Coverage hours × market × add-ons, plus the photo-bundle discount
| Coverage | Small town / rural | Mid-size metro | Major metro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 hours | $700 | $1,000 | $1,500 |
| 6 hours | $1,050 | $1,500 | $2,250 |
| 8 hours (standard) | $1,400 | $2,000 | $3,000 |
| 10 hours | $1,750 | $2,500 | $3,750 |
| 12 hours | $2,100 | $3,000 | $4,500 |
| Hourly rate behind it | $150-$200/hr | $225-$275/hr | $325-$450/hr |
Typical package prices, no add-ons. The Knot's $2,300 national average blends these markets plus the add-ons most couples stack on top, which is why it sits above the bare mid-size 8-hour figure. Videography typically runs 70-80% of what the same market charges for photography (see the photographer grid for the comparison).
| Add-on | Typical price | Worth it? |
|---|---|---|
| Second videographer | $300 – $700 ($450 typical) | Yes above 120 guests — dual angles on vows and reactions instead of one static shot |
| Drone coverage | $200 – $500 ($350 typical) | Great for outdoor venues and estates; useless in a downtown hotel ballroom |
| Social / vertical edits | $150 – $400 ($250 typical) | Cheap if you actually post; a 60-second vertical cut of the highlight film |
| Full-length documentary film | $400 – $1,200 ($700 typical) | For ceremony-completists and grandparents; the 3-5 minute highlight gets 95% of the rewatches |
| Raw footage | $200 – $800 | Usually not — unedited multi-cam clips with scratch audio are unwatchable |
| Photo + video bundle discount | 10-25% off the video package | Take it when both portfolios clear your bar; skip it to lock the best specialist in each craft |
Videography prices the same way photography does: hours times a market rate, with add-ons stacked on top. The difference is what's behind the rate. A videographer's shoot day is the smaller half of the job; the edit consumes 30-60 hours per wedding. This calculator prices your combination from hourly rates that vary by market, layers the add-ons, and shows what a same-studio photo bundle would save.
Package = hours × hourly rate for your market, plus each add-on's flat price. Hourly rates: $150-$200 in small towns and rural areas ($175 typical), $225-$275 in mid-size metros ($250 typical), and $325-$450 in major metros ($375 typical). A second videographer adds $300-$700 ($450 typical), drone coverage $200-$500 ($350), social edits $150-$400 ($250), and a full-length film $400-$1,200 ($700). Tick the bundle box and the calculator applies the 10-25% discount hybrid studios typically give on combined photo-video bookings: 10% at the low end, 15% typical, 25% at the top.
Set coverage to the arc you want on film — prep through the first dances is the standard 8; couples who only care about vows, toasts, and the highlight often buy 6 and stop coverage after dinner. Pick your market honestly, tick the add-ons you're considering, and use the bundle box only if you'd genuinely book one studio for both crafts. The low and high estimates bracket the realistic quote range, not a negotiation floor.
A San Francisco couple wants 10 hours, a second videographer, and drone coverage of an outdoor ceremony. Coverage: 10 × $375 = $3,750 typical for a major metro. Add-ons: +$450 and +$350. Typical total: $4,550, with the range running $3,750 (low rates on everything) to $5,700 (top of every band). That's 98% above the $2,300 national average, which is exactly what you'd expect in one of the country's priciest markets.
Flip it: 6 hours, mid-size metro, no add-ons. 6 × $250 = $1,500 typical, range $1,350-$1,650. That's a real number for a talented two-person studio's highlight package — and it keeps vows, toasts, and first dances on film for less than a third of what the couple paying $4,550 spends.
Now the bundle. If that San Francisco couple books photography and videography from one hybrid studio, the 15% typical discount takes $4,550 down to about $3,868 — a $683 saving, with 10% ($4,095) and 25% ($3,413) as the outer bounds. Worth it only if the studio's photography portfolio matches what a dedicated photographer would deliver for the money.
Couples who add videography spend about $2,300 on average, per The Knot's Real Weddings Study, and only around a third of couples hire one at all. For the standard 8-hour package, expect roughly $1,400 in a small town, $2,000 in a mid-size metro, and $3,000 in NYC/LA/SF-class markets. Add-ons like a second videographer ($300-$700) or drone coverage ($200-$500) push the final bill higher.
For most couples who book one, yes. Video is the only vendor product that captures vows, toasts, and speeches with sound, and industry surveys consistently flag skipped videography as one of the most common post-wedding regrets. If the full package strains the budget, a 6-hour highlight-only package at $1,350-$1,650 in a mid-size metro keeps the moments that matter on film.
Most studios add a second videographer for $300-$700, with $450 typical. Two cameras matter even more in video than photography: one stays on the couple during vows while the other covers reactions, and the editor can cut between angles instead of relying on a single static shot. Above 120 guests, or with a Catholic-length ceremony, it's close to mandatory for a good edit.
You're paying for editing, not filming. An 8-hour shoot becomes 30-60 hours of post-production: syncing audio from ceremony mics, color correcting multiple cameras, cutting the highlight film, and exporting delivery formats. Studios also carry more gear per shooter (bodies, audio, lights, drones). That's why per-hour coverage rates of $150-$450 still land the typical 8-hour package near $2,000 in a mid-size metro.
Hybrid photo-video studios typically discount the combined booking 10-25%, which on a mid-size-metro 8-hour video package saves $200-$500. The trade-off: you're locked into one team's style on both products, and the best photographer in your market may not employ an equally strong videographer. If both portfolios clear your bar, take the bundle. If not, book separately.
Trim coverage before quality: 6 hours covering prep through toasts beats 10 hours that end after open dancing. Skip raw footage (usually $200-$800), skip the full-length documentary edit ($400-$1,200) unless grandparents will actually watch it, book a newer studio building its reel, and marry Friday or Sunday, when many studios discount 10-15%.