Today we are going to go over questions you need to ask when choosing a videographer! Now, the most important thing is to look at their past work!! Do you like what you see? Do you only like one video you saw? Viewing the work they have done in the past will quickly and easily help you determine whether or not this is someone you would like to hire...of course, price plays a role too :)
So here are the questions you will need to ask to determine
1) if you are getting a quote for everything you are going to want and need and
2) if this is the right videographer for you!
What is the length of the edit?
A company many include different lengths at different price levels so keep this in mind! An average, a highlight video for a wedding is 10-12 minutes and some go up to 15-20 minutes.
What is your turnaround time?
Every bride wants to post her video on Facebook the day she gets back from her honeymoon! I know I did :) So make sure you ask how long it will take to make the edit! Generally, it will range from 2 weeks to a month
after the wedding.
How many hours are included?
This will just ensure that you get everything fit into their schedule from getting ready to cake cutting and dancing at the end of the night!
Will I get to choose my music?
They have a TON of experience in editing these videos so make sure you ask for suggestions as well and look at past videos to see what you like! Just because you love a song, doesn't mean it will go well with your video and capture your day perfectly! Remember, they are the experts so ask for their advice before making any final decisions!
If worse comes to worse, ASK FOR THEIR PAST WORK! If you like what you see, typically you are going to love your end result!
And here is my wedding video by AfterDark Media :)
Who is going to pay?
Creating a budget is the very first step in planning your wedding and we have many tools that will help you do that! You don't want to spend too much money on alcohol and end up with no budget for flowers! So make sure you write down each budget category and assess what is most important to you before over-spending on another category!
While traditionally the bride's family paid for the wedding, this is definitely not the norm anymore! So many families are pitching in to help with the wedding and many couples are paying for their weddings on their own. Regardless of who is paying or helping to pitch in, you need a solid budget before you do anything else! Don't get yourself into a contract you cannot stick to!
A couple of tips.
1. If a family member is willing to donate flowers, for example, make sure he or she knows what the cost of floral is going to be! While he or she may be willing to spend $500 on floral, you may have $5,000 worth of floral décor in mind! So just be open and honest and make sure your family members are open and honest with what they are willing to help you with!
2. When will you have the money? Generally, you are going to need to provide a 25-50% deposit with each vendor through your wedding planning. So a good rule of thumb is to make sure you have at least 50% of your budget ready to do right now! Final payments are due anywhere from one month to 3 days before the wedding.
3. Don't spend what you cannot afford! There is nothing more stressful than trying to come up with payments for your wedding that you cannot afford. An expensive wedding doesn't mean you will have the best marriage! In the end, you are marrying the man/woman of your dreams so make your wedding your own and you CAN make an absolutely amazing day with any budget :)
4. You food, beverage, and venue site fees are generally around 50% of your total spending. So if you have $20,000 as your total wedding budget, make sure you tell possible venues that your venue budget is $10,000 so you don't overspend!
I have some great tools for calculating your budget in just the click of a button so email me if you would like me to send you the file! Happy budgeting :)
The Bar: Hosted or Cash?
One of the top questions and concerns of a bride and groom planning a wedding is what to do with the bar.
Should I pay for my guests drinks? Should they pay for their own drinks?
Is it rude for me to make guests pay?
This was one of the biggest questions we played with while planning our wedding too...so you are definitely not alone!
Here is some quick vocabulary so you understand the terms I am using:
Cash Bar: guests pay for their own drinks (doesn't necessarily mean they have to use cash)
Hosted Bar: You are paying for your guests drinks - this is generally a per person price and your guests will be able to drink as much as they would like for a pre-set price
Bar Tab: This is a designated dollar amount you select to use toward alcohol and once that number is reached, the bar either closes or guests must pay
With all of that being said, I am going to start you off with this:
IT IS NOT RUDE TO HAVE GUESTS PAY FOR THEIR DRINKS!
Weddings are expensive and that is no secret. Every guest in attendance knows that you are paying a significant amount of money for your celebration and you are providing them with an amazing, fun night with some great food! And they are there to celebrate you! So if anyone feels as though they should not have to pay for a drink, then it is their choice to drink or not to drink.
On top of how expensive weddings are, the bar is one of the priciest. When we first selected a venue, our hosted bar was going to be about $8,000 before tax and service charge! So that definitely gives you a little glimpse on how expensive it can get! And how amazing would it be to invite an extra 10 guests? Or add that beautiful chandelier treatment to the room? Or save $8,000 altogether??
Once again, you DO NOT have to pay for a hosted bar if it is beyond the means of your budget. But there are some things you can do if you want to provide at least some alcohol to your guests, and they are much more cost effective!
1. Wine Service - This means that guests are poured one or two glasses of wine during dinner, or a couple bottles of wine are placed on each table during dinner for guests to enjoy.
2. Host beer, wine, and soda - Liquor is what brings that bill up so high, so venues will often be able to negotiate a price that includes everything but the hard liquor. That way, guests can get a free beer or glass of wine if they would like, but must pay for the shots and mixed drinks! Now that's fair!
3. Host a dollar amount - If you have $1,000 left in your budget and want to host alcohol, place it as a bar tab and allow guests to use the tab until it is finished. After that, they will pay! I would also recommend limiting this to beer and wine to ensure everyone gets a drink or two!
4. Don't host premium alcohol - If everyone were to order the most expensive liquor at the bar, then surely your bar is going to get pricey! So limit it to well and call liquor! If someone does order premium, then the bartender can kindly let them know that they can choose well/call for free or pay for their premium drink...and they can make that decision!
5. Host a signature drink - Choose a drink you and your fiance absolutely love, and allow guests to choose that drink at no cost! Not everyone is going to drink it, but they have the option to get it at no cost!
5. Don't host at all - Like I said before, it is not a requirement to host the bar, or have a bar at all! If a guest doesn't want to pay, then they can choose not to drink!
When it comes down to it, do what you feel is best for you and your budget. If you only have a couple of drinkers, then clearly it would not make sense to host the bar...then you're just paying for extra drinks that will not be consumed! It's your wedding and your money and your guests are going to be ecstatic that they got an invite and are able to celebrate your big day with you :)
