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How Much Does A Wedding Videographer Cost?

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January 17, 2022

Much like the venues, dresses and other expenses weddings commonly rack up, photography and videography costs vary depending on where you host and the quality that you’re willing to pay for. You might have options in terms of customizable wedding packages, but when you’re looking for a deal, you also want to make sure you receive a service that includes everything you’re expecting.

The following guide explores the costs of hiring a wedding videographer in several major cities where tying the knot is a regular event. Check out our information on what you can expect when you hire Shutter & Sound as your videographer.

The Average Cost of a Wedding Videographer

The average costs of a videographer vary greatly depending on what city you’re in, where you hold the wedding and several other factors. One of the important things to keep in mind, though, is you only get one ceremony, so you want someone with a video camera in working order who will save all the raw footage in case you request edits.

Look for videography companies that list prices on their website, which is a reliable method of keeping you informed. Some video recording and editing professionals avoid listing their prices publically to keep up with consumer demand. In this case, making an inquiry is generally how you find out how much services will run, but you should sign a contract only after you have reviewed the details. You might want to look at sites with transparent costs instead.

Typical expenses for hiring a wedding videographer are influenced by the following:

  • Hours of coverage
    •  Some videographers charge by the hour. If you want to make sure you stay within a set budget, you can request a set maximum of shooting hours. Most videographers will decide on their own hours and the most appropriate moments to shoot. Many will shoot the entire event, including the couple getting ready before the ceremony begins.
  • Size of the crew
    • If a videographer works alone, the service costs will generally be lower. If they work with a team of two or three other videographers, the costs will be higher to pay the crew’s wages. Videographers who area one-man/woman operation may cost significantly more than a company with multiple videographers on staff. This may seem counterintuitive since they do not need to pay anyone, but it also means there are only so many dates they can book in a season, so they will want to earn as much as they can off of each event. Videographers who work independently often take longer to complete orders since they are responsible for doing everything without assistance, and when they are highly sought after artists, they can justify raising their prices.
  • Length of the video
    • The total amount of time it takes to edit the footage will depend on how long the end product will be. Many videographers offer different options for the length of their main highlight video, ranging from a one minute instagram video to a 30 minute feature film. This length is a major factor in the cost of the service.
  • Distribution
    •  Want to make hard copies of the footage (DVD or Blu-ray) to save with your family’s albums or mail to family and friends? This traditional method of capturing the memories will likely come with additional cost, as the industry standard has no moved to an all-digital experience. You could instead ask for the videographer to make video clips available on Facebook or YouTube so friends who are unable to attend in person can still view the wedding.
  • Location
    • You might pay less than the average for U.S. weddings listed above if you live in a smaller area where wedding videographers need as much work as they can find. In areas that are popular for destination weddings, though, the increased demand for videographers will usually mean higher costs.
  • Travel distance
    •  If you want to work with a specific videographer or company, you might have to arrange for compensating travel fees if you request for them to work out of their local area. Like many professionals, videographers have a range where they prefer to see clients. They might even list specific venues where their services are available.
  • Add-ons and other services
    • If you get drone footage along with your highlights video, you will get to see your ceremony from an aerial view as if you’re in a movie. Having the videographer there is convenient for bundling the two services. You will pay more for getting the drone shots, but many videographers offer this as a simple add-on since it’s popular for weddings. If you’re interested in adding services, clearly stated pricing options are preferable. That way, you will know right away what fits into your budget.

Wedding Videographer Cost Guide by Region

Want an idea of what you will pay to get a highlight reel made at a major city venue? Wedding videographer prices can vary from coast to coast, but the good news is that they follow similar trends. For the most part, local talent is more reliable when the videographer works for a company, and the overall costs depend on how common weddings are in the area.

At a scenic location where property values are known for being higher than the national average, you will pay a little more for your videographer — and probably your venue, catering and other elements. Check out the details in our list of major cities.

Washington, D.C.

You can expect to pay about $2,995 for a highlight video in the D.C. area, and this price point includes 8 hours of raw footage. Popular venues range from outdoor ceremonies in front of the D.C. War Memorial to waterfront weddings at historical buildings. Dining establishments like the Sequoia Restaurant, which overlooks the Potomac River, are also ideal venues. With a scenic location, getting a videographer to fly a drone over your party is definitely worth the extra expense.

D.C. wedding videography prices tend to be influenced by the heavy influx of visitor traffic and the demand created by wedding tourism. A couple can get married there without being residents. Some families will travel to Washington, D.C. from neighboring states or even from across the country to attend weddings at the nation’s capital.

Want a high-quality service with transparent prices? The price of booking with us includes filming, editing and distributing your footage.

Boston, MA

Our wedding videographer costs in Boston are $4,295 at the highest price point. The cost of a Feature includes up to 10 hours of coverage and multiple cameras. Many weddings are held at five-star hotels, venue halls and the multiple waterfront locations on the shore of the Massachusetts Bay. Boston is another city where you can get married without first being a state or county resident, so wedding party tours of the food and wine scene are popular. You will definitely want to leave enough room for videography in your budget if you plan to host a bachelorette party in Boston along with the wedding and reception.

