do i need a wedding videographer?

I was driving home tears streaming down my face. I didn’t know what to do, what to say, who to call. I texted an older gentleman from my church. “Please pray!” my mother in law had just passed away suddenly. It was 7pm and my father in law had called. He couldn’t bring himself to tell my wife over the phone. He asked me to tell her! I was an hour away from home. That was a long car ride…

When prepping for the funeral we looked back through all the old photos. Vacations, snapshots and then her Wedding photos. She was beautiful. When we were looking for more recent photos however we were shocked. There weren’t any. Not nearly as many as her younger years. She had gained a little weight and was camera shy. We soon realized that we only had 4 total photos of her with our new baby and he was 4 months old. We had no video… What we would have given to see her hold and cuddle her grandson. To hear her voice and laugh as she held him. She loved him so much.

Some of the ONLY videos we had of her were from our wedding 4 years prior. The videos we have are priceless, but we still wish we had more.

The average cost of a professional wedding videographer in the Austin Texas area is around $3,000 and in Chicago its about $4,000. That can be a real line item in a budget, but skipping on videography is one of the “biggest regrets” most couples have and for good reason. The sounds and visuals from video can bring back emotions and memories locked away you never even knew were their. The connection you get from video is very different than that of photo. In some ways its deeper, more personal, and more visceral.

As a wedding videographer hopefully I can help guide you through this topic a little and advocate for your memories over dollars. You are going to have to make sacrifices… You are going to cut the vague clutter to make room for the meaningful specifics, but in the end you will be glad you did.

“Cut the vague clutter to make room for the meaningful specifics.”

What you and every other couple will struggle with is something very personal. Wants Vs Budget. I’m going to advocate for your “future self”. The few thousand dollars you will spend now is literally not going to mean anything to you 20 years from now. You will be so glad you have those memories.

Wedding video is not just for an Instagram post, but it's something you can show to your children and grandchildren. You want something that takes you through the emotions of the day... You want the voice of your mother, the embrace of your great aunt, those moments of your parents dancing on the dance floor to show to your children, your slow dance with your guy that you never dreamed he would agree to... You want your memories.

I’m just gonna be real, some of the only things you’re gonna have from your wedding to remember your day, is the photography and videography. And there’s a huge difference between the two.

When I lost my mother-in-law two years ago, we were so grateful that we had video of her from our wedding. She was not one who likes to be on camera. But at our wedding she was dressed up nice and felt good about herself, and was in a bunch of photos and video. I can’t tell you how much money I would pay now for even a few more videos of her. Hearing her voice, and seeing her having a great time was more than priceless. I honestly think if it was down to having a cake, or centerpieces, or even cutting down the guest list, versus having a video I would recommend people cut whatever they need to cut to make sure they have professional wedding videographer capture their memories. When this is all over those are the only things are going to have left 20 years from now. For most people it’s their first and last family reunion, it's their last dance with their mom and dad, it's the last time they will see their great aunt and their grand parents. Taking the time to build a budget that respects those moments and memories is well worth the time and financial investment it takes to hire a professional filmmaker.

If you are looking for what you should be thinking about when hiring a wedding videographer check out my detailed blog about it. “The price of wedding photography & videography” https://www.filmandframe.com/mainblog/cost-of-wedding-photo-and-video

When it comes to videography it really shouldn’t be a difficult decision. For me and my couples it's not an afterthought, it's right up there at the top of the list with booking the venue and photographer.