by Emilie
Set a comfortable budget (what you are definitely okay with spending) and an uncomfortable budget (the highest you are able to spend, but would prefer not to)
Make a list of offerings and add-ons typically provided by videography companies. (Check out our How to Choose the Right Videographer for You post for some ideas here)
Cross off anything you are not interested in
Take the remaining items, and number them in order of importance to you (#1 being the must-have!)
That way, if your ideal videography package looks like it is going to cost too much based on quotes you’ve received, it will be easier to go back and eliminate the things that are not as important to you and could help bring those quotes down
Another option is checking to see if your vendor offers to just capture the day with no editing for a lower cost. This is something that we offer with our Basic Coverage for couples that really want quality videography but their budget does not allow for editing immediately. We simply just send over all the raw footage after the big day (see What is Raw Footage?) and then you can come back to us at any point to pay the cost difference to have the video edited. This way you’re still making sure the day gets captured but then actually having the video edited once the funds have recovered, typically 6 months to a year after the wedding. Having the footage edited makes for a great one year anniversary present!