Wedding Are You Using a Videographer/Cinematographer?

[SarahLovesJS]

Okay, well since my first topic was a bust I am going to try it this way.

Are you using a videographer? If so, what''s your budget (if you don''t mind sharing)? And more importantly how did you find them?

 

[Sabine]

We aren''t. This wasn''t in the budget, so this was one thing we decided we were willing to cut.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Just wanted to say thanks for replying ((hug)). Our budget is shrinking so we are thinking about using a friend I went to HS with and just buying her a shiny new camera as payment. I know she''s good at it, so I guess that could work, right? Hmmm...

 

[mimzy]

same as sabine - we aren''t hiring one because there''s just not room in the budget. i''ll probably have one of my cousins''s camcorder it up for the ceremony and beginning of the reception. i don''t care if it is fancy (no background music or fading in and out shots necessary), i just want the important stuff

.

 

[oobiecoo]

We aren''t having one. Partly because of our budget but also because I just don''t think I''ll miss it. We might put some pics to music on a dvd or something though later.

 

[AceP]

i had a pretty pricey wedding but skipped video because it just seemed money not worth spending. i do not regret it at all. call me crazy, but i''d rather close my eyes and picture the day and recall the words we exchanged without the videographic play-by-play.

 

[sumbride]

I didn''t do it because DH was very opposed to it. He''s not comfortable with video cameras... doesn''t like regular ones either, but he knew that wasn''t optional. My mom wanted a videographer but was ok with us not doing it.

I don''t miss it. I love looking at my wedding pictures, and we have them in an electronic frame so they scroll like a video, but I''m ok with not having a "movie" of our wedding. No regrets whatsoever.

It''s a "nice to have" for some people, but if your budget is tight, don''t worry about it.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Hmm...well I think I am giving up on the 16mm and 8mm thing for sure. It looks like it''ll be someone less expensive or my friend.

Unfortunately, to buy her a camera is about the same price as hiring someone. So I should probably just hire someone.

 

[goldenstar]

We are splurging on it. I thought I could pass, but once I got a glimpse of a quality videographer I knew I wanted one. There are so many cheesy ones out there and for me it was either a great one or none at all. Unfortunately the great ones are super expensive.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Tell me about it.

I understand that they need to make money, but lordy!! Do they have to charge so much, really? Eh, whatever, right? We''ll figure it out sigh. Can you tell I am freaking?

 

[Aim_Turbo]

We hired a videographer but only because we got an ok deal. FI''s brother in law is a video editor so he''s going to do all the editing for pretty close to free so the videographer only has to do the raw footage. The total cost will still be under 1000 so I thiink it''s worth it. Finding a videographer was horrible. The first one I found sounded good then my mom got iinto a fight with him over the phone about the deposit and all hell broke loose!! The company we''re using now is from a referral from the photographer who did my brother''s wedding. We''re happy to have the videographer, I saw some old video''s of my grandparents getting married and it wsa really awesome to see it.

To each their own, it fit in our budget so we went ahead with it, if it didn''t we wouldn''t..no big deal

 

[goldenstar]

Date: 4/28/2008 1:24:00 PM
Author: SarahLovesJS
Tell me about it.

I understand that they need to make money, but lordy!! Do they have to charge so much, really? Eh, whatever, right? We''ll figure it out sigh. Can you tell I am freaking?

I agree, its highway robbery. I think that great videographers cost so much more because they spend a lot more time on editing. We''re paying a lot for our guy, but there is unlimited editing. The video is done when he feels its done.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 4/28/2008 1:42:01 PM
Author: goldenstar

Date: 4/28/2008 1:24:00 PM

Author: SarahLovesJS

Tell me about it.

I understand that they need to make money, but lordy!! Do they have to charge so much, really? Eh, whatever, right? We''ll figure it out sigh. Can you tell I am freaking?

I agree, its highway robbery. I think that great videographers cost so much more because they spend a lot more time on editing. We''re paying a lot for our guy, but there is unlimited editing. The video is done when he feels its done.

Well that''s good, at least he is putting a lot of work into. Makes it more worth it I think. We just doubled our photography budget which shrunk the videography budget.

Oopsie!

