Questions to Ask Before You Book a Wedding Videographer

A showreel is a highlight of someone's best day, not a promise about yours. These questions tell you who will actually turn up.

1. Will you personally be filming my wedding, or a subcontractor? Plenty of studios sell you the founder's reel and send whoever is free. Ask for the name of the person who will be behind the camera, and ask to see a full film they shot, not just a 3-minute edit. At JLM Studios, Jason Mildwaters films the weddings himself, so the person you meet is the person who shows up.

2. How many weddings have you filmed, and how many do you book per weekend? Someone taking 2 or 3 weddings in a weekend is stretched thin and often relies on a rotating crew. Video is unforgiving of a tired operator: you cannot re-shoot a first kiss.

3. Can I see a full, unedited-length film from a real wedding, ideally at a venue like mine? A garden ceremony in the Adelaide Hills, a winery in McLaren Vale and a ballroom in the city each throw up different light and sound problems. Ask to see their work in a comparable setting so you are judging like for like.

This is where fair comparison gets hard, because two quotes at the same price can mean very different days.

4. Will there be one shooter or two? A single operator cannot be at the back of the aisle for your walk in and at the front for your partner's reaction at the same time. A second shooter buys you both angles, plus a safety net if one camera fails. If a quote is cheaper, this is often why.

5. How do you record vows and speeches? This is the single biggest quality gap in wedding video, and the answer separates the pros. A serious videographer uses discreet lapel mics on the celebrant and groom, a feed off the venue's PA for speeches, and a backup recorder. If the answer is 'the camera mic picks it up', expect muffled vows under a wind gust.

6. How do you handle low light at the reception and the first dance? Adelaide receptions run late and dark. Ask what they do when the DJ lighting turns everything magenta, and whether they bring their own subtle lighting.

7. Do you scout or liaise with the venue beforehand? Some venues and churches have filming restrictions or awkward layouts. Someone who asks about your venue early is thinking ahead.

'A wedding video' can mean a 60-second teaser or a full documentary edit. Pin down the deliverables in writing.

8. What exactly do I get: a highlight film, a full ceremony edit, speeches in full, raw footage? Get the lengths. A 3 to 5 minute highlight film is standard, but many couples deeply value a full, unbroken cut of the ceremony and the speeches to watch in years to come.

9. What is your delivery timeframe? Peak Adelaide wedding season (October to April) creates an edit backlog. Ask for a firm number of weeks and whether it is written into the contract. A teaser within a fortnight and the full film within 8 to 12 weeks is a reasonable ask.

10. Who chooses the music, and is it properly licensed? Unlicensed music can get a film muted or pulled on YouTube and Instagram. Ask whether they use a proper licensing library.

11. Will you also do drone or aerial footage, and is the operator licensed? Aerial shots of a coastal or vineyard venue are lovely, but drone operation near people needs a licensed pilot. Confirm it is covered rather than assumed.

These are the ones couples skip and later wish they had not. A confident answer here is the mark of a genuine professional.

12. What backup gear do you carry? A camera can die, a card can corrupt. The right answer is dual card slots recording simultaneously, a spare body and spare audio recorders. No backup is a red flag on a day that cannot be repeated.

13. Do you have public liability insurance, and can you provide a certificate? Many Adelaide venues now require suppliers to hold public liability cover before they will let them film on site. A professional has it and will send the certificate without fuss.

14. What happens if you are sick or cannot make it? Ask about their contingency: a trusted network of shooters, and how footage would still be edited in their style. Vague answers here are worrying.

15. Can I see the full contract, including deposit, balance, cancellation and what happens if you fail to deliver? Read what you are signing. Understand the deposit, when the balance is due, the cancellation and postponement terms, and the remedy if the film is never delivered. If a supplier will not put the deliverables and timeframe in writing, treat that as your answer.

Run all 3 or 4 of your shortlisted videographers through the same 15 questions and write the answers side by side. You will quickly see that the cheapest quote is often cheaper because it is one shooter with camera-mic audio and no second angle, while a higher quote includes a second operator, proper lapel and PA sound, insurance and a written delivery date. That is not the same product at 2 prices; it is 2 different products.

Weight your decision toward the answers that cannot be fixed after the fact: who is filming, how sound is captured, and what backup exists. Colour grading and edit style can be discussed, but you cannot recover a vow that was never recorded cleanly. When you find someone who answers all 15 with specifics rather than reassurance, you have found a safe booking. If you are planning an Adelaide wedding and want straight answers to every one of these, Jason at JLM Studios is happy to talk it through. Call 0424 965 133 or email jlmstudios75@gmail.com.