Here’s What QUALITY Wedding Videography ACTUALLY Costs

[@AmariProductions]

Hope you guys enjoyed this one!! What questions do you have? What topics do you want to see us dive into more? Let me know!!

[@jamminjspitz]

I might have been one of the first few weddings you guys filmed 9 years ago!

[@AmariProductions]

You are literally row 1 in our 1000+ row spreadsheet. Not even kidding.

[@TheNightOwl1212]

I’m getting married a month from today and a highlight video was my number one want when it came to planning. I’m in Maine and most of the wedding videographers I researched were high end-averaging 3500 starting and going up from there. I’m pleased with the company we chose in the end, but it was definitely our biggest splurge!

[@AmariProductions]

Oh! I should have covered this! In areas of the country that have this thing called “winter” (I’ve never heard of it!) prices are higher! And that’s simply because you have a very defined season for weddings, so vendors have to go hard for 9 months so they can survive the other 3 with no weddings. We shot a wedding in Maine two years ago and I fell in LOVE! Can’t wait to come back!

[@Vasalyn]

Hello! I'm so happy to have splurge on videography with you guys for a highlight film and a feature film! We had to postpone our wedding to 2022 but still excited for our wedding nonetheless.

[@AmariProductions]

Yay!!!! So glad to be a part of your big day!!!

[@Zofia2]

This is not only great for couples to know more about videography and what they pay for, but I feel like professionals can use this as a great example and advice for pricing! Awesome job!

[@AmariProductions]

That’s so true! I hadn’t even thought of that!

[@taylor296]

I love these in-depth educational videos!! Please keep it up! Honestly I never considered videography a must-have until I came across your page! ☺️

[@AmariProductions]

Aww shucks! Thanks Taylor! You won’t regret it!!

[@Jesssssssssssssssssssssss]

Can we get a hair care routine ?!? Lmao #goals

[@AmariProductions]

hahaha, I'm getting this comment at least once a video now, which is hilarious because I still feel SO unequipped myself. Hold on, let me find the last time I responded, it was earlier today, and I'll copy/paste for you 😂

[@AmariProductions]

copy/pasted from last week's video (😂) - oh boy, is that a JOURNEY. I use a conditioner specifically for dry frizzy curls and let it soak in the shower for a while. microfiber towel to very lightly scrunch dry, leave in conditioner, deva curl gel, diffuser just long enough to stop my hair from actively dripping, then let it air dry for a few hours, then break up the gel. Like I said: a JOURNEY haha

[@valerielinares2068]

LOL! I asked something similar in the last video! Gotta love those luscious red curls!!

[@AmariProductions]

RED!? Come onnnnn. Strawberry blonde! 👀

[@valerielinares2068]

@@AmariProductions 🤣 Ahem... my mistake.. I thought I saw red. I guess I was wrong. LOL!

[@0tterMom]

I mean, good for those who can afford it, but I think weddings as a whole are too expensive. It doesn't need to be this extravagant event, just a celebration of family...

[@woodworkerroyer8497]

It doesn't need to be extravagant, and I agree most of the weddings around here (Nor Cal) are too expensive, but videos are hard to make. You're talking 8-10 hours of filming, and at least 10 of editing (if you know what you're doing). If you only charged $1000 for a wedding, you would be getting something around $40/hr, but then you also get the cheapskate families that want to get a discount or this or that. That is probably the BIGGEST reason photo and video services cost so much is so they don't have to mess with those type of people as much.

[@JeMappellePercy]

Weddings are so different over here, the prices in the uk are totally different to SoCal! I got like 15 quotes and the number 1 most expensive was £2500 ($3120). I went for a bit cheaper one as the portfolio for a £2000 one was very similar and he was very easy to talk to in initial conversations. Your portfolio videos are gorgeous :)

[@AmariProductions]

That’s so interesting!!! Who’d you end up going with? I’d be very interested to see how pricing and quality align in the UK! (London branch of Amari someday so that I have an excuse to visit regularly???)

