Hey there, beautiful brides-to-be (and grooms, too)!

Why Ask Your Wedding Videographer Questions?

As a wedding videographer who’s been capturing love stories for years, I’ve seen it all. When couples reach out to me, they’re often focused on the basics: availability, package pricing, hours of coverage, and highlight reels. But there are some crucial questions that often get overlooked — questions that can make all the difference in your wedding film experience. So, let’s dive into the top five questions - in order of importance - you didn’t think to ask your wedding videographer (but totally should!).

1. What Types of Camera Gear Do You Use?

The equipment your videographer uses can drastically impact the final look and feel of your wedding film from a movement perspective. The most common ones gear used are: gimbal, monopod, glidecam, or handheld with a smallrig cage. There are pros and cons to any of them, and should be considered when vetting your potential wedding videographer. The type of gear utilized with the camera will have drastic effects on the overall quality and style of your final video. Are they rocking a gimbal for those smooth cinematic shots? A monopod for steady ceremony and speeches footage? Or perhaps a handheld setup for a raw, documentary vibe? Ask upfront what type of equipment they use, as well as take a look at their final video products.

My Personal Opinion: Gimbals Aren't For Me.

As stated in the paragraph title above, this is literally just my opinion. It's not the end all be all, it's not law, it's not right, it's not wrong. For me, I can always tell when it's a gimbal because of what I call the "gimbal jerk", that is an unnatural movement that happens when it's a steady and smooth shot but then does a sudden correct. It drives me nuts. Some people don't notice and don't mind! I've also heard horror stories of gimbals overheating and malfunctioning on particularly hot or sunny days or if they are imbalanced. On top of that, if your videographer likes to utilize many different prime lenses, there is a lot more down time needed to switch out the lens and re-stabilize the camera. This may lead to some organic, special moments to be missed.

Monopods have their place. If that's all your potential videographer utilizes, please proceed with caution. For me, in any situation that requires steady and static coverage, but still have the ability to pivot and move if necessary, I love my monopod. Videographers that are too attached to their monopods all day will likely lack any dynamic movement in their shot (i.e. the background is moving because the videographer is also moving). This can also be a big challenge when it comes to having the ability to react to your environment and ensuring the moment is caught. Oftentimes you will find guests, or even other seasoned vendors (yes, I am looking at you photographers) aren't paying attention to their surroundings and they step into your frame, losing coverage of those precious moments, and those clips hitting the cutting room floor.

For majority of the day, I rock a SmallRig cage on my primary camera. This allows me to be able to provide dynamic movement shots and to be able to be truly run and gun - to control the things I can control, which is my angle on the shot I am trying to capture. It also allows me to utilize a 24-70 mm lens, where I can switch between focal lengths with ease and speed. For most gimbals and glidecams included, using a zoom lens at different enough focal lengths will oftentimes throw the balance off, leading most to use a primary lens. There is absolutely nothing wrong with primary lenses, but I personally find I am able to grab many more focal lengths (like tight and wide shots) and perspectives of a moment efficiently by combining the ability to zoom in and out, and not just limiting myself to the distance and angle of the lens in perspective of the desired frame. For the dancefloor, you will always find me rocking a prime lens thanks to their amazing performance in low light settings.

Understanding the gear also gives you insight into how flexible your videographer is with different shooting environments. For instance, a videographer with a drone can capture breathtaking aerial shots of your venue, while a handheld camera can capture intimate, behind-the-scenes moments.

Green Flags:

• They explain their gear and how it affects the footage.

• They use a mix of tools for versatility.

• They show examples of different styles they've achieved with various gear.

  
  

Red Flags:

• They can’t articulate what equipment they use or why.

• They rely solely on handheld shots (which would be an Olympic feat of strength for a 30 minute ceremony).

• They refuse to adapt their gear for different events of the day.

2. How Many Weddings Do You Take On Each Year?

This question is key to understanding how much attention and energy your videographer can dedicate to your big day. Some videographers prioritize quality over quantity, while others may pack their calendar to maximize income.

My Personal Opinion: Don't Book Someone Who Does 16+ Weddings in the Busy Season

Let's do some math: peak wedding season is typically from May - October (6 months, or half the year). This means if your potential wedding videographer books more than 18 weddings during busy season, they are averaging 3 weddings a month. Most months have 4 weekends, meaning they're working all but one weekend a month. That means every Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, they're filming a wedding. A wedding that has to be edited in post production. Which will more than likely take them longer than 4 working days during the week (some, depending on the type of package the client chose, take me more than twice that amount of time!). This leaves little to no room for error, sickness, life, or time off before the videographer quickly gets behind schedule. Leading to longer wait times and turnaround times for your videos that you are dying to see.

This doesn't even begin to cover the topic of burnout either. Creative burnout is real, it exists, and happens to the best of us. In order to thrive creatively and give our best efforts to creating a beautiful cinematic masterpiece for you, there needs to be a max.

Personally, I cap my peak wedding season at no more than 15 weddings (normally there are around 3-5 on the off season that I like to take to keep my skill set fresh).

Knowing this about your potential wedding videographer helps you gauge how responsive they’ll be leading up to your wedding and how much time they’ll spend perfecting your final film.

Green Flags:

• They shoot 15-18 weddings during peak wedding season — enough to stay sharp but not burnt out.

• They prioritize quality over quantity.

