What's the Average Cost of a Wedding Videographer in Cleveland, OH?

Wedding videography has become more popular in recent years with the rise of social media, YouTube, and other avenues to share your special day. Years ago, the job of the wedding videographer was to document the day as it happened – that’s it.

Nowadays, there are a variety of styles and methods that wedding videographers offer to their potential clients. This means a dynamic range of prices one might pay for a wedding videographer. The city of Cleveland is no exception to this. With dozens of couples getting married each weekend within the city, it’s even more important to know what the average cost of a wedding videographer is in Cleveland, OH.

The average cost of a Cleveland wedding videographer

The average cost for a wedding videographer in the United States is just shy of $1,800. However, let’s look at Cleveland specifically. Since we’re actually videographers in Cleveland, we have a deeper knowledge of the market itself.

We’ve found that the typical average cost of a wedding videographer in Cleveland is $2,000 as of 2021.

Affordable wedding videography in Cleveland

Beginner wedding videographers or ones who are simply not very skilled will charge in the range of $1,000 or less. While this price seems enticing, there are a few things to consider before agreeing to a contract.

These videographers often don’t have much experience filming weddings. When it comes to videography, you need to be sure that the person or company you’ve hired will show up one time and remember to hit record. While that might sound obvious, you’d be surprised at some of the horror stories we’ve heard.

High-End wedding videography in Cleveland

At the other end of the spectrum, there are a few high-end videographers in Cleveland charging $4,000-$10,000. These are videographers like ourselves that are dedicated to the craft. They’ve filmed hundreds – if not thousands – of weddings and odds are know your venue, your photographer, planner, DJ, and any other vendor in attendance.

These high-end videographers are dedicated to creating a mystical video for you and are going to see that that happens as smoothly as possible for you.

What’s typically included in wedding videography packages?

Working as Cleveland wedding videographers for so long, we’ve had many opportunities to rub elbows with our peers in the videography industry. There are many things we do differently, but there are some items that come standard:

Obviously, the service itself is included. This is the videographer(s) showing up on the day of your wedding and filming for a certain agreed-upon number of hours. The specifics of the service depend on the company and your contract. Drone coverage, 4K cameras, lighting, and more can all be extras added onto the service.

Next, you have arguably the largest part of the process: Post-production and editing. This is the part that happens behind closed doors over the course of a few weeks or even months. The footage is sometimes uploaded to servers, downloaded physically on hard drives, and then edited together for your wedding video and highlight reel.

Lastly, the deliverable or copy of your wedding. There are a variety of ways you can receive your wedding, such as a link to a digital download. Other videographers give you a Bluray or even a flash drive. There are also many personalized deliverables videographers will add to this.

Ways to save money when hiring a wedding videographer

There are a few ways to still receive affordable wedding videography in Cleveland without sacrificing quality. Here are a few ideas:

Request only 1 shooter: Oftentimes, wedding videography packages include multiple shooters to accurately capture your wedding day. Consult with your videographer and ask if the video you want can be shot by only 1 videographer instead of multiple.

Limit add-ons: If there are add-ons in your package you don’t care for like drone coverage or time-lapses, see if your prospecting videographer is willing to forego these in exchange for a small discount – that is unless you want these features!

Reduce coverage time: Depending on the package, some wedding videographers will show up in the morning when you start getting ready. If this is something that’s not important to you, see if you can request a later start at the ceremony instead. Alternatively, you can dismiss your videographer earlier at the reception and save time that way as well. (we dont offer time limits)

Why is wedding videography so expensive?

Wedding videography is so expensive for a few reasons. Videography itself can be expensive to purchase and run, but it’s also a difficult job. Your videographer will typically work 10+ hours on your wedding day and will likely film hours of footage across multiple cameras. They’ll be running around constantly for 5 or more hours capturing fleeting moments. If this sounds taxing, it’s because it is!

Aside from all the running around, they’ll be doing, wedding videographers will also need to edit your video after all is said and done. A single wedding video edit can take 20-50 hours alone to edit together.

Also, wedding videographers must buy and ensure expensive camera gear, computers, and editing software. All this and more goes into the cost of wedding videography.

What makes a good wedding videographer?

So what makes a good wedding videographer? This can take a while to explain, but we’ll summarize it. They should have the right equipment and editing capabilities for your wedding type. The videographer should be flexible in their style and able to implement your vision for the day.

They should also work quickly – not so much that they miss fleeting moments, but enough so that you won’t feel over-watched. Time is precious on your wedding day so it’s important for your videographer to get the job done but still be out of the way unless you want them around.

Finally, they should be personable and professional. You’ll likely have a ton of questions about how this all works, what’s included in the package, and what happens next. You want someone who can answer these questions and interact seamlessly with you and your guests.

Conclusion

Wedding videographers are an important part of your wedding day! You need to find someone who can capture all the moments without being too much in the way. Wedding videography is expensive but there are ways you can save money on it.

We recommend starting your search with us and checking out our Cleveland wedding video packages. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have. Reach out to us today!