[@woodworkerroyer8497]

I think the personality is probably as important as the skill. If the person is impossible to get along with, or isn't interested in your story, then they probably won't nail the video. Though, I DID know a guy who painted and did fine carpentry on houses in Sun Valley, Idaho (look it up) that nailed the color scheme the customers wanted that was 100% colorblind!

[@NormaTu545]

I'm nowhere near getting married but I know that I would absolutely love to have Amari Productions for that future special day! Great video, definitely helps with setting expectations for the future :)

[@AmariProductions]

You take your time! We'll be here! ❤️

[@moviiehawaii]

Great video!. Just curious how do you pay your videographers? and what amount?. Much appreciated.

[@taylorwise856]

Are there any wedding videographers that only do raw footage? My boyfriend has been a video editor for 10 years and we would love for him to be able to put together the footage himself as that would be super special for us. But we obviously need a videographer to shoot the wedding day and prefer someone who has done it before and won't miss anything.

[@AmariProductions]

Yes! Most videographers won’t have it listed on their package guide (sometimes budget videographers will, but I can also guarantee zero high end will). But if you ask, depending on the company and how popular the day is, they may! On one hand, it won’t add to their backlog of post work, but on the other it also will most likely minimize their profit margin (hence the popularity of the date mattering). The final consideration: some videographers are super self conscious about their raw footage. They might not be down 😕

[@taylorwise856]

@@AmariProductions Ah thank you so much! Yea I totally understand people wanting control of their raw footage which is why I didn't think many companys would be down, but good to know it's not completely unheard of!

[@woodworkerroyer8497]

@@AmariProductions why don't high end companies list it? Do they want more control, or just don't like the smaller profit margins? Or just because the little guys grabbed that as their "feature"?

[@AmariProductions]

@@woodworkerroyer8497 Yah a little bit of both: lowest profit margin, and it also does feel kind of weird to hand a half finished creation to someone else to finish. You can think of it like a woodworker cutting down pieces to build a dresser then handing everything - the good pieces, the scraps, all of it - to someone to figure out what to do with it. But you can definitely find companies that will be down!

[@adriannagattuso5442]

These videos are great. I really wish Amari was East Coast based. I'm having such a hard time finding a videographer in the Philly area. Can you please do a video on booking videographer and photography? How different number of shooters can effect the overall outcome. You made a great point yesterday when you said they won't all be in the same location at once. Also, is it better to hire a videographer and photographer package or two separate companies? Should I hire a videographer first (in case they also do photography I like)? What questions should I ask videographers... lol all the questions. Thanks Dave!

[@AmariProductions]

Oh my gosh so many good topics for videos! I did already do one of these though: go back a few weeks and I covered all the ways you can find vendors and which ones are the best! Or you can give us a reason to come visit Philly 😏

[@princesskatey77]

You mentioned there's significant variance between NorCal + SoCal - can you elaborate on that? Is NorCal generally more or less expensive?

[@AmariProductions]

NorCal runs a bit more expensive, around $500-$1500. I'll put it this way: When we send norcal leads our standard pricing, and then say "we need to add travel, which runs about $1000", we hardly book anyone. However, when we just send a package guide that is $1000 more expensive and say all travel is included, no one bats an eye. (that is the first time I've ever written the phrase "bats an eye", not sure if I'm writing it out correctly haha)

[@princesskatey77]

@@AmariProductions Sounds right to me! 😂 That makes sense, thanks for the info!! ☺️

[@AmariProductions]

Of course!! Glad I could help!

[@valerielinares2068]

Bring you out to..... Phoenix, AZ? OH! Considering that last part about traveling for weddings, that is something to ask about. Say a bride from somewhere else did hire you and you traveled out of state (or internationally), for a wedding. What do you do to work with the other vendors and venues seamlessly for a couple's wedding?

[@AmariProductions]

We're in Phoenix or Tucson at least once a year! Bring us out! Great question re: working with vendors. I've got a video on the schedule on that exact topic. Just need to find a catchy enough title for it so the algorithm will like it.... But I've got all the content planned out for it! The short answer is: always being a team player and asking how we can help. Leading by example will usually mean that even if another vendor is normally abrasive (very rare), they'll soften their stance to us quickly, so that we can all be on the same team for you guys!