With the amazing oceanside views influencing venue costs, it makes sense that Boston wedding videography prices tend to be higher than average. The cost of living in Boston is high, with a demand for housing that exceeds the supply, and service costs by the local talent are ordinarily higher than in other parts of Massachusetts. Our videography prices include a team that is specially trained to deliver consistent results.

Chicago, IL

The total wedding videographer costs in Chicago depend on where you’re getting married in Cook County and the experience and quality of the service you hire. With fifty wards total and varying property values between neighborhoods, Chicago’s videographers tend to charge based on their studio’s location and their target market. With more than one fine arts college in Chicago, the city is pretty big on local talent, too.

Another factor is that wedding parties from Central Illinois often drive up to Chicago to have a big city reception experience, boosting the competition for lower Chicago wedding videography prices. Services from Shutter & Sound range consistently in cost from $2,995 to $4,295 in Chicago. When you work with us for your wedding videography, you will get the quality you deserve and an impressive range of services that other videographers might be unable to offer at the lower price points.

New York City, NY

Your wedding videographer expenses in NYC could vary depending on which borough you hold the ceremony in. How far the videographer has to travel from their studio location might also influence the overall cost. New York City is composed of a total of five boroughs, and many videographers prefer to work in a narrow area. This makes tracking down a videographer in NYC similar to the process in other large cities with a bigger area.

Up-and-coming videographers or new arrivals who come into the city with less experience tend to charge less. Even independent videographers who are new to shooting wedding videos at the best of NYC’s venues should be able to show you a portfolio of work they completed while in college or as they were preparing for their career. You’re hiring for an important ceremony that you will want to remember in the coming years, so be confident about asking about credentials. Our prices also range between $2,995 to $4,295.

Philadelphia, PA

Wedding videographer costs in Philly are typically more than in surrounding areas. Venues range from wineries, casinos, cruise ships and fine-dining locations, and the videographer scene is known for artistic talent. With several upscale or moderate cost venues to choose from, it’s especially good advice to check off your budget list before hiring a videography service in Philly. Many locations seat over 300 guests, and the city is known for having amazing catering.

Philly wedding videography prices are a little higher than some of the other cities on this list because of the sheer popularity of wedding services. Couples have a lot to decide on with so many exciting venues available. Philly weddings are held with any theme you could imagine and plenty of opportunities for diversity in the culture and religion. Popular services we offer at Shutter & Sound range start at $2,995.

Are Highlight Videos the Most Affordable Videography Option?

A highlight reel is distinct from cheap raw footage. Even though it is a little more expensive, recording highlights is often the most popular job for wedding videographers, making it a desirable service to sell. You will find highlight reels listed at the top of nearly every quality wedding videography pricing sheet, and for good reason. Being able to see your wedding replay like a movie trailer makes it a unique memento.

A highlight reel is a short collection of clips that captures the top moments from your celebration. Wedding highlights are put together as a concise film of your venue, the bridesmaids walking with the groomsmen, the rings, your guests’ faces and your other favorite moments from the ceremony. The resulting piece tends to be a short but artistic collage of your party’s happiest memories together.

You will have a choice for the background music and maybe some of the effects work. With standard costs, a videographer will bundle filming the organic footage, searching for the best clips or pictures to use and editing the clips into a highlight reel. This takes more thoughtful editing work than uploading a film of the entire wedding, so even though the result is a shorter video, it tends to be a moderately priced service.

What’s a Reasonable Price for Highlights?

A reasonable price depends on the complexity of the project. The videographer has to go through the steps of searching for engaging clips to use and getting them approved for the final copy. If you have any special requests for your short film that are particularly unique, you might have to pay an additional fee for the extra time spent working on the project.

Special requests that cost a little extra might include:

  • Social media videos and posts
    • Unlike a traditional highlight reel, a professionally designed Instagram video has to conform to the platform’s uploading standards and follow the associated trends. Social media uploads count as an add-on.
  • A series of TikTok-style wedding clips
    • They can be a lot of fun but take longer to caption, and the videographer has to be very clever with the editing to make them work. If you want a video made in the style of a social media platform, you will pay a little extra to get it.
  • Bloopers at the end
    • Unless you want to request one clip in particular that sparked some laughter, the videographer would really have to dig for the funniest possible moments, which aren’t always obvious. When you’re looking for funny highlights, you have to work away from other important footage like the first kiss as a married couple, the opening dance or the cake cutting. Depending on the request, you might have to pay more for additional edits.
  • Longer highlight reels
    • The videographer should specify their preferred recording length for a highlight reel project. If you want to add more clips after you see the film draft, you might have to pay more for additional edits.

Hire a Wedding Videographer With Shutter & Sound

Thinking about hiring a videographer for your wedding who provides the services you want? Shutter & Sound is transparent about our pricing and provides reasonable rates that you can trust. We were also featured on the Knot’s Best of Weddings list in 2020, Wedding Wire’s Couple Choice Awards, Here Comes the Guide and Martha Stewart’s. We will pair you with a videography team who will love working with you as they capture your happiest moments.

Here at Shutter & Sound, we are excited for every client preparing to celebrate their big day with us. Our teams of select talent handle all of the recording and editing for your highlight reel, and each videographer is trained in our filming and editing style for consistency and quality control. We offer extra services at additional rates, and we display our work so you can take confidence in the results you can receive. Contact Shutter & Sound to learn more, or view our pricing options to find the perfect videography package for your dream wedding.