How long is the average wedding video?
I was on Zoom recently, as part of a consultation call with a potential couple looking for a wedding videographer to capture their big day.
Typically, on these calls, couples ask a lot of questions about my wedding videography approach and my style on the day itself: how do I film the wedding? Do they need to pose? Do I record the ceremony? What are my packages? All fair questions, to allow them to make a decision on whether I’m the right wedding videographer for them.
Back to that Zoom call, the bride-to-be asked me: how long is the average wedding film?
I thought this was already well documented for anyone looking to hire a wedding videographer. And it got me thinking: what packages do other wedding videographers offer and, on average, what is the duration of their wedding video?
The length of a typical wedding video varies
You guessed it. It’s a tale as old as times: the duration of your wedding video depends on who you choose to film your wedding. Truth is, different wedding videographers offer completely different packages. A quick search on Google will return the following options:
Full 90mn: now that is long. It includes a lot of raw material, and I would argue the quality of the edit won’t be great. I do not think any wedding videographer has 90 minutes worth of quality footage. This also includes full ceremony and speeches as part of the film.
1-hour wedding video: similarly to the above, the wedding video will include a lot of ceremony and speeches.
Raw footage: as well as your wedding video, some videographers will also provide unedited, raw footage, straight out of the camera.
Industry standard wedding film length
In my opinion, none of these options are good. For example, I suspect a lot of your guests will be recording small clips of the day using their smartphones, so that’ll be all the raw footage you need.
The wedding industry ‘standard’ for award-winning wedding videography is anywhere between 15-30mn for a wedding film. This is what the best wedding videographers in the UK and beyond will offer.
My view on the ideal wedding video length
As a cinematic wedding videographer, my package includes two films: Highlight and Feature films, so you get the best of both world. In my view, these two versions are the perfect combination, and there is a reason why they’re the two most popular amongst UK wedding filmmakers:
The Highlight film is 4-5 mn long. It includes only the best parts of your day, and is packed with emotions. It’s also the perfect length for sharing on social.
The Feature film is 15-20 mn long. No one wants a really long film, and the Feature is the ideal length to tell your story. It also means that I only use quality footage, something I feel really strongly about. It also includes snippets from the speeches and the wedding ceremony, but only the best moments: whether it was an emotional day, a fun wedding, or an amazing party. It is essentially a documentary version of your wedding day
My package also includes the full wedding ceremony, and all the speeches. Edited to the best quality.
If you’re looking for a wedding videographer, and would like to hear more about my cinematic wedding videography style, then drop me a message. I’d love to chat!