When I first started out as a wedding videographer filming for my friends, it was an intense hustle and a rite of passage. That was 6 six years ago, and one of the most important things that I learned is to never capture a wedding without a team to support you.
Experience matters. And so does having two videographers at your wedding.
Having two videographers means that more of your story is captured to be remembered for the rest of your life together. This is also something you’re passing onto your children. It’s part of your legacy.
If I was getting married this year, I would never considering hiring a company sending out a sole videographer because I really don’t think that person could do our story justice. Even if they were hustling like a madman to plant multiple cameras, record as many interviews as they could squeeze in, and attempt to capture our reception with extra cameras relegated to tripods, something would still be missing.
Just as most professional wedding photographers almost always have a second shooter to record more angles and tell a more complete story, most seasoned videographers will bring a second or third person on the team to ensure the focus remains on story, and not merely pretty pictures.
We strongly feel that planting a camera on a tripod doesn’t help tell your story and it is never a great substitute for a videographer with wedding experience who loves being behind a camera.
Companies offering wedding videography on the cheap (think less than $2,000) are probably going to only film your wedding with one videographer. And the final product is going to be different. It won’t necessarily be bad, but if they are charging less, you can bet they are cranking out wedding films like gingerbread men, and the focus will not be on quality, but on quantity. They need to film more weddings, just like Walmart needs to sell more widgets to make profit.
Finely crafted storytelling wedding films take significant time to edit. A music video mashup offered by many companies is cranked out very quickly, because it means they can do weddings in bulk for clients that don’t know or haven’t seen the difference.
The difference I’m taking about is story.
The interviews with grandparents that you’ll treasure when they have passed away.
The moments with mom and dad that will be precious to you when you hear their voices.
The candid moments with the wedding party that you never want to forget.
You are paying for experience when you hire a wedding storyteller. Just as the top-notch wedding photographers in Montana don’t charge less than $2,500, you get what you pay for with videography.
Would you hire the cheapest carpenter or contractor to do the job? Hopefully not.
And that cheapness in price almost always reflects shortcuts in quality, a lack of experience, or simply a desire to make money without a real passion for storytelling.
Wedding videography is one of the most important investments you’ll make for your married life together. Having two videographers to capture your wedding moments costs a little more, but the difference can be seen and heard when you receive your wedding films. Don’t settle for less than you deserve.
What is your wedding story worth to you?
Photo credit: Flickr CC image