 

[zoebartlett]

We''re not using a videographer. Neither one of us particularly like having our picture taken, and it will be enough to have our photographer and her husband (who''s also her assistant) there, following us around all day. I looked into videographers but decided that a) we wouldn''t feel comfortable enough and b) it''s way too expensive.

Friends of ours used one a few years ago at their wedding and they e-mailed the link to their video to us when it was completed. It was great and we must have played it a dozen or so times. If it''s in your budget and you''d be okay with it, I say go for it.

Our photographer is going to make a DVD for us, set to music, and we''re looking forward to seeing that. It''s pretty much like what we''d get from a videographer -- the only difference I see is that the pics will be stills, not action shots.

 

[lucy.lucy.80]

we considered it but at $1095 and up for just the basic video (unedited), it just didn''t seem worth it to us. I have a camcorder so someone is just going to tape the ceremony and big reception stuff (champagne toast, first dances, cake cutting).

 

[Courtneylub]

My first marriage wasn''t recorded and I always regreted it. Obviously, it doesn''t matter now, but it did to me for a long time.

Now, my budget I set was $2000 for photographer AND videographer. If I couldn''t find a good photographer for under $2000, then I would have a friend or family member record it. Fortunately, I found an awesome deal on photography and the least expensive videographer I could find charges $950. He''s not spectacular, but it will be worth it I believe.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Hmm. So maybe this is doable. We might could do about $1,000 to $1,500 I think. We just still have wedding bands and the honeymoon to pay for.

 

[Haven]

The videographer was actually a non-negotiable for me. We love home videos (FI actually has a ton from when he was a kid and I can''t get enough) so it''s natural that we want a video of our wedding. We bought a video camera together after we''d been dating for only a year, and we''ve been documenting things ever since.

Anyway . . . our videographer costs $1,795 for video of our entire wedding, including the ceremony and reception, and an edited dvd. Our photographer also offers videographry services, which I love because together we know they''ll catch everything on some sort of film.

We found our photography/videographer through local wedding services. We interviewed many different vendors and decided that we like him the best after looking at his books and videos.

If it''s in your budget, I say go for it. I never got the video from my bat mitzvah (ceremony or reception) because we used a film student who somehow ruined the video after the event. I was heartbroken, and I WISH that I had that video today. (Especially to see loved ones who have since passed.)

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 4/28/2008 11:59:02 PM
Author: Haven
(Especially to see loved ones who have since passed.)

That''s really important to me, too. It''s kind of sad, but a big chunk of the people on my Mom and Dad''s wedding video are gone now. So watching theirs is always really emotional. But I think it''s the only video we have of my grandfather and grandmother. And to my knowledge we don''t have much more of my parents at this point either, so this is something that is important to me. Not as important as photography, but still important.

 

[Haven]

Date: 4/29/2008 12:07:14 AM
Author: SarahLovesJS

Date: 4/28/2008 11:59:02 PM

Author: Haven

(Especially to see loved ones who have since passed.)

That''s really important to me, too. It''s kind of sad, but a big chunk of the people on my Mom and Dad''s wedding video are gone now. So watching theirs is always really emotional. But I think it''s the only video we have of my grandfather and grandmother. And to my knowledge we don''t have much more of my parents at this point either, so this is something that is important to me. Not as important as photography, but still important.

I know what you mean, Sarah. My FI''s mother passed away five years ago so it''s really nice that they have so many videos of her.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 4/29/2008 12:11:36 AM
Author: Haven

Date: 4/29/2008 12:07:14 AM

Author: SarahLovesJS

Date: 4/28/2008 11:59:02 PM


Author: Haven


(Especially to see loved ones who have since passed.)

That''s really important to me, too. It''s kind of sad, but a big chunk of the people on my Mom and Dad''s wedding video are gone now. So watching theirs is always really emotional. But I think it''s the only video we have of my grandfather and grandmother. And to my knowledge we don''t have much more of my parents at this point either, so this is something that is important to me. Not as important as photography, but still important.

I know what you mean, Sarah. My FI''s mother passed away five years ago so it''s really nice that they have so many videos of her.

I am so sorry! This reminded me, sorry to divert from the topic, but my friend''s grandfather and her husband''s grandfather died within 5 minutes of each other last weekend. I feel so sorry for her because she is about to graduate from college within the next 3 weeks and that is bound to be rough to be supporting him and grieving herself at the same time.

Grief is not cool.