How much wedding videography coverage do you need?
This video answers a question we hear from couples who book photography first: how many hours of video do you really need? Usually the same as your photographer, or about 3 to 4 hours for the essentials.
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Match your video hours to your photography
Photography and videography usually work hand in hand. If you have already booked a photographer and are now booking a videographer, we generally want both to have the same amount of coverage and duration. That way either of us can initiate the beginning of the day, the details and the getting ready, and you have footage of both sides at any given time.
The benefit for video is completeness. When the videographer is there for the whole arc, they have a full story to deliver rather than a highlight reel with gaps. You want a team that is synchronized between photography and videography, so they get footage on both sides without waiting on each other.
If a shorter film is what you want, we recommend covering the most important portion: from the first look, or from the beginning of the ceremony, all the way to about the first dance or some of the speeches. That gives the videographer a natural place to conclude, and it typically comes to about 3 to 4 hours.
Why one synchronized team works better
Two separate companies are usually not a very good idea. The photographer does not know what the videographer needs. The photographer returns the couple to their guests, the videographer requests them again, and you bounce back and forth. It gets confusing, and it eats time.
What we recommend is photography and videography from the same team. Our photographers and videographers work the day as one crew, know when to step aside for one another, and cover the wedding from beginning to end with the same number of hours.
Choosing between the full day and the core
The compact version starts at the first look, or at the beginning of the ceremony, and ends after the first dance or a few of the speeches. What falls outside that window, getting ready, the details, and the open dance floor, will be in your photographs but not in your film.
Our wedding collections include 6 or 8 hours of coverage depending on the package, and when photo and video are booked together we plan both to the same hours. Films are delivered in 8 to 12 weeks and photo galleries in 4 to 8 weeks.
What our team does about this on the day
Starting with details and getting ready
When photo and video share the same hours, one of us initiates the beginning portion of the day, the details and then the getting ready on each side. We take turns so you have footage of both sides from the start.
Staying in sync between crews
Because our photographers and videographers come from the same team, nobody sends you back to cocktail hour only to call you out again. When one of us needs the couple for a few minutes, the other knows, and we share that time.
Concluding at the first dance
With shorter coverage, the videographer works from the first look or the start of the ceremony through the first dance or some of the speeches, then concludes. That is typically about 3 to 4 hours; the photographer carries on.
Couples usually ask
Do we need the same number of video hours as photo hours?
That is what we recommend. With the same amount of coverage and duration, either of us can start the day with the details and getting ready, and both crews cover the wedding from beginning to end, so the film has a complete story.
What if we only want the key moments on video?
Cover from the first look or the beginning of the ceremony through the first dance or some of the speeches. That typically takes about 3 to 4 hours and captures the most important portion of the day, with a natural ending for the videographer.
Can we hire a separate videographer from another company?
You can, but we usually advise against it. Two teams that are not in sync tend to trade the couple back and forth, one returning you to your guests while the other requests you again. Photo and video from the same team avoid that confusion.
How long until we receive our wedding film?
Films are delivered in 8 to 12 weeks, and photo galleries in 4 to 8 weeks. On the photography side you receive unlimited edited photos and a lifetime gallery, and when both are booked together the film and gallery arrive telling the same story.
Related guides from the series
Twenty-eight short videos answering the questions couples ask us before the day.
See all 28 wedding planning guides, or read the studio FAQ.
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