When it comes to valuable keep sakes there is a lot of variety in what brides want. Some just want a photographer, where as others want a videographer also. There is also some that do not want a photographer and just want a videographer. It is a personal thing, like all things to do with weddings.

For those that want both, they often, due to budget, have to decide which they will have. This can be a very difficult decision for a couple to make, after all they can not go back and do it again. Once that opportunity has passed, they are stuck with what ever they paid for at the time.

There are many factors that influence such a decision. Here are the most common ones that I have noticed in my years as a wedding videographer in Edinburgh.

1, Can the couple get one of these keep sakes for free. Often it is the case that the bride and groom know someone that fancies them selves as a photographer or a videographer. It may be that this person has even done a wedding before and wants to expand their portfolio and is therefore happy to do it for free.

If the couple want both and can get one for free, then this is an opportunity to get both of these important keepsakes. Obviously the over all price of videography or photography makes a big difference.

2, Which one of these keepsakes is the most important to the bride and groom. It is all well and good that they can get one for free, but for example, if the bride just loves photography or has seen her friends wedding album, which has been produced by a professional wedding photographer and wants the same for her self, then despite the fact that she can get a friend to do her wedding photography for free, she may still pay for a professional photographer and just forget the wedding video.

It all depends on how confident she is with the friend that has offered to do the wedding photography for free. If he has some great samples of work he has already done, then that may give her the confidence to let him take responsibility for the photography, and therefore free her up to pay for a professional wedding videographer.

3, Ceremonial permission is also a massive factor in this decision. The fact is that some churches have certain restrictions on what and how you can record the ceremony. Some churches in fact do not even allow the photographer or videographer into the church. If you are paying for a professional photographer and they are not allowed to take photographs during the ceremony because the priest does not like the clicking sound of the camera, then you are going to be put of paying for this service, as you are not going to get your money's worth. The videographer may be allowed in this situation, because the video camera does not make a sound.

4, Experience of what they have observed from previous work plays a big role in this decision also. If they have seen their friend's wedding video and it was terrible, this will obviously make them think that wedding videos are rubbish and will obviously sway their decision.

5, The various elements of the planned wedding day play a big part also. For example if they have a great band playing at their wedding, then this would push them to a video because a video records sound and give a much better sense of a live performance.

In summary, these are just some of the factors that play a big role in the decisions as to whether you should pay for a professional photographer or a professional videographer. There are many other factors that can effect this decision to varying degrees. The truth is that as people we all have different motivations and it is a personal choice for every bride and groom.

6, Pressure from others can make a massive impact on this decision also. It may be the case that grand mother can not make it to the wedding, and therefore, the bride and groom decide that a wedding video will be a better way for grand mother to be able to see what happened on the day. As videographers, we have experienced this many times before. The situation of an important family member missing the wedding, always makes the decision lean towards the wedding video as a choice, because a wedding video imparts more information about a wedding day, due to the fact that it plays on a constant timeline, and also has audio, so the person that is missing can actually hear what was said at the speeches and the ceremony.

In Conclusion, these are the main factors that we have experienced in making this all important decision, but there are probably others that we are not aware of as yet.