[@valerielinares2068]

@@AmariProductions well, I'm not even engaged yet. LOL! But, at the very least, if I were to get in engaged, with the video you posted a little bit ago, you had convinced me to at least reconsider hiring a videographer (before, I had decided not to). So, that's a start. I had also considered, that whenever it is I do get engaged, bringing out Jamie for her coordination. I don't know for sure if that will happen. I know that's WAYY premature right now. But see, I have this nasty habit of thinking way ahead into the future when I don't know how things are gonna happen - aka - I pretty much have my wedding planned, sans actually being engaged or having a set budget, LoL!

[@sum12sumwhere]

Still working on getting videography for our wedding...had a small setback with the dj we had booked, family health concerns forcing them to close their business. They've refunded our deposit thankfully, and I found another dj within our budget. Really looking for someone starting out in videography, because of budget reasons. Doing the homework is saving me money, but it can be a bit exhausting weeding through vendors who arent in our budget.

[@AmariProductions]

Yes!! Doing the homework can totally be exhausting. But! It’s the trade off for finding good vendors at a cost savings!

[@tashaquiett6497]

How would you book a videographer if your having a wedding that's not ordinary? My S.O. and I are looking at a Ceremony followed by dinner with close friends and family because we arent into huge parties and crowds. How would you recommend I book a videographer for that? Also, we're in Alaska! So... would y'all come up?!

[@AmariProductions]

Ok let’s answer that last part first OHMYGODYESPLEASEEEEEEE. As for unique days, just be up front in your initial call/email chain. If your day isn’t super popular, that’ll also help maximize the number of videographers who’d be willing to customize for you. Do you have a date locked in yet?

[@tashaquiett6497]

@@AmariProductions Ahhh! You responded! We dont have a date yet, but are thinking September of 2021 or 2022 :)

[@kailebrogan447]

this video was so helpful

[@AmariProductions]

So glad to hear that!! I feel like these educational videos are my heart, but the algorithm doesn't like them as much. So I really appreciate your comment!

[@samanthajayne6030]

Best tips to find a good videographer when searches seem filled with all the “budget” companies? Every company we’ve come across so far is off by a tweak, the biggest being poor transitions in their videos. Second being cliche storytelling of the day with a disproportionate amount of B-roll/drone shots. We’d love to have you guys but being in Scotland the transport and accommodation alone would be about half our wedding budget 😂

[@AmariProductions]

Oh my gosh Scotland tho 🥰 the furthest in to Scotland I made it was Edinburgh, and I kick myself for not budgeting more time to head further north. Someday I WILL be back! Is that ring road they recently completed worth driving? It sounds amazing! Oh yah, weddings 😁 I’d ask your venue, planner, and photographer for referrals. I did a video a few weeks back on different ways to find vendors, you should check it out!

[@samanthajayne6030]

Amari Productions thank you so much, I’ll check it out! I’ve heard it’s beautiful - definitely come towards autumn though for all the stunning colours. Not done the route yet, that’s the plan for the home roadtrip honeymoon. If you ever come to Glasgow happy to shoot you a list of all the best spots

[@ericairizarry6563]

I haven’t watched this yet and I’m already nervous too!!! Did I spend too much?!? Lol

[@AmariProductions]

Probably not!!! But DM me after and we'll see haha

[@YourDailyDoseofJillish]

I've got a budget of $5000 for my wedding w/ 85 guests.... trying to decide if I want videography or not

[@YourDailyDoseofJillish]

I've got $2000 to split between video and photo

[@YourDailyDoseofJillish]

Been doing so much research

[@benjamin.kelley]

I feel like with my 2 years experience, I'm blowing other videographers out of the water because I work hard to learn, and I have the mindset of giving it my all for every couple and every film, instead of taking a ton of films and giving 80% and only being okay for the rest of my career.

[@xHuntedGunzPCGx]

2 years isn’t long enough to say that. There’s a breadth of knowledge that would keep me a student. I wouldn’t dare challenge a videographer just because aj got some amazing angles/compositions