How Much Should You Pay for a Wedding Videographer?

The national average for a wedding videographer is around $2,300, according to The Knot’s Real Weddings Study. Most couples land somewhere between $1,500 and $5,000, and full cinematic films run higher than that. My own wedding films begin at $5,000.

That’s a wide range, so the better question is what you get at each level, and what you’d regret skipping.

What the price ranges usually get you

Every videographer packages things differently, so treat these as general patterns and not rules.

• Under about $1,500: usually a newer shooter, one camera, and a short edit. It can work out fine. The risk is higher, because this is often someone still learning on real weddings.
• Around $2,000 to $4,000: an experienced solo videographer with a highlight film and often the full ceremony. This is where most couples end up.
• $5,000 and up: more hours of coverage, multiple cameras, proper audio of the vows and toasts, drone footage, and a longer, more carefully edited film.

What drives the number

When two quotes are far apart, it usually comes down to a few things:

• Hours of coverage. Six hours and a full day are different jobs.
• Audio. Clean sound of your vows and the speeches takes extra gear and extra care. It is also the main reason to have a film at all.
• Cameras and people. A second angle on the ceremony means you never miss a reaction.
• What you receive. A three-minute highlight is a very different edit from a ten-minute film plus the full ceremony and speeches.
• Drone. Flying commercially takes an FAA Part 107 license. Ask if they have one.
• Experience. You’re paying for someone who has seen things go wrong and knows what to do about it.

What I charge

I’d rather show you the numbers than make you ask. Every tier includes drone coverage.

• Highlight, $5,000. Up to 6 hours of coverage. A cinematic 4 to 5 minute highlight film plus a full ceremony film.
• Signature, $6,500. Up to 8 hours. A 6 to 8 minute film plus the full ceremony and speeches, and a teaser for your feed.
• Feature, $8,000. Full-day coverage. An 8 to 12 minute feature plus the full ceremony and speeches, and a teaser. You can add every minute of raw footage for $2,000.

I’m local to Yavapai County, so there’s no travel day on your invoice for a wedding in Prescott, Prescott Valley, Sedona, or Flagstaff. The pricing page has every tier, including photography.

How much should you pay?

Here’s how I’d think about it if I were the one planning.

Decide what you want to keep. If it’s a short film to share with family, the middle of the range will do that well. If you want to hear your vows and your dad’s toast in full twenty years from now, make sure the full ceremony and speeches are in the package, whatever you spend.

Watch a full film, not just the highlight reel. Anyone can cut a great sixty seconds. Ask to see a complete film from one wedding, and listen to the audio.

Be careful with the cheapest quote. A wedding can’t be filmed twice. If the budget is tight, I’d rather see you book fewer hours with someone good than a full day with someone you’re unsure about. I wrote about the same trap on the photo side in what cheap wedding photography gets you.

Should you book photo and video together?

A lot of couples ask. Photography plus my base film usually lands around $9,000. I broke that decision down in wedding photo and film: booking both.

The short version

Expect $1,500 to $5,000 for most wedding videographers and $5,000 and up for a full cinematic film. Pay for the things you can’t get back later: good audio, enough coverage, and someone you trust to be there. If you’re getting married in Northern Arizona, tell me about your day and I’ll tell you what I’d recommend.

See wedding film pricing or the wedding work.