If you care about hearing the day again, yes. Photos are how you'll remember what your wedding looked like. Video is how you'll remember what it sounded like: your vows, the toasts, your dad's laugh. If your budget only stretches to one, most couples should book the photographer first and add some form of video if they can, even a short one.
Full disclosure, I'm a photographer, so take the "photographer first" part with that in mind. But I'll be honest about the rest. There are moments on every wedding day where I'm standing there thinking, "I really hope somebody is filming this."
What photos do better
A photo lets you stop on one second and stay there as long as you want.
At Kara and Andrew's wedding at Greenbrier Farms in Easley, her dad flipped his tie over to show her the photo she'd had sewn into the back. Kara as a little girl sitting on his lap. A still photo of that tie, and then his face when he saw it, is something you can frame, print in an album, and hand to your kids someday.
Photos are also the thing you'll actually look at most. They're on your wall, on your phone, in your album, on the holiday card. Most couples watch their wedding film a handful of times, and they look at their photos for the rest of their lives.
What video does better
Video catches the things a photo can only point at.
Before the ceremony, Kara and Andrew stood back to back under a tree by the pond and read letters to each other. In my photos, you can see Kara laughing, then crying, then laughing again. What you can't get from a photo is what Andrew actually wrote, or the sound of her voice cracking while she read it.
Later that night, Kara's dad gave a toast that had the whole barn laughing and crying at the same time. I have great photos of the room reacting. But the toast itself, his words and the way he said them, only lives in one place, and that's the video.
Then there's the dance floor. Glow sticks, grandmothers with their hands in the air, kids sliding across the concrete. A photo freezes one great second of it. Video gives you the whole song.
Here's the simplest way I can put it. If the moment is about how something looked, a photo has it covered. If it's about what someone said or how it moved, you want video.
How much does a wedding videographer cost?
Prices vary a lot by how much coverage you want and how the film is edited. As a rough guide:
National average: The Knot puts the average US wedding videographer at about $2,300, and closer to $2,100 in the South. Zola's average is higher, around $4,000, because it counts more full day packages.
Short highlight film (a few hours): usually the lowest tier, often $1,000 to $2,000.
Full day with a highlight film: commonly $2,000 to $4,000 or more.
Full documentary edit with every vow and toast: usually the top tier.
If you're seeing combined photo and video quotes in the $7,000 to $9,000 range around Greenville, you're not crazy. That's a real number for two full day teams.
If you can't swing a full video team
You still have options, and none of them are cheating:
Book video for the ceremony and toasts only. That's where the words are. Two or three hours covers it.
Ask for a short highlight film instead of a full film. You get the feeling of the day in a few minutes.
Put one trusted friend in charge of recording the vows and toasts on a phone. It won't be a film, but you'll have the voices, and that's the part couples miss most.
Use an audio guestbook. Your guests leave voice messages instead of signing a book. It's not video, but it's the sound of your people.
Will a photographer and a videographer get in each other's way?
They shouldn't, if they talk before the wedding. At Kara and Andrew's wedding, Reflections Media Carolinas filmed while I photographed, and the day still felt like a party instead of a production.
A few things that help:
Introduce your photographer and videographer before the wedding. A quick call or a text thread is plenty.
Give them each a few extra minutes in the timeline. Five to ten minutes for portraits and the first look makes a big difference.
Ask both how they work during the ceremony. You want them on opposite sides of the aisle, not stacked in the middle of it.
Why Greenbrier Farms works well for photo and video
Greenbrier Farms is in Easley, just outside Greenville. It has a big white barn with roll up glass doors and string lights, a stone patio over a pond, and a gravel lane that winds back into the trees. You get a lot of different looks without leaving the property, which gives both a photographer and a videographer room to work without anyone loading into a car.
It also handles weather well. Halfway through Kara and Andrew's reception, a storm rolled across the field. We walked out into the grass for a few minutes under the most dramatic sky I saw all year, and then ducked under a clear umbrella on the patio while the rain came down. That's a moment I'd guess looks pretty incredible in motion too.
If you're still deciding how many hours of coverage you need for a day like this, I broke it down in How Many Hours of Wedding Photography Do You Actually Need?
Frequently asked questions
Is a wedding videographer worth it? For most couples who can afford it, yes. Video is the only way to keep the sound of your vows, toasts, and the people you love. If you can only afford one, most couples book a photographer first and add a shorter video option if the budget allows.
What's the difference between wedding photography and videography? Photography captures single moments you can print, frame, and look at every day. Videography captures sound and movement, like your vows, toasts, and the dance floor. They catch different things, which is why many couples book both.
How much does a wedding videographer cost in South Carolina? The Knot's national average is about $2,300, and around $2,100 in the South. Short highlight packages often start around $1,000 to $2,000, and full day coverage commonly runs $2,000 to $4,000 or more.
Do wedding videographers and photographers work together? Yes, they do it at most weddings. It goes best when they connect before the wedding, plan the ceremony positions, and each get a few extra minutes in the timeline for portraits.
What if I can't afford a videographer? Book video for just the ceremony and toasts, choose a short highlight film, or ask a trusted friend to record the vows and toasts on a phone. An audio guestbook is another way to keep your guests' voices.
If everyone's told you video isn't worth it and you still kind of want it, message me. Tell me your budget and what matters most to you, and I'll tell you honestly what I'd do with it. Even if that means spending less on me.
Featured in this post
Venue: Greenbrier Farms. Florals: Renee Burroughs Designs . Hair and makeup: Cotton Rouge and Co. DJ: The Party Machine . Photography: J. Richard Photography
