Do we really need a wedding videographer? An honest answer

“Do we really need a videographer?” is probably the question we’re asked most. As a team that does both photography and film, we don’t have a reason to push you one way or the other. So here’s our honest answer, including when we think you could skip it.

The short answer

If you can only have one, most couples should book a great photographer first. Photographs are the backbone of how a wedding is remembered: they go on walls, in albums, in frames at your parents’ house.

But if there’s any room in the budget, a film gives you something photos can’t: sound and movement. Your vows in your own voices. Your dad’s speech, with the pause before the joke. The noise your friends made when you walked back down the aisle. That’s why so many couples who skip a videographer later say it’s the thing they wish they’d done differently.

What does the data say?

There isn’t much UK research on this, so it’s worth being careful with the numbers. One widely quoted US survey by Zola found that 35% of couples said hiring a videographer was the one thing they’d change about their wedding. A 2019 US survey reported by CNBC found the opposite view too, with around a third of people saying videography wasn’t worth the money. In the UK, Bridebook reports that roughly one in three weddings in 2025 had a videographer.

Our take: the people who regret not having a film tend to feel it strongly and for a long time, and the people who didn’t value theirs often had a film they didn’t love. So the real question is less “do we need a videographer?” and more “will we love what we get?”

What a wedding film gives you that photos can’t

• Voices. Your vows, the speeches, the readings. In twenty years, hearing the people you love will matter more than you can imagine now.
• The moments you missed. You can’t be everywhere. A film shows you your guests during the ceremony, the drinks reception while you were having portraits, the dance floor while you were at the bar.
• How it felt. Music, pace and movement bring back the atmosphere of the day in a way still images can’t.
• Something to share. A short highlights film is easy to send to the people who couldn’t be there.

Photos are a lovely thing to have to remember your wedding by, but a video really does let you live your wedding day over and over again.

Georgie, on her wedding film

When you might not need one

We’d genuinely say a film is less important if:

• You’re having a very small, quick ceremony with no speeches and you’ve got a brilliant photographer booked.
• You know you’re not the kind of people who’d ever sit down and watch it. Some couples just aren’t, and that’s fine.
• The budget would mean compromising heavily on your photographer. A great photographer and no film beats a mediocre version of both.

If you’re torn, a middle ground is a shorter film or fewer hours of coverage focused on the ceremony and speeches, which are the parts with the most sound and emotion.

How to choose a videographer you’ll actually love

1. Watch full films, not just trailers. Anyone can cut a great 60-second teaser. Ask to see a longer film from a whole day.
2. Listen to the audio. Are the vows and speeches clear? Sound is the hardest thing to get right and the most important.
3. Check the style suits you. Cinematic and dreamy, documentary and real, fun and fast-paced: there’s no right answer, only the one that feels like you.
4. Ask how they work with the photographer. Two teams who’ve never met can end up in each other’s shots or pulling you in different directions. A combined photo and film team avoids that.
5. Ask what you get and roughly when. Highlights film, full ceremony and speeches, social clips: know what’s included before you book.

Why we offer both

Sam started out filming weddings, and over the years we kept seeing the same thing: couples booking two separate teams who’d never worked together, and the day feeling a bit more crowded because of it. Now we offer photography, film and content creation as one team. We plan the day together, stay out of each other’s shots and give you a consistent look across everything.

You don’t have to book everything, though. Plenty of couples book just photography, or just a film. Have a look at our packages, or tell us about your day and we’ll give you an honest view on what’s worth it for you.

Sources: Zola survey via PureWow (US, 2017); CNBC (US, 2019); Bridebook (UK, 2026).