interest is the "video vs photographs" debate. Both are expensive and it is tempting to choose one over the other. If you must do so, remember that modern video (especially high definition) can provide still images which are effectively as good as photographs, especially for small or medium-sized prints. It is therefore possible to extract still images from the video to make a photo album, and in fact the videographer may be happy to build photos into the contract. It probably won't be the same as a professional photo album but it is a good compromise. If you want to go this way, discuss it with the videographer before the wedding.

If you choose a photographer instead of a videographer, try to get someone to cover the video anyway. Even an amateur video is better than no video at all.