Dion Cario Films
How Much Does a Videographer Cost in 2023?
Your wedding day is a glorious one-off event that can never be relived. With months of planning and preparation leading up to that one special day, it makes sense to have professionals there to capture every unique moment. Luckily you can hire a videographer to capture these wonderful moments and have images and footage to enjoy now and for many years to come.
While it’s likely you’ve already decided to book a photographer, you might be wondering how much does a videographer cost and is it worth the extra investment?
Table of Contents
The cost of a Wedding Videographer
The cost of a wedding videographer varies depending on where you live and greatly varies between different states and cities. In Australia, you’ll find the average cost of a videographer between $3000 – $5000. Of course, you’ll find luxury videography services at $5000 – $10,000 depending on which state you live in.
As you can tell the prices can vary significantly so it’s important to have a good understanding of cost vs expectation before you decide to book a videographer.
What affects the cost of Wedding Videography?
With such a broad range of prices, what are the factors that play a part in determining those costs? While the hours of coverage will affect the cost adding to the total, it’s more so the weeks of post-wedding editing that is attributed to the overall cost. More hours of coverage generally equals more footage that takes longer to edit. During a wedding day, many videographers will be filming for a full 8 hours. To be safe and capture every moment we recommend 10 hours of coverage that includes morning preparations through to reception formalities towards the end of the night.
Many videographers offer additional hours ranging from $200 to $400 per hour. Remember that this cost may also include the additional time needed later during post-production for the additional captured footage. Other costs to consider are the videographer’s assistant or a second videographer or cinematographer which can greatly increase the price by hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Videographer pricing
Videographers, just like photographers can be broken down into two basic pricing groups.
Some videographers offer a single package with the ability to add or remove extras such as additional time, additional edits, raw content and the use of drones while some videographers prefer to offer a range of set packages, usually increasing in price as more services are included.
Here’s what to expect from an average package
8 hours coverage
A 4-5 minute highlights edit
A wedding ceremony edit
One videographer/cinematographer
Even with a basic package the included highlights and other edits should be of professional quality with either music or music and other audio snippets captured during the wedding day.
In 2022 it’s common for wedding films to be delivered through an online platform such as Vimeo, Google Drive or Dropbox insuring your films are available as soon as possible and can easily be re-edited should any changes need to be made.
As mentioned some videographers offer unedited or raw footage for an additional fee. Due to the large size of raw video files (hundreds of gigabytes) the couple will usually receive a hard drive containing their raw footage.
Wedding Videography Extras
Just like other wedding vendors, you can expect additional fees should you request anything outside the basic videography package. So what should you expect not to be included in a basic videography package? Here are some extra services you should expect to pay more for.
Accommodation and Travel
Like most vendors, wedding videographers will charge an additional fee for weddings outside their local scope of business. If your videographer has to travel more than a couple of hours from their home town it’s likely you’ll be asked to cover their accommodation and meals. If it’s a destination wedding you will also need to cover their flights and car hire costs.
Aerial Filming - The use of Drones
Drones capture dynamic, illustrative and breath-taking video’s which display the scope and scenic context of your wedding day. An Aerial drone offers unique and grand perspectives of the beautiful locations couples choose to get married. Because videographers need to bring additional equipment, check for flight restrictions and often gain approval to fly in certain areas from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, plus be skilled in this style of filming you can expect to spend a little more should you choose this option.
Additional Edits
Although working with every little bit of footage to create the final product is part of the editing process, requesting additional edits during post-production will likely add to your costs. Some videographers may offer Feature films, Instagram and Facebook edits and even short teaser edits delivered just days after your wedding.
Should I hire a Wedding Videographer?
As with any professional you choose to hire it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons. Consider the benefits vs the outlay in costs. Ask yourself is this something we really want or need? How important are your memories and will you ever go back and watch your edits? Be sure to ask these questions before you sign a contract with your chosen videographer.
Is it worth it?
Given the opportunity, most of us would definitely choose to relive our wedding day over and over again, and hiring a wedding videographer to forever capture those memories is your chance at doing just that.
If you are interested in getting the most from your wedding day, reliving the nervous excitement and emotion and also have the budget, it’s absolutely worth booking a professional videographer. Even more so when you consider you can’t be everywhere at the same time and will likely miss many of the interactions between friends and family as your day unfolds. Once your wedding cake has been eaten, your flowers wilted and the excitement has faded the only thing you are left with are your photos and films.
When is it not worth it?
It might not be worth hiring a videographer if your budget is already maxed out. Again take some time to consider what is important to you. If you’ve only budgeted a small amount for a wedding videographer, it’s very unlikely you’ll receive something that is engaging to watch or even watchable. Bargain basement prices means a bargain basement job, is that something you really want to remember you wedding day by? You may consider reinvesting that money and enjoying those extra funds during your honeymoon.
How to find the perfect Wedding Videographer
The best way to find your ideal videographer is often through your direct friend network. Your wedding planner, venue or photographer may know some professional videographers and be able to share some contacts.
Social media can be a helpful tool in finding the right videographer but keep in mind just because a particular videographer (or any other vendor) has thousands of Instagram followers, that don’t necessarily mean they would be an ideal fit. Followers can easily be bought to inflate popularity so do your homework and lookout for any red flags.
Once you’ve found your dream wedding videographer whose work you connect with, check out their Google reviews and ask them any questions you feel are important plus all the general questions such as:
How many years have you been filming weddings?
How many weddings do you film in a year?
What is your style of videography?
What exactly will you film on the day?
How do you back up your footage?
Do you use licensed music?
Is the videographer you’re meeting with the person who will be filming on your wedding day?
Do you outsource your editing overseas or is it all done in-house?
How long does it take for you to edit my wedding video?
Will you arrange a pre-wedding consultation?
Dion Cario Films: About Me
The best gift I can give to you is to be fully present on your wedding day and immersed in your wedding film.
Hello new friend, I’m Dion and thanks for stopping by my little corner of the interwebs. I have always felt there is something remarkable about being able to capture moments that would otherwise be lost forever.
Over the past few years, my style has evolved to follow my heart and for you, capturing genuine moments, people, kind words and love as it happens is something I hold dear. I believe a good story is so much more than pretty images and music—it’s about heartfelt moments, genuine emotion, and the honest connection between people.
I believe a wedding is much more than just an event, it’s a story of two people that’s just beginning to unfold.
