Do I need a Wedding Videographer?

The Earle-Harrison House in Waco, Texas

Weddings can be stressful. Everyone knows this. Between the planning of the “when” and the “where,” couples often can find themselves at the crossroads of Dream Wedding Street and Reasonable Budget Avenue. These things stack up fast. In fact, the average cost of 2019 weddings in the U.S. hit just under the $34,000 mark.

There’s a reason that number is the average though, especially when you take into consideration the mega-millionaire events that celebrities like the Kardashians throw to celebrate their marriages. According to research from ValuePenguin, the average wedding cost in Texas is significantly lower at $24,520. That’s almost 10k less than the national average.

So, when you’re down to the wire and attempting to stay within a reasonable budget, should you cut videography out of the equation?

As a wedding videographer, my stance is pretty clear, but not for the reasons you may think. In fact, my wedding did not feature a wedding videographer (kind of.) Our wedding was on a microbudget, one where the photographer took up about 30-40% of the budget if I remember correctly. We simply couldn’t swing it at that time in our lives.

And that’s ok.

Do I regret not having one? Sure. One of my biggest regrets is not having our vows recorded in some form. We still have photos snapshotting moments from the day, and that is a blessing to have, but never re-hearing the words we spoke that day is hard.

And that’s where we find the biggest difference (in my mind) between wedding photography and videography. Both are important, but this is how I distinguish whether or not it’s a priority for a specific individual.

Wedding photos are to share with the world. Frame it up on your walls, post it on social media, or even do something silly like put it on coffee mugs. It’s an outward expression of your love and what happened from an arms distance away.

Wedding videos’ greatest strength, on the other hand, is 5,10, 15 years from now when you can’t remember specific details of what happened. It’s to see the micro-expressions on your spouses face as they nervously say “I do.” Sure, you can post it on social media or play it for friends, but the wedding video’s true power is in more intimate settings where you can bring yourself back to how it felt to be there.

I 100% realize that this isn’t a vibe for everyone. It doesn’t have to be. In fact, I’d prefer to only work for those who are about that. Budgets, however, don’t run away. So I like to tell anyone who is on a budget like I was, to not be afraid to reach out to your favorite vendors. We can’t change package pricing on a whim, but there may be unadvertised, stripped down options that fit that cozy place in between what you need & what your budget is.