Let’s be honest: hiring professionals for your wedding day is an investment. You’re going to be paying someone for weeks of their time, and it doesn’t come cheap. You want to make sure you book the right team for your wedding!

You might be tempted to ask the typical “how long have you been in business” questions, but it’s not important if the videographer has shot at your venue before or how long they’ve been filming weddings. If you’ve checked out their work + loved it, expect the same for your film! So, coming from a full-time wedding videographer, here are the things I would ask if I were getting married again:

Now these questions, in my opinion, are the most overlooked. I know some VERY talented videographers, but I also see them taking on sometimes 10+ projects a month. For you, that means less dedicated time to your project, potentially less creativity and video burnout, and months waiting on your film. You want someone who can back up your footage and begin working on your project as soon as the next day! (ahem – Passenger!) We have been known to even deliver same day sneak peek edits if we have a 0 backlog week.

1. How many other projects are you going to be working on the same week/weeks/month as mine?
2. How much time do you typically dedicate to each project?
3. When do you think you’d be able to start editing my film + deliver it?

Next, ask them about their style + how they like to work with others.

4) Have you worked with my photographer before?

It’s important that the style of your photographer and videographer can mesh. We have worked with photographers who simply did not understand what we were looking for and the poses/style they were shooting in just didn’t help our case at all. You want a team who can benefit from each other’s ideas + truly have fun with each other! (Photo flash in outdoor portrait sessions or during letter reading can severely inhibit the look and feel of a candid film, standing in the way of someone during the ceremony, other issues like this).

5) What’s your style of shooting day-of?

One thing couples forget about is the production. We are essentially creating a movie trailer for your day (with a much smaller crew haha) – that means, we are bringing a solid amount of gear! You will want to know that up front. Are you uncomfortable with cameras in your face? Do you want the videographer to give you space, or would you be upset if they weren’t being more aggressive and getting those tight shots? What about having a mic on? We see some of these things as essential to a masterfully crafted film, but you’ll want to know before agreeing to anything exactly what to expect. For instance, Alex and I mic up the groom and officiant during the ceremony. We typically have 3 cameras rolling as well. We also bring lights to dimly lit receptions so we can still have great speech videos for the final film.

You also want to know how you’ll get along with the team day-of, aside from the production. Do you enjoy talking to the videographer? Do they make you feel comfortable + excited for the day? Will they be more like a fly on the wall, or bubbly and talkative? Many people don’t realize just how much time we will be with you on the day, so make sure you can be friendly/friends at the end of the day!

6) Ask them why they’re the best choice. Allow them to sell themselves; they may have particular benefits they haven’t mentioned that might surprise you!

7) Are you the only videographer on your team, or will you have someone else shoot for you?

You do NOT want someone to hire an associate videographer for your day. The quality of work comes from someone knowing what you love, shooting it, and then editing it as well. Obviously, unfortunate things come up that we can’t control. That’s the downside of booking projects 1 year+ out. But, in general, it’s good to know who you should expect to see on the big day, and to form relationships with that person from booking to wedding day.

8) What other fees are associated with your prices?

While we choose to be straight-up with our prices on our intro guide, some may add ridiculous fees or have upgrade charges for drone or travel.

9) You can also ask them if they are full-time or part-time.

While it isn’t crucial that the team is full-time, it does make a difference in their ability to focus their time and attention on you.

10) How are they going to be backing up your files after the wedding?

Because we try to begin editing our projects the Monday after the wedding and typically have at least a really solid draft ready before shooting another wedding, we don’t have to worry about backing up our files. But if you know the person you’re looking into has lots of weddings in the queue, you want to make sure your files are well-looked after until your film gets worked on.

11) Finally, ask them how much communication is necessary after booking, until the wedding day.

How much of a time commitment do the videographers need to get to know you and about your event before the wedding? Do they need to meet in-person, or will phone calls suffice? Totally up to you on what you prefer! We often forget to mention this part, and in terms of formal communication, we don’t start all of the detail-acquiring until a month before. We don’t want to ask you a bajillion formal questions if the details aren’t yet set in stone!

Note on the cover photo:

Glam @jayce_troman9_lab @lochnessa_makeup_creations Jayce Troman Lab, Vanessa Silvana Makeup
Venue @powelcrosleyestate Powel Crosley Estate in Sarasota, FL
Photo @thehellophoto Amy Fitch from The Hello Photo
Floral @styledinblooms Styled in Blooms
Planning @bellasposaevents BellaSposa Events
Party @impulsedjs Impulse DJs
Dress @martinalianabridal @oneandonlybridal_ Martina Liana Bridal, One and Only Bridal