Wedding Videography VS Photography

The Debate:

This is the problem that almost every bride faces: Do I have a Videographer, Photographer, or both? In this post I hope to create a clear guide for a bride to explain the benefits of either service. I understand that it can be a difficult decision especially when the budget is tight. I think that I can do this with as little bias as possible since we provide both wedding videography and photography services.

Let’s start at the basic question: Do I want either?

The answer is yes. You don’t want to have a wedding without recording it in some way. It is one of the biggest events in a person’s life and it’s easy to forget even simple things if you don’t have anything to remember it by. That’s why pictures and videos are so important and should be a priority.

To be frank, a bride doesn’t debate to have a photographer or not; it’s usually a matter of if she is going to have a videographer. I can’t imagine a wedding where there wasn’t a designated photographer, even if it’s just a friend with a point-and-shoot. So I’ll make this quite clear from the start: If  you can’t afford both, then get the photographer. Videography is a luxury that can be greatly appreciated, but you can’t hang a video on the wall…not in the same way anyways.

How much should I budget for wedding media?

I can’t give exact figures because every budget is different but let’s put it this way: How much did you spend on a dress to wear it for a single day? How much did you spend on flowers that die? How much did you spend on food that lasts a few hours? How much did you spend on a honeymoon that lasts a week? How much are you willing to spend on media that lasts a lifetime? 

Because without those pictures or that video all those expendable items of the wedding are guaranteed to be lost forever. Media is what captures all those expenses and helps preserve them in your memories. It’s my belief that a priority and respect should be placed on creating media and that a budget should reflect that.

So let’s assume you have a decent budget put together. You have a few options: Do I spend the majority of the media budget on photography? Do I spend the majority of the media budget on videography? Do I cut it down the middle? Now we enter the real debate.

Photography vs Videography

This part is 100% personal preference and very simple. You have to ask yourself what really matters to you. Do you want to have really super awesome pictures that you can put in a huge frame? Do you want to make it a tradition to watch your wedding video every year on your anniversary? It really depends on which means more to you.

It used to be that photography was THE way to go since video was very much boring and limited to a camera on a tripod. Not to mention that when video first started becoming popular in weddings the quality of it was very very limited. With huge advances in the quality of video formats in the last few years – really creative people have been able to make really creative videos. So wedding videos actually became fun to watch! It’s come to the point where couples are investing more money in videography and less in photography.

The problem that most people are running into with photography is that they aren’t able really remember what the day was really like. Video is able to capture every action and sound of the day.

Conclusion

Photos are irreplaceable in a wedding. What else are you going to hang on the wall of your new home? But if you really want to capture the emotions, feelings, and events of the day you have to choose videography. A photo will never be able to capture a speech or interactions with family and friends.

Our goal at Sky Blue Weddings is to make both options within reach and at an amazing quality. That’s why we started offering both services in our packages. We want to help couples save money with discounted packages when they choose both options. A couple shouldn’t have to choose between the photography or videography because they are both essential to the memories of the day.