A wedding video can be an exciting way to relive the memories of your special day in a more true-to-life manner than wedding pictures alone allow. With such an important task, you may be wondering how to choose a wedding videographer who is talented, delivers a quality final product, and does it all at a price you can afford. Well, we promise, it is possible to find a great wedding videographer that can meet all your expectations. Follow these tips to make the hiring process a breeze.

Check the Portfolio: Like photographers, wedding videographers typically offer sample videos that show off their work. While browsing, ask yourself- does the final product capture the tone of the wedding? Is the sound decent? Does it feel like they captured all the important moments, or is it just not personal enough?

Talk About Time: A wedding videographer may offer several different options for covering your day. In some cases, they may be with you from the moment you step onto the property to get ready til you exit in the limo at the end of the night. More modest packages may cover just the ceremony or just the reception. Be sure to talk to your wedding videography about exactly how much time you’re getting for your money.

Cost: Wedding videography is one area where the sky truly is the limit as far as what can be done, so it’s important to be realistic about your budget. Depending on the cameras used, the amount of videographers filming, and the complexity of the post-production process, your total cost can vary enormously. Talk to your videographer about the amount of post-work you want done: do you want color correction, lots of editing, and a grand soundtrack, or do you want the final project to feel more natural and documentary style? Your answers will determine a lot about your cost.

Experience: This is a tricky issue with wedding videographers. Some professionals do nothing but shoot weddings full-time, but others are just-as-talented film professionals who shoot weddings on the side. Rely on your gut feeling, customer reviews, and the portfolio to tell you what you need to know, rather than assuming that years always equal skills.

Important Questions for the Interview:

– What style of videography do you specialize in?
– How many hours does your package include?
– How much is overtime?
– What equipment do you use?
– What are my options for the finished wedding video? DVD? Blu-Ray?
– Can I have access to the raw footage?
– What is the turn around time for getting my final video?