How Much Do Wedding Videographers Charge?

If you’re a bride and have been on the hunt on prices for a Wedding Videographer, you may have been surprised on the quotes you have received. Wedding Videographers can cost you anywhere from $1,300 to more than $4,000, that’s depending on the level of expertise of the videographer, your wedding location, their experience, and their value. So why do wedding videographers charge what they charge? Let’s break it down for a better understanding.

Gear: We all know camera equipment is not cheap. Have you seen those big, black squared-looking cameras professional photographers use? Yeah, those cameras cost a lot, and are used by videographers as well. For example, the Canon 1DX II, can cost approximately $4000, and that’s just the camera. A single professional lens can cost $1000. That’s already $5000 a videographer has spent to film your wedding. This could take several weddings to pay back on the investment to provide good quality films to clients. A videographer needs at least two cameras, ideally, three. Plus, you still have tripods, lighting, lapel mics and other equipment that can easily add up costs.

Drone and Certification: This is an extra special piece of equipment that costs money, about $1000, and requires a license by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) if used for commercial reasons, such as wedding films. The FAA requires anyone who is using a drone and getting paid to use it to have passed a test for certification. This test costs $150 - $160, plus a drone registration fee, not to mention the course purchased to train for the exam. Not having certification and flying a drone while getting paid for it is illegal and the FAA will sue your wedding videographer if caught.

Music: Did you ever upload a video on Instagram with a popular song and Instagram blocked it because of music copyright issues? Same thing applies for wedding films. Using popular streaming songs, like that romantic Ed Sheeran song, without proper licensing from the music company is illegal and the music company can sue the pants off your wedding videographer. Using these songs is possible, but only if they’re available for licensing purchase, and one song can cost from $49 - $100 to use. This is why videographers go with music licensing services, and a yearly subscription can cost up to $750.00.

Education: A good videographer who is serious in providing the best will have invested time and money into courses, mentorships, podcasts and/or workshops. A single course can cost $1000. This requires time and effort to better hone their skills in order to create amazing and beautiful wedding films, become better at editing, be more professional, bring more value to the table and, thus, should be compensated accordingly.

Software: I won’t get into the details and costs of software but all these are essential to run the business.

Editing Software, Video Delivery Software, Customer Relationship Management Software, Accounting Software.

There are other factors involved as well, such as time and travel. These are just some of the examples for a better understanding on what’s involved behind a price.