Updated: September 22, 2021

It’s been over 4 years since we originally posted this article about having a videographer. Since we’ve learned A LOT since 2017 and shot a lot more weddings (thankfully), we decided to go back to our For Brides series and update it to ensure we’re still giving out the best advice.

I wanted to do a short series of posts called “For Brides” to help people during the wedding planning process. During the planning of your wedding, I’m sure you will have questions and want some advice.

I have been there and I know it can be the most exciting season of your life, as well as the most overwhelming! Enjoy and feel free to ask me questions. 🙂
Other Posts from the “For Brides” series: 

1.  Wedding Day Details
2.  First Look vs. Traditional Aisle Reveal
3.  Should you hire a wedding planner?
4.  For Grooms: How I proposed
5.  Who to invite to your wedding
6.  What to wear for your engagement session
7.  Should you invest in bridal portraits

Should you Hire a Photographer AND Videographer for Your Wedding?

We’re photographers. Photography is our part-time business. It’s a hobby and it’s also become something that consumes a large part of our lives. Honestly, we see photography as one of the most important and meaningful investments when planning a wedding. You’ll look back on those photos for years to come, so you want them to be done well.

Mitchel started his freelance career first as a videographer, so we are a little biased towards having a videographer at your wedding, but there are a lot of things that people won’t tell you about capturing your wedding day.

We’re photographers, but we also know the importance of video. Video allows you to recreate the whole experience, which is why we always suggest that you hire a photographer AND a videographer. As photographers, we have enjoyed working alongside videographers at weddings. But, we are going to let you in on a little secret that we used, and it could save you thousands of dollars.

Okay, here’s the tip – you don’t have to hire a professional videographer! I can hear your gasps from here! It’s true. Hire an aspiring videographer or a college student who has taken some video classes. It’s as simple as that. You don’t absolutely have to have a professional videographer to capture the ceremony.

That’s exactly what we did – we hired a friend from college who had taken video classes and was really great at it. She was willing to do videography for a few hundred dollars.

Instead of her editing and piecing it together, Mitchel did all of that after the wedding since he had experience. Hiring a videographer can easily cost you thousands of dollars. If you’re on a budget, ask a video amateur to help you out.

You will never hear us say that having a photographer is a needless expense for a wedding; we believe that it’s one of the most important, but there are some aspects that photography doesn’t capture.

You won’t get the swaying of the first dance or those moments when the bride first starts walking down the aisle, but if you’re anything like us, you don’t want to break the bank to get those moments on camera. Hope this is helpful during your wedding planning adventures! 🙂

Hiring a Friend or Hiring A Professional

This is where the edits start! Everything above this was from Katie and Mitchel 4 years ago! Let’s see how our thoughts have changed since then.

The major note we are going to make is about having someone do it for free or cheap – or just getting a friend you know.

Now, we aren’t going to completely reverse our thoughts. If you’re trying to save money on your wedding and you can’t afford a photographer AND a videographer, then it can be a possible option. First, you would need to decide which of this is going to be your first decision. If you can’t fit both into your budget, which will you treasure more.

If you pick photography, we still recommend finding a way to get a video of the ceremony, but that doesn’t always mean just having a friend sit at the camera.

While there is nothing wrong with that route, there are still other options.

What a lot of brides do is find a brand new videographer or college student who is interested in video and give them a shot. Usually, you can hire one of these newer videographers or hobbyist for much cheaper than you would a pro who has been in the industry for a decade.

Photography and Video Package

Another possible option is to choose a photographer that ALSO offers video. Why is this an advatrnage? Several reasons, but the main one is the savings.

Just about every photographer that offers video will give a discount if you book both. You still have to find the best photographer in your budget, but you would be surprised at the savings you can get by bundling those vendors.