Choosing a videographer to film your wedding is an important decision. There's a million of us out there, so how do you know who's the right one?

The reality is, there's probably dozens of wedding videographers that would crush it for you and create something you'd really enjoy for a long time. How do you find one of those perfect matches? Well, from someone who's filmed over 250 weddings, here's 5 tips that might help you.

Tip #1
The first thing I want you to do is reverse engineer the night you sit down with your new spouse to watch your wedding video. Close your eyes and picture it.

When is it? Is it 3 months after you wedding? 6 month? a year?

This is important because you need to know when your wedding video will be done? 
How long can you realistically wait? 
This is a question to ask your wedding videographer. Some of us take a few weeks, some take over a year. If you can't be patient, then you need someone who can crank it out.
But remember, fast doesn't always equal good.

For us 2-3 months is the sweet spot. We spend 1-2 weeks editing each video, giving it the time and attention it deserves. Peak season can get pretty busy, but we make a every effort to stay on top of our editing so you're not left waiting.

 If a videographer you are considering says they’ll have it to you in just a couple of weeks, in my opinion, that can be a red flag. They may not be giving your wedding video the time and attention it deserves. 

On the other hand, if they say it’s going to be more than 6 months, you might be dealing with a perfectionist or a procrastinator. Not always, but often I find these videographers bite off more than they can chew and get overwhelmed with their backlog.

If turn around time is important to you, make sure you pick a wedding videographer with a reasonable turnaround time and make sure that it’s in the contract you sign.

Tip #2
Decide whether you want a video that includes audio from the the day or not.

There’s a million different ways to make a wedding video and there almost isn’t a wrong way. I say ALMOST very intentionally because….well

If you want to hear your vows, the officiant's message, or the toasts in the video, then make sure you find a videographer that does a good job of incorporating audio from the day into their videos.

If you absolutely do not want to hear your own voices or any of the speeches from the day, then find someone who is willing to work with you on that and make a highlights video set to music alone.

Back in 2012, I started off making wedding videos set to music, but quickly found we were able to capture the essence and uniqueness of each couple by incorporating audio from the day.

I tell all of my couples, imagine your children, 10-15 years from now, getting to hear their parents voices read their vows to each other. That would be really cool.

Tip #3
Decide which videos you actually want. 

Do you only care about a short highlights video? Do you want the longest video possible?

You will find that most wedding videographers offer a few different highlight video length options (anywhere form 5-15 minutes), as well as a longer documentary style video or they will provide the full ceremony, formal dances, and toasts as separate videos.

There is a lot of nuances though in regards to length of video, so just make sure the videographers you are considering offer the length of video you ultimately want. If you're unsure about this, feel free to reach out to us so we can help you better understand what to ask for.

Tip #4
Make sure your personalities are compatible. 

Your videographer is going to be with you all day on your wedding day, you don’t want someone who's going to be socially awkward or make you feel uncomfortable.

On your wedding day, a friendly and calming personality in your midst is a valuable asset, so don’t overlook the videographer's personality.

The best way to figure out if you'll jive on your wedding day is to meet up for coffee before agreeing to hire them. A facetime or zoom meeting is an easy alternative.

This brings me to my last tip for choosing a wedding videographer and that is…

Tip #5
Experience matters!

Make sure your wedding videographer has some experience under their belt. 
I made so many mistakes when I filmed my first few weddings and my poor, gracious brides had to live with some of them.
But now, after shooting over 250 weddings, we’ve learned all the tips and tricks, where to be, when to be there, and how to make our couples look and sound the best.

There is no substitute for experience when it comes to wedding videography. Sure, you may be able to find someone young and hungry who will film your wedding for cheap, but understand the risks you're taking. There's a good change they will miss key moments throughout the day and you'll never be able to get those back.

When considering a wedding videographer, here's a few great questions to ask them to gauge their experience level:

How many weddings have you filmed? 
What was the biggest thing you've learned in the last year of filming? 
What do you differently now than when you first started filming weddings?

If they can answer those questions well, then you should feel good about their experience.

In conclusion:
Couples either think their wedding video is the best investment they made or they have huge regrets. Don't be the latter! 

For more information on wedding videography or to see our work, visit our website or social media. We'd love to hear from you.

Peace!