How Much Does Wedding Videography Cost?
"Hi! Could you please send over your pricing? Thanks!"
This is a VERY common inquiry I receive, and it makes total sense. Most couples have never planned a wedding before, and they have no clue what to expect pricing-wise with almost any of the vendors they reach out to. I know that was the case for me and my wife. Even though I work in the wedding industry, I had the same problem when it came to the costs of things like catering, florists, and venue pricing; I had no idea what to expect! (Side note, this is a GREAT reason to hire a wedding planner. They are masters at helping you form a budget and meet your expectations.) While I can't help most of the other industries, I can break down what all goes into wedding videography and what makes the costs more or less expensive, so, hopefully, this will give you a better idea of what to expect as you begin your planning!
Most of the time, when you ask the pricing question, you'll get the classic, "I'd be happy to explain our pricing if you'll hop on a quick call!" Typically, we all want some kind of expectation of what to expect before devoting time to a phone call. After all, we're busy with planning and can't take the time to spend 30 minutes on a call only to find out they are WAY out of our budget. According to this article from Fash.com, the average couple spends around $2500 on wedding videography. However, that can be broken down even further, as the article explains that minimum costs can be as low as $500, while maximum costs can be $12,500 or HIGHER! That's a crazy range of pricing! Can you imagine going to the grocery store to buy eggs and seeing some for $2 and others for $40? Your first question would probably be, "Why in the world are those eggs $40??"
So, what all goes into the cost of wedding videography that can make the range of prices so big? The three biggest factors are equipment, time, and skill level.
1.Equipment (and other business expenses)
In order to make a quality film, you need quality equipment. If your videographer showed up to your wedding with an iPhone, you likely would panic about what the quality of the film will be. Modern cameras can capture stunning footage at a much lower cost than ever before, BUT they still aren't cheap. Most decent cameras used by wedding videographers are anywhere from $2000 - $5000, and for filming weddings, you need at least 2 (I have 4 to make sure I can cover everything). But that's just the beginning of costs. There are also lenses, microphones, lighting, cases, memory cards, insurance, a license for music (the music we use isn't free either), and more but I won't keep boring you. So, equipment can actually have a huge effect on how pricing develops for each videographer.
2.Time Spent on each film
Since there are SO many weddings that happen each year, wedding videographers can honestly take on as many weddings as they want if they are willing to adjust their prices, but there's always a catch. That catch is how long they can spend on your film. Some videographer companies are what we call "volume brands," meaning they take on anywhere from 40 to over 100 weddings a year! (Crazy right??) But doing some simple math, if a videographer films a wedding every weekend, that's 52 weddings in a year. That means that to keep up that pace, they have to edit and finish one film every week, without taking any days off! Whereas someone who films 20 weddings a year, could spend as much as 2.5 weeks editing and putting more effort into each film. This is not to say that volume brands make bad films (I know plenty that do great work), but more so to explain that if you want a videographer to spend more time on your film making it more personal and unique, that factor adds to the cost.
3.Skill level (and market value)
This one is probably the most obvious because everyone sees it regularly with other businesses they interact with. The skill level and experience obviously play a HUGE factor in the pricing of videography services. Someone who has only filmed 3 weddings is not going to be able to navigate the ins and outs of a wedding day nearly as well as someone who has filmed 200. And with that experience and skill level comes a rise in demand. From there, it's just simple market supply and demand economics. If a videographer has been around for a long time and is known as trustworthy, it's more likely they will receive more inquiries regularly, and thus have higher rates because of the higher demand.
With all that being said, I figured now would be a great time to be fully transparent. After all, I really haven't fully answered the main question of "But how much will it cost me??" I've always tried not to avoid these questions and just be honest up front rather than trying to talk someone into it first. That being said, my pricing starts at $4900, and on average, most of my clients spend $5500 - $6000 on my services. Again, this is not some sort of humble brag or flex, I just want to be honest and upfront with all potential clients! This price range works for me because I only shoot 10-15 weddings a year. This gives me the time to focus so much more on each couple. I get to know them and their personalities, along with all the details of their story. Then, in the editing room after the wedding, I'm able to have the freedom to spend more time focusing on making their film unique to them and their story, which is the part I truly love about this job! I love people, and I love getting to know all the details about them to help create something truly unique that will last a lifetime. That's what this pricing level allows me to do, and I love finding couples with those same goals in mind.
Hopefully, this helped give you a better picture of the wedding videography industry and why costs sometimes feel like they are all over the place. It's always important to remember that, as with any creative field, all of our work is subjective to the viewer and client. It's important you find a wedding videographer that matches the style you want at a price point that you feel is worth it. There's no shame in being honest about that. So good luck planning! I hope your wedding is everything you want it to be and so much more!