• They space out their schedule to allow ample time for editing (i.e. only take on a max of 3 weddings a month and don't do back-to-back weddings, aka: 'double-headers').

• They offer personalized attention and communication throughout the whole pre- and post-wedding process.

  
  

Red Flags:

• They’re booked every weekend with double- or triple-headers.

• They hesitate to give a number (which can signal overbooking or a lack of organization).

• They’re new and taking on too many gigs to “gain experience.”

• They rush through editing to meet contract deadlines, leaving mistakes or low quality final videos.

3. Do You Edit the Footage Yourself or Outsource It?

Editing is where the magic happens — where your love story comes to life. So, knowing who’s behind that magic is crucial.

My Personal Opinion: Outsourcing Is Wildly Impersonal

Not to ruffle the feathers of anyone who does outsource their editing, but I don't think I'd ever have the heart to outsource any of my post production editing process. You wedding day is too personal, I am way to emotionally invested in the couple, and will always make sure the littlest moment, like your mother giving you your late grandmothers pearls as a 'something borrowed', which may not be so little to you, never goes unnoticed, and will always make it into your final videos.

To me, outsourcing the editing suggests that every wedding video can follow a simple formula to produce the final result. To me, it screams impersonal. But again, this third question may be hand in hand with the second - if they're taking on too many weddings, are they aiming for quantity over quality, are they willing to put their profit ahead of your personalization? Of their answer is they outsource, they better have a very detailed reason why. Some wedding videographers love and thrive being able to film the day and strongly dislike the editing portion. And that's why you get only wedding video editors too! They love the editing part of the process but hate the shooting.

Some videographers handle all editing in-house, while others outsource to third-party editors. While outsourcing isn’t inherently bad, it can greatly affect the consistency and emotional storytelling of your final film.

Green Flags:

• They personally handle the editing or have an in-house team.

• Their editing style is consistent with what you’ve seen in their portfolio.

• They have a clear timeline for delivery.

• They offer customization options for music and color grading.

Red Flags:

• They outsource to freelancers who’ve never met you or attended your wedding.

• Their editing style seems inconsistent across different weddings.

• They have vague delivery timelines (or worse, no timeline at all).

• They charge hidden fees for revisions.

4. Do You Offer Raw Footage?

While not every couple wants raw footage, asking this question gives you insight into their transparency and flexibility.

My Personal Opinion: Put your Ego Aside and Just Offer the Raw Footage Already

Here I am at it again! We are not just ruffling feathers here, I decided to try to blow them right off the bird. To me, this is when wedding videographers and photographers alike tend to get on their high horses to mask their ego and insecurities. What are you trying to hide by scoffing at potential clients who are asking if you offer raw footage? As a professional, it is our job to educate the clients as to what raw footage is, and provide clear boundaries for use and publication of the raw footage in your iron-clad contract.

Although I do not inherently advertise that I offer raw footage in any of my packages or a la carte add ons on my website, if a couple asks for raw footage, I will gladly hand it over for an additional fee. But before doing so, I set expectations for what raw footage actually is: do they know what log footage is? Do they have the correct software to edit it? Do they know someone who is going to edit the footage for them? Instead of leading with judgment, I try my very best to lead with curiosity to better understand what the client is truly asking for.

Raw footage can be a valuable keepsake for future anniversaries or to share special moments with family who couldn’t attend.

Green Flags:

• They offer raw footage as an add-on option.

• They explain what raw footage entails (uncut, unpolished clips).

• They provide clear pricing and delivery details.

• They store footage for a certain period in case you want additional edits later.

Red Flags:

• They refuse to provide raw footage or act defensive when asked.

• They charge an outrageous fee for access.

• They claim they “delete all raw files after editing” (yikes!).

• They deliver incomplete or low-quality raw files.

5. Will You Be the One Shooting My Wedding, or Will It Be an Associate?

This question is especially important if you’re hiring a larger company with multiple associate shooters. You want to make sure the person you’ve built a relationship with during the planning process is the one capturing your special moments. Again, like with the editing process, this also screams impersonalization and lack of catering to each client specifically, which was addressed with question 3 in a more obvious way.

Green Flags:

• They personally commit to filming your wedding.

• If they do send an associate, they provide examples of their work.

• They allow you to meet the associate ahead of time (i.e. in scheduled meetings).

• They maintain consistent editing style, even with different shooters.

Red Flags:

• They send an associate without telling you.

• They can’t show you the associate’s portfolio.

• They dodge the question entirely.

• They hire freelancers with no experience in wedding videography.

Final Thoughts

Ladies, I get it — the wedding world is overwhelming. But asking these five questions will empower you to choose a videographer who aligns with your vision and values. Sometimes, the wedding videographer who is a one woman show and offers a personalized experience that is emotionally invested in your adoring your film, is worth its weight in gold for the quality of film you will receive. If you choose to go with a production company that seems like a good deal, please tamper expectations on the effort they'll put into filming and editing your wedding day. Your wedding film is an investment that will last a lifetime, so it’s worth finding someone who truly “gets” you and your love story.

Remember, the right videographer will not only capture your day beautifully but will also make you feel comfortable and confident throughout the process. So, grab that wedding planning notebook and start asking the right questions!

Happy planning, lovebirds!

xo,

Kierra

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If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out more of my work in my blog or wedding portfolio. If you are interested in having me film your wedding, head over to my wedding package pricing page or feel free to contact me!