Questions to ask a wedding videographer
Not just what to ask — what a good answer sounds like, and what should worry you.
Wedding film is an audio product that happens to have pictures. Most of what goes wrong is sound - vows nobody can hear, toasts recorded from the back of a room - and most couples only discover it months later when the film arrives.
These are specific to wedding videographers. The questions worth asking every vendor — contracts, deposits, cancellation, insurance and referral fees — are on the main questions page, and you should ask those too.
Audio, which is the whole thing
Exactly who gets a microphone, and what is your backup if one fails?
What to listen forYou want lapel mics on the officiant and at least one partner, a recorder at the altar, and a feed from the DJ or band for speeches. A videographer relying on the camera's on-board mic will deliver a film where your vows are inaudible.
What do you do about an outdoor ceremony in wind?
What to listen forWindshields, mic placement out of the airflow, a backup recorder. Wind ruins more ceremony audio than any other cause, and a good videographer raises it before you do.
The edit you will actually receive
Can I watch a complete film - the long one, not the highlight?
What to listen forHighlight reels are made from the best ninety seconds of a wedding and every videographer has good ones. The documentary edit is where you see whether they can hold a ceremony together.
Who chooses the music, and is it licensed?
What to listen forProperly licensed music costs them money and protects your film from being muted on social platforms. A videographer using popular tracks without licences is handing you a film you cannot share.
How many revisions do I get, and what counts as one?
What to listen forOne or two rounds is standard. What you want defined is scope: swapping a music track is a different request from re-cutting the ceremony, and the contract should distinguish them.
On the day
How do you and my photographer stay out of each other's shots?
What to listen forExperienced pairs have a protocol - sides, heights, who moves during the vows. A videographer who has not thought about it will end up in your photographs, and vice versa.
Will you use a drone, and have you checked my venue allows it?
What to listen forMany venues and most urban airspace prohibit it. A videographer promising drone footage without having checked is promising something they may not be permitted to deliver.
Common questions
What should I ask a wedding videographer?
Focus on audio: who gets microphones, what the backup is, how they handle wind outdoors, and whether they take a feed from the DJ for speeches. Then ask to watch a complete film rather than a highlight reel, and confirm the music is properly licensed.
Why is wedding video audio so often bad?
Because it depends on equipment most couples never ask about - lapel mics on the officiant and couple, a recorder at the altar, and a board feed for speeches. A videographer relying on the camera's built-in microphone will deliver inaudible vows.
Does wedding video music need to be licensed?
Yes. Unlicensed popular music can get your film muted or removed on social platforms, and a videographer using it is passing that risk to you. Ask what licensing they hold.
Why we can publish this
Most wedding sites are paid by the vendors they list, which makes a page about spotting a vendor who is managing you a difficult thing to write. Lazo charges nothing per lead and nothing per booking, and rankings can't be bought at any price — so we have no reason to soften any of the above. If a wedding videographer gives you one of the answers we've flagged, that is worth knowing before you pay a deposit.
Wedding Videographers on Lazo
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