2020 Wedding Videographer Pricing Guide
Back in 2017, we published a pricing guide for wedding videography based on our experience in the industry, the blog focused on the Canadian prairie provinces as pricing structures can change dramatically from coast to coast. This blog managed to gain a significant following on Pinterest and generated all sorts of messages from brides looking for more information asking “how much should I pay for wedding videography?”
So here we are again, adding three more years of experience to the mix, helping offer you a guide to pricing wedding videography services in the year 2020. Having talked with a few wedding planner friends it looks as if the average wedding in Manitoba is still around $25,000, some wedding being more expensive, some less. No matter who you’re hiring, the service is only worth what you’re willing to pay for it. Hopefully, this post can help you set a budget, a “we’re willing to pay this much” marker.
1. The “On the Cheap” Videographer ($1,000)
Over the last few years, we’ve started to mentor many up and coming videographers throughout Winnipeg and even online. If you don’t have budget room for video, you can very well find someone starting out to film your wedding for under $1,000. To find someone reliable you’ll probably need to talk with someone familiar with the industry. If you’re going to spend under $1,000 on video services, know that you’re probably missing out on a couple of things:
$1,000 is not a sustainable rate for a wedding videographer to charge in North America. After post-production, the videographer has probably worked for less than minimum wage. Take note that the videographer you’re hiring probably doesn’t have much experience or bookings this year.
With only a little experience under their belt, you can probably count on entry-level cameras and you’d be lucky if they had professional audio recording equipment.
Be careful of signing quickly written contracts and consider the danger of your videographer not being insured.
Overall, the $1,000 range is not where professional wedding videographers are. Know that at this price range you’ll be making some compromises.
2. The “Side Hustle” Videographer ($2000)
With the popularization of the “side hustle” and entrepreneurial culture in general, there is a whole new host of side hustle videographers emerging within markets across North America. This gives you, the consumer, more choice and ultimately the best of the best come out on top. In Winnipeg we’ve seen some very talented side hustlers who excel at the work that they do! As side hustlers often work full time somewhere else, there are a few things which the consumer should consider.
At $2,000 this videographer may be taking on more bookings than they can manage. $2,000 has been the consumer sweet spot for years, yet the work required to shoot and edit a full wedding cannot be profitably and sustainably accomplished at that price point. We wary of due dates and ensure that your contract has protections for you the client.
You can count on mid-level camera gear and some audio equipment which will help your videographer produce a more polished finish product for you.
3. The Professional Videography ($3000+)
At Prairie Film Co. we start our wedding packages at $3,000. Over the last few years we’ve been able to determine just how much time is necessary to complete a wedding edit and to clarify how much money our time is worth. At our starting price point, we’re able to deliver a superior quality product to our clients while still ensuring that our bills get paid.
When you hire a professional you can come to expect a high degree of technical knowledge and experience in production and post-production. If something goes wrong on your wedding day, odds are that your professional vendors have dealt with it before and that they have a plan to help you through the situation. This peace of mind is something that money can’t buy.
Professional videographers will have top of the line camera and audio equipment. Good audio is the hidden secret of wedding videography. Try watching a video with bad sound… before you hire a videographer make sure that they have a track record of recording good, clean audio.
The nice thing about professionals is that they take care to protect their clients. Contracts are not one-sided but have concessions for their clients in the case of emergency and protect their clients from accidents or mistakes.
In Conclusion
What still rings true in my mind is something my Grandmother said to me years ago. “You get what you pay for.” While there is nothing wrong with paying less than average for videography services, consider that your final products will probably be “less than average.” We encourage you to use this guide to set your budget and subsequently pursue a videographer that will meet your needs. We wish you the best as you plan your wedding!
