Should you hire a Wedding Videographer in 2024 / 2025?

Blog by: Vu Nguyen - Owner of NVU FILMS

Wedding videographers are considered a luxury and/or an optional vendor at your wedding. The truth is, most weddings don't have a wedding videographer. My cousin works as a contractor for a caterng company, and she reviewes the charts for which vendors are included for vendor meals. She told me, as of 8/8/2024, she has not seen 1 wedding videographer at any of the weddings she has helped catered. 
It seems hard to believe that with the growing popularity of video content on social media, the ease of video streaming, and the increasing accessibility to high quality video equipment that there should be a wedding videographer at EVERY wedding. 

Unfortunately, most of the time the reason why a videographer is not hired for a wedding is due to budget, and MOST weddings that hire a videographer hires a "cheap" one. Clients spend $1,000 - $2,000 for a video that, to be blunt, not well produced, cheesy, templated, and basically UNWATCHABLE. 
If you aren't able or willing to spend at the minimum, $3500 on a wedding videographer you should skip it entirely. If you don't truly value it, don't buy it. Set up your cellphone on a tripod and capture your ceremony and reception toasts for no cost.

If you do value videography and are willing to spend $3,500 or more on your wedding film, how do you go about selecting a videographer?
Firstly, there are two types of wedding videography companies at this level. (1) The Exclusive Studio, which is owned by an individual(s), and that individual actually films your wedding, maybe hires a second shooter to assist filming, and this individual edits your wedding video / film. (2) The Mass Production Studio, which is owned by an individual(s), but the owner does not film or edits your videos. This person just hires various freelancers with various experiences with various equipment and outsources overseas to edit your wedding. Believe it or not, many times the price differences between the two companies aren't that big or different at all.
One would assume that the Exclusive Studio would be the more expensive one because it is a more detailed / personalized experience but that is not the case. Call me biased but 9 times out of 10, the Exclusive Studio will produce a far better product than the Mass Production studio for obvious reasons. 
So how can you, the client, how can you tell the difference?
The answer is quite simple, you inquire and you ask a few simple questions.
Who is the owner of the company? Will that owner be on site filming the wedding? Will that owner edit the wedding?
Additionally, if the owner is not going to film, what are the names of the videographers that will be filming the wedding? If they don't have an answer to this... it is highly likely they are going to hire a random freelancer a week before you wedding that may or may not be experienced enough or care enough to be your wedding videographer.  Sadly, those few nice wedding films that you see on those videography websites aren't even filmed or edited by the individuals working on your wedding. The wedding video delivered to you may not even be close to the quality of what is presented on their website. 

The wedding videography industry are filled with individuals that want to make money.  The difference is there are those that just want to make as much money as possible by simplifying the filming and editing of the wedding to do as many as possible. Then there are those who are passionate about the craft and art of filmmaking, understands and values the importance of a wedding, and wants to serve clients with their talent and be able to make money doing what they love. 

So should you hire a wedding videographer? 
If you value wedding videography enough and are willing to pay a videographer that values your wedding just as much as you do, then yes, hire a wedding videographer. 

​Hope this helps.