Yes, you can put your wedding video on your registry, as a cash fund. Most registry sites let you add a fund with its own name, photo, description and goal, and a wedding film suits one better than most things on a registry: it is the gift you will open again in twenty years. Guests contribute, and you book the videographer or the camera kit yourself with the money. Name the fund for what it buys, set the goal to the real price, and book when you decide, not when the fund is full.
Our bias, stated up front
We sell two of the things a fund like this would pay for: films made by our own crews, and The Kit, a camcorder your people film with and our editors cut. Neither is listed directly on a registry site, so everything below works on any registry that takes a cash fund, for any videographer or rental, ours or not. We print only our own prices.
The detail most guides miss: guests fund it, you book it
It is tempting to have a generous parent or the wedding party book the video for you. It usually works better the other way round. A booking is more than a payment. It carries your wedding date and the address the camera ships to, and it is where every message goes afterward: when the box arrives, when to send it back, which songs you want, and the link to the finished film. If someone else books it, all of that lands in their inbox, and they become the go-between for your own wedding film.
So let guests give the money, through the fund or directly, and book it in your own name. That holds for a crew as well: the contract, the timeline call and the delivery all belong with the two of you.
How to set up the fund
- Add a cash fund on the registry site you already use. Most offer one alongside the gifts.
- Name it for what it buys. "Our wedding film" says more than "Media fund".
- Write two sentences. For example: "Instead of a crew of strangers, our closest people will film the weekend on a camcorder, and an editor will cut it into a short film. Anything toward it means we get to watch the day again."
- Set the goal to the real price, from the table below or your videographer's quote.
- Add a photo that says it: a still from a film you love, or the two of you.
- Read the fee terms. Some registry sites take a small fee on cash funds, or ask guests whether to cover it. Know which yours does before you set the goal.
- Thank people with the film. When it arrives, send the link to everyone who gave toward it.
What a fund can buy, at our prices
| What | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Your Phone, Our Edit | $549 | Your people film on their own iPhones; our editors cut a 3 to 5 minute film |
| The Single | $729 | One Sony 4K Handycam with a light; a 3 to 5 minute film and every clip |
| The Double | $989 | Two cameras, two lights and two clip-on mics; a 5 to 7 minute film |
| Guest Media Collection | $249 | A QR code for guests' photos and 60-second video messages |
| Mic kit | $50 | Two clip-on mics, so the vows and toasts are heard |
| An extra rental day | $25 | More days with the camera, for a long weekend |
| A studio film | By city | Our own crew; see pricing |
Small items make good small gifts. A guest who would not put much toward a film will happily cover the mic kit that lets you hear your vows.
When to book: before the fund fills
Gifts to a fund can arrive over months, and some come after the wedding. A camera kit travels by post and a crew books by date, so do not wait for the total. Book when you know what you want, pay for it, and let the fund pay you back. The Kit's date picker shows which dates are open. If the fund comes in short, nothing is lost: it still covers add-ons, and the full price of a Kit counts toward a studio film from us if you upgrade later.
Three ways it usually works
Parents or one relative paying for it
The simplest gift there is. They send you the amount or give through the fund, you book it in your name, and they get the film link first.
The wedding party, together
A good fit for a camera kit, because they are the people who will be filming. Six friends sharing The Single is a modest gift each, and they will care about the film because they made it. Our guide to getting guests to use the wedding camcorder gives them a plan.
Everyone, a little each
The registry fund itself. Put it near the top of the list with a photo, and it does the asking for you.
If the budget is tight
A fund does not have to buy the biggest option to be worth it. Our guide to wedding video under $1,000 spends a small budget in the right order, and our comparison of every wedding camcorder rental covers the other companies a fund could pay for.
Common questions
Can you put a videographer on your wedding registry?
Yes, as a cash fund. Most registry sites let you add one with its own name, photo, description and goal. Guests contribute toward it, and you book and pay the videographer or the rental yourself with the money.
Can a guest buy a camcorder rental as a wedding gift?
They can give the money for it. We suggest the couple books it, because the booking carries the wedding date, the shipping address and every email about the box, the music and the finished film. If a guest books it, all of that goes to the guest.
How much should a wedding video fund be?
The price of what you will book. Ours: the phone edit is $549, The Single is $729 and The Double is $989. A studio film is priced by city on our pricing page. Set the goal to the real number, so guests can see what they are helping pay for.
Is it rude to ask for money toward a wedding video?
A cash fund is an ordinary registry item now, and one named for a specific thing is easier to give to than a general one, because guests know what it buys. Keep it one item among others, describe it plainly, and never chase anyone about it.
What if the fund does not cover the wedding video?
Book what you can pay for now. The fund can still cover add-ons, or a film you book later: the full price of a Kit counts toward a studio film from us if you upgrade.
