DATA-BACKED GUIDE · UPDATED JULY 2026
How much does a wedding videographer cost in the UK?
A wedding videographer captures the sound and movement a photographer cannot, which is why more couples now budget for both. It is usually the add-on people debate hardest, because it competes for the same money as the photographer, the flowers or the band. This page uses the real prices submitted by couples to show what videography actually costs, what changes the fee, and how to decide if it earns its place in your budget.
The quick version
- Videography is priced much like photography, mostly on hours of coverage rather than a flat day rate
- The final film can be a short highlights reel, a full documentary edit, or both, and that choice moves the price more than almost anything else
- Extras such as drone footage, a second shooter and a same-day edit are usually quoted separately and stack on top of the base fee
- Many couples book their photographer and videographer as a pair, which can smooth the day and sometimes earns a combined rate
- Editing is the slow part of the job, not the filming, so turnaround can run to weeks or months after the wedding
- Two quotes for 'a wedding video' can cover completely different amounts of filming and editing, so always compare like for like
What people actually paid
Where these 6 prices come from — 4 named sources
Each is a published price list, an official survey, or a receipt/quote a reader shared. The full per-price list with year and area is on the videographer page.
The gap: advertised vs actually paid (medians)
People reported paying 5% less than the advertised list price for videographer.
List prices are advertised prices; paid figures are what people reported, often for different cases and from a small sample so far. Treat the gap as a signal, not a quote.
Real prices, in people's own words
- £1,514“UK average: GBP 1,514”
Genuine amounts posted publicly. We publish the price and the quote, never the person.
Why the price varies so much
Video pricing comes down to three things: how long they film, how many people are working on the day, and how much editing the footage needs afterwards. A single videographer shooting a highlights reel costs far less than a two-person team producing a long documentary edit with drone shots and multiple cameras running at once. Experience and demand push the figure up too, so a videographer with a full book of weddings and a strong reputation can charge more than someone newer to the trade. Who owns the business matters here as much as it does with photographers: most wedding videographers are sole traders or small two- or three-person outfits, so the price reflects one person's time and skill rather than a studio's overheads. Peak summer Saturdays cost more than a quiet midweek date in winter, and location plays its part too, with videographers in and around major cities generally charging more than those covering rural areas, partly because their own costs are higher and partly because demand is stronger. The edit is where much of the value actually sits. Filming a wedding takes a day, but turning hours of raw footage into a polished, colour-graded film with clean audio and a proper structure takes far longer, and that invisible work is a big part of what you are paying for.
How to pay less
- Choose a shorter highlights film rather than a full-length documentary edit if you mainly want something to share and rewatch occasionally
- Book fewer hours of coverage and focus the videographer's time on the ceremony and speeches, where the value is highest
- Ask whether your photographer already works with a videographer they know, since a combined booking can come with a better rate than hiring each separately
- Skip the drone, the same-day edit and other extras unless your venue or your day genuinely calls for them
- Get quotes from a few videographers for the exact same hours and deliverables, not just a headline price, so you are comparing like for like
- Ask what is included in the edit itself, such as colour grading and audio cleanup, since a cheaper quote sometimes just means less work going into the final film
Common questions
Do I really need a videographer as well as a photographer?
No, it is entirely optional. Photos are the traditional keepsake, but video captures vows, speeches and movement in a way stills cannot. If money is tight, most couples book the photographer first and add video only if the budget stretches to it.
How long is a typical wedding film?
It varies a lot by supplier and by what you ask for. A highlights reel runs a few minutes, a feature-length edit runs much longer, and some couples pay for both a short version to share and a longer one to keep. Shorter films generally cost less simply because they take less time to edit.
Can one person do both photo and video on the same day?
Some suppliers offer it, but it is a lot for one person to juggle well, since photography and filming both demand full attention at the same key moments. Most couples prefer a separate photographer and videographer who are used to working alongside each other, and booking them together as a pair is common.
Why does the finished film take so long to arrive?
Editing is the time-consuming part of the job, not the filming. Colour grading, syncing audio and cutting hours of raw footage down into a polished film takes weeks on its own, and busy videographers are also working through a queue of other weddings booked ahead of yours.
What pushes a videographer's quote up the most?
Extra filming hours, a second shooter, drone footage and a same-day edit are the usual culprits, and each is normally priced as an add-on rather than folded into a base fee. A longer, more heavily edited final film also costs more simply because it takes longer to produce than a short highlights reel.
Is it cheaper to book the photographer and videographer as a package?
Sometimes, if they already work together regularly, since a combined booking can save you the cost of coordinating two separate suppliers and may come with a better joint rate. It is still worth asking each for a separate quote so you can see what you would pay for video alone before deciding whether the package genuinely saves you money.