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Hi, my name is Libby and as a videographer who has been in the industry for some years now, here are my thoughts on choosing a videographer for your wedding:

1. Ask your friends – If you have friends or anyone else you know that used a videographer at their wedding, ask them about their experience. The majority of business in this industry comes from word of mouth so it’s your best reference.

2. Personality – Your videographer will generally be around longer than anyone else so it’s important that you have a good repour with them. If you like your videographer you will be a lot more comfortable with them on your wedding day when the camera starts rolling, which in turn means better results. If you can, ask to meet with your videographer before making a booking. This way you have an opportunity to get to know them a little better and see if you will get along. It also gives you a chance to ask them about their packages and any other questions you may have.

3. Gear – Having gear of a certain standard to ensure sharp, well lit images and quality audio is important, but don’t book a videographer based on their gear alone. Having the latest and greatest gadgets isn’t always a huge advantage; at the end of the day “content is key” and I personally think good story telling is better than a $30,000 gear bag. Again, gear of a certain standard is important; after all you’re not paying a professional to show up with a handycam! But after taking note of the picture and audio quality, don’t forget to consider their creativity and attention to detail. Ask yourself if you are happy with a “point and shoot” approach, or something a little more creative?

4. Experience and Training – Like any profession, videography comes with a number of skills and the more experience you have behind you to support those skills the better. Since entering the profession myself I quickly learned that it is a constantly evolving industry and ongoing education is very important. Therefore don’t be backward about asking how long your videographer has been in the industry and what training they have undergone.

5. Price – I left this till last for a reason. Price is obviously important as you don’t want to blow the budget completely, but I feel strongly that it shouldn't be the main navigator for your decision, and I think this goes for other specialists too.
Pricing for videography like most services varies greatly so you have to decide how much value you place on having a professional video and at what standard you want it to be. Some brides try to save $$$ by going with a “budget videographer” or worse yet, just getting a family friend to do it (arrrggh!), but then end up wasting their money anyway when they are disappointed with the end result. The old adage “you get what you pay for” is generally pretty accurate and is often followed by “you buy cheap you buy twice”… Only with weddings you don’t have a second chance to make a good decision!

With my own business I consider my service as an investment rather than an expense, so when choosing your videographer, try and find someone with whom you feel the same way. If this means it does exceed your initial budget consider this, once all the food is eaten, your guests are gone and your flowers wilted, all you will have left to relive one of the most significant days of your life will be your video and your photos. If there is something that is of great importance to you, finding the means to get it is always possible if you really want it. You only get your wedding day once and one of the things you don’t want to be left with afterwards is regret.

I hope these thoughts help you in choosing a videographer for your wedding, but if you do have any questions please feel free to post them here. Even if you haven’t booked me for your wedding, I’m always happy to help if I can.

Happy wedding planning!

Libby
Chocolate Box Films
Accredited RWIA Member.

http://www.chocolateboxfilms.com.au