How much does a wedding videographer cost?
Most couples pay $1,200-$2,500. Here is what moves that number, what you get at each level, and where to spend less without regretting it.
Wedding films typically run $1,200 to $2,500 for core coverage - usually a highlight film of three to eight minutes plus the ceremony filmed in full. Premium packages add a longer feature edit, drone work, and same-day edits. Video is the single most common thing couples say they wish they had bought, which is worth knowing before you cut it.
What you get at each price
Under $1,200
$700-$1,200
A short highlight film, one operator, limited hours. Often excellent work from someone building a reel. Ask specifically how audio is captured - this is the band where vows sometimes arrive unusable.
What most couples pay most couples
$1,200-$2,500
Highlight film plus full ceremony and speeches, one or two operators, properly mic'd audio, delivered in 6-12 weeks.
Premium
$2,500-$6,000+
Two or three operators, a documentary-length feature alongside the highlight, drone, and sometimes a same-day edit played at the reception.
These are what couples actually pay, not quotes we can make on a vendor's behalf. Every wedding videographer sets their own prices, and the ones on Lazo publish theirs where they choose to.
What wedding videographers say they start at, by city
Separately from the ranges above, Lazo reads the "starting at" price each vendor publishes on their own website or Lazo profile. Across the US, 749 wedding videographers publish one; the middle half start between $750 and $3,500, median $1,950. A starting price is the smallest package, which is why it sits below what most couples end up paying.
| City | Middle half start at | Median | Priced vendors |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City NY | $800–$3,000 | $2,000 | 34 |
| Chicago IL | $1,150–$3,500 | $2,500 | 23 |
| Billings MT | $625–$4,500 | $2,500 | 21 |
| Philadelphia PA | $800–$4,000 | $2,900 | 18 |
| Detroit MI | $1,000–$3,800 | $1,500 | 15 |
| Denver CO | $875–$2,900 | $1,000 | 14 |
| Hartford-New Haven CT | $2,350–$4,500 | $3,450 | 14 |
| Los Angeles CA | $1,000–$2,350 | $1,600 | 14 |
| Boston MA | $2,000–$4,400 | $3,000 | 13 |
| Charleston SC | $1,200–$4,500 | $3,300 | 13 |
| San Francisco Bay CA | $2,500–$5,400 | $4,000 | 13 |
| Buffalo NY | $1,200–$4,250 | $1,950 | 12 |
| Miami FL | $900–$4,000 | $1,250 | 12 |
| Manchester NH | $775–$3,000 | $2,000 | 11 |
| Orange County CA | $775–$3,800 | $3,000 | 11 |
| Portland OR | $700–$3,000 | $1,200 | 11 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth TX | $550–$3,500 | $1,850 | 10 |
| Houston TX | $1,050–$3,600 | $1,650 | 10 |
| Kansas City MO | $525–$1,950 | $1,000 | 10 |
| Maui HI | $650–$1,750 | $725 | 10 |
| Rochester NY | $2,500–$3,800 | $2,850 | 10 |
| Tampa FL | $675–$4,250 | $1,000 | 10 |
| Washington DC DC | $525–$3,650 | $1,650 | 10 |
| Burlington VT | $850–$2,950 | $2,500 | 9 |
| Cape Cod MA | $700–$5,000 | $750 | 9 |
| Cleveland OH | $2,250–$3,850 | $3,200 | 9 |
| Grand Rapids MI | $800–$2,000 | $1,500 | 9 |
| Orlando FL | $500–$3,000 | $1,000 | 9 |
| Portland ME | $1,800–$5,000 | $2,250 | 9 |
| San Diego CA | $1,000–$4,500 | $1,800 | 9 |
Cities with five or more priced vendors, biggest sample first; a linked city has its own page with the vendors behind the number. Read 2026-11-11.
What actually drives the price
- Number of operators
- One camera cannot be on the vows and the reaction at the same time. A second operator is typically $400-$800 and is what makes a ceremony edit feel like it was filmed rather than recorded.
- Edit length and complexity
- A 4-minute highlight is a different amount of work from a 45-minute feature. Colour grading and licensed music sit here too.
- Audio
- Good wedding film is an audio product as much as a visual one. Lapel mics on the officiant and both partners, plus a board feed at the reception, is what separates a film you rewatch from one you do not.
- Drone
- Usually $200-$500 where it is legal to fly. Check your venue allows it - many do not.
- Delivery speed
- A same-day edit shown at the reception is a premium add-on because it means an editor working on site through your wedding.
How to spend less without regretting it
- Take the shorter film, not no film
- If the budget forces a choice, a 3-minute highlight at $900 beats nothing at all. This is the decision couples most often revisit.
- Book photo and video together
- Many studios that offer both discount the pair, and a team that already works together needs less choreography on the day.
- Drop the drone before you drop the second operator
- Aerial footage is lovely and nobody has ever cried at it.
- Ask about ceremony-and-speeches-only
- Some videographers offer a documentary package with no highlight edit at a lower price. You get the whole ceremony and every toast, unedited - which is what most families actually rewatch.
When to book
Book 8-12 months out. Videographers are usually available later than photographers because fewer couples book video at all - so if you are inside six months, this is often the easier of the two to still get.
What to ask before you book
- How is audio captured - who gets mic'd, and do you take a feed from the DJ or band?
- Can I watch a full ceremony edit, not just a highlight reel?
- How long until delivery, and what is the music licensing situation?
- Do you work alongside my photographer, and have you two worked together before?
- What is your backup plan for a failed card or camera?
More questions to ask a wedding videographer — and what a good answer sounds like →
Common questions
How much does a wedding videographer cost?
Most couples pay $1,200 to $2,500 for wedding videography covering a highlight film plus the full ceremony. Budget options start near $700 for a short highlight; premium packages with multiple operators, a feature-length edit and drone work run $2,500 to $6,000 or more.
Do we need both a photographer and a videographer?
They do different jobs. Photographs are how you will display the day; film is how you will hear it - the vows, the toasts, your grandmother's voice. Couples who skip video name it their most common regret, so if budget forces a choice, consider a shorter film rather than none.
How long does a wedding video take to arrive?
Six to twelve weeks is normal for a highlight film; feature-length edits often take longer. Same-day edits are a premium service delivered at the reception itself. Get the delivery date in the contract.
Why our prices aren't sponsored
Most wedding sites earn money from the vendors they list, which is why their "recommended" wedding videographers and their cost advice tend to point the same direction. Lazo takes nothing per lead and nothing per booking, and rankings can't be bought at any price. Every review comes from a couple who proved they actually got married with that vendor. So the ranges above are what we believe couples pay — not what anyone paid us to say.
Wedding Videographers near you
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