Costs / 3 min readThe Union in Frame journal
What a wedding content creator costs, and what you get
Words by Union in Frame
A content creator's quote is simpler than it looks once you separate the parts: hours on site, an agreed number of edited clips and photos, and how quickly they reach your phone. Read each line on its own, then check it does not overlap with your film.
Content is priced by hours on site
Content creators usually quote by time: a half day built around the ceremony, or a full day that runs from getting ready into the evening. The hours are normally consecutive, so a late first dance pushes the start later or adds time at the end.
Price the hours against the moments you want on your phone. The ceremony, the drinks reception and the room reveal often sit inside a half day. If you also want getting ready or the first dance, the hours stretch and the quote stretches with them.
Count the clips and photos, not the promises
A quote should say how many edited clips you receive, roughly how long each one runs, and whether phone photos are included alongside them. Raw footage is a separate question: some creators include everything they shot, others charge for it.
Ask for the number in writing. Two edited reels and a folder of raw clips is a different product from a dozen short edits ready to post. Neither is wrong, but you should know which one you are buying, because that is often where quotes differ.
Delivery speed is part of the price
Same-day delivery means someone is editing while the wedding is still happening. That is time not spent filming, so a creator who promises a reel before the last song either works in a pair or steps away from coverage to cut it. Both have a cost.
Decide how fast you need it. A first edit the same evening and the rest within a few days is often enough, and usually costs less than everything before midnight. A two-person team, one filming and one editing, is normally a separate tier on the quote.
Do not pay twice for the same footage
A content creator shoots vertical phone clips for quick sharing; a videographer records the ceremony, speeches and audio for a film you keep. If phone clips are all you want, content alone can be enough. If you want the ceremony and speeches as a film, content does not stand in for that.
If you book both, read the quotes side by side. Where the videographer stays for the evening, the creator's hours can finish earlier. Where the film package includes a short social teaser, you may not need the creator to cut one too. Trim the hours where the briefs meet.
Get the whole quote on one page
Content is usually sold as an add-on to photography or film, or as a standalone booking. On our own list it comes as a four-hour block around the ceremony, a full day, or a two-creator team, so the quote changes with the running order you send.
Before you agree, ask for the hours, the clip and photo count, the delivery times for the first edit and the rest, and whether raw files are included. Put travel and any late finish on the same page. A quote you can read at a glance is the one worth signing.
Want advice for your own date and venue? Tell us what you're planning
