Let me begin by saying that the title of this article should really be - what to look for and consider when choosing your wedding videographer, because we're not really going to tell you how to choose - that part is entirely up to you!

I did my first wedding video in 1987, so I have "a little experience".  I am always dismayed when I Google "how to choose a wedding videographer" and see so many well-meaning but uninformed articles with useless or even bad information. Here is the real deal on what you need to know before making your decision -

Wedding Video Styles

There are two main styles of wedding videos, each having many variations. But the two styles are so different that any bride expecting her wedding video in one style and getting the other, will be terribly disappointed.

Short Form Wedding Videos

One style is called "short form".  This style is easier for a videographer who lacks equipment because it can be done fairly well with a single video camera, one wireless microphone and one camera operator.  A short form wedding video generally runs from just over ten minutes to just over half an hour and is intended to be an impressionalistic interpretation of your day, including just the highlights.  

These are generally highly stylized with the videographer using quite a bit of creativity to produce a very romanticized wedding video that mostly uses background music instead of actual sound from the wedding and often mixes sequences up from the actual timeline.

Pros:

• easier to show friends, since it is shorter
• when done well, these look very "Hollywood"
• doesn't require a lot of video gear to produce

Cons:

• you don't get the actual sound from your wedding
• much of your ceremony and reception is cut out
• In trying to be creative and stylistic, many over-do effects like hazy blurs, black-and-white, camera movements, dutch tilts, transitions, etc.

Long Form Wedding Videos

This is the style you're probably more familar with, also known as documentary or journalistic style, these will generally include your entire ceremony and enough of the reception to get a feel of being there, though still mostly just covering the main events. A running length of from forty to ninety minutes is average for long form wedding videos.

Long form wedding videos should have the actual sound from your ceremony. Sound from the reception will generally be included when that sound is pertinent. A background music track may be used over other sections.

Pros:

• Lets you relive your wedding day with all the important parts and with the real sounds
• When done well, will become a cherished family heirloom

Cons:

• Videographer must have enough microphone sets for every important sound source (more later) otherwise much of the sound will be (and often is!) quite bad.
• Videographer must have multiple video cameras for good coverage (more later)
• Often impossible for a single camera operator to cover the wedding properly

 Next: How Many Camera Operators Should You Want? (Coming soon)