How Far Ahead to Book a Wedding Videographer for a 2027 or 2028 Wedding

A lot of couples get engaged between Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day, and the first few weeks after a holiday proposal tend to look the same: a ring, a lot of congratulations, and then a family member asking whether you have a date yet. If you are planning for 2027 or 2028, you have more time than it feels like, but not as much as it looks like on a calendar. Here is how we would think about when to book video, what comes before it, and what to settle before you put down a deposit with anyone.

The short answer

Book your videographer once you have a confirmed date and a signed venue, and as soon after that as you have chosen who you want. For a Saturday in a popular month, that usually means nine months to a year or more ahead. For a Friday, a Sunday or a quieter month, you can often wait longer, but there is rarely an advantage to waiting once you know who you want.

The reason is simple: a videographer, like a photographer, can only film one wedding per crew per day. A venue can sometimes run two events in a weekend. A caterer can staff several. Each of our teams can be in one place on a Saturday in October, and that is all.

What to book first

The order that works for almost every couple:

1. Budget and rough guest count. Not the full spreadsheet, just a number you are both comfortable with and whether you are thinking 60 people or 200. These two decide which venues are realistic.
2. The venue and the date. They come together, because the venue's calendar sets your date. Do not book anyone else until the venue contract is signed and the date is certain.
3. The vendors who can only do one wedding a day. Photographer, videographer, planner or coordinator, and an officiant if you want a specific person. These are the ones that sell out on a given date.
4. The vendors whose capacity is more flexible. DJ or band, florist, hair and makeup, cake, rentals. Popular ones still book up, so do not leave them too late, but there is usually more room.
5. Everything else. Attire, stationery, favors and the details. These depend on lead times, not dates.

If your venue includes catering or a coordinator, step 3 gets shorter. If you are holding a ceremony at one place and a reception at another, sign both before you book a videographer. We book with a named ceremony and reception venue, and we do not film weddings at a private home or backyard, so we will ask where the day is happening when you reserve.

How dates fill

Dates do not fill evenly. Roughly in order, the first to go are:

• Saturdays in the most popular months, which for most of the country means late spring and early fall. September and October Saturdays are often the first dates people ask about.
• Holiday weekends and memorable dates, like a Saturday before a Monday holiday, New Year's Eve, or a repeating-number date.
• Saturdays in the rest of the season.
• Fridays and Sundays in peak months.
• Weekdays and the quieter months, which tend to stay open longest and are often easier on every part of the budget.

Dates with us are held first-come, first-served. Whoever reserves first gets the date, and we do not hold dates for anyone who has not reserved. If you are torn between two Saturdays, decide with the venue first, then come to us with the one you have signed.

What the $500 deposit actually does

With us, a $500 deposit reserves your date, whichever collection you choose. Here is what it does and does not do, in plain terms:

• It takes the date off our calendar for everyone else. Your date is confirmed once we have the deposit and your signed agreement.
• It comes off your total. On The Reverie, our eight-hour film collection at $1,500, a $500 deposit leaves $1,000. It is not an extra fee.
• It is non-refundable. Once we hold a date for you, we turn away other couples asking for it. That is why the deposit is not returned if you cancel.
• It can move once. If you need to reschedule, we will make reasonable efforts to fit your new date, subject to availability, and the deposit can be transferred to the new date one time.

Your agreement spells out when the rest is due. The one exception to the deposit is The Vow, our ceremony-only film, which is $500 paid in full when you reserve.

Booking early also keeps you away from the short-notice fee: if your wedding is less than 45 days out when you book, a $250 accommodation fee applies. For a 2027 or 2028 date, that will not come up.

Questions to settle before you reserve

Before you put down a deposit with any videographer, these are worth agreeing between the two of you:

• Is the date final? A signed venue contract, not a hold. Most vendor deposits are non-refundable, ours included.
• Do you want photo and video from one team or two? If you want both, our combined collections start with The Duet at $3,000 for six hours, with one photographer and one videographer. If you are booking them separately, make sure both are free on the same date before you commit to either.
• Roughly how many hours do you need? You do not need a final timeline, but you should know whether the day runs four hours or ten. If getting ready, ceremony and reception are all on one site, six or eight hours covers most days. Our film collections run from The Aubade, four hours at $1,200, to The Sonnet, ten hours at $2,000, and an additional hour is $125.
• Who is booking? We book directly with the two of you. Parents are welcome in the conversation and welcome to pay, but the couple reserves the date and signs the agreement.
• Have you seen a full film, not just a reel? A highlight reel shows a studio at its best. Ask to see a longer edit. Our guide to choosing a wedding videographer covers what else to ask.
• Is travel included? We do not charge travel fees, because we keep dedicated teams in the areas we cover. Elsewhere, ask, and add it to the quote before you compare.

What you can leave until later

Booking early does not mean deciding everything early. Once the date is reserved, you can leave these for the year before the wedding:

• The detailed timeline. It gets built closer to the day, once your ceremony time, venue rules and vendor list are settled.
• The speech order, music and family photo list. These come in the last couple of months.

If you book a collection that includes photography, the engagement session is included and runs an hour. Many couples schedule it six months to a year before the wedding, which is another reason to have the team booked early.

How we would plan it

If you got engaged over the holidays and want a September 2027 Saturday: settle the budget and guest count in January, tour venues in January and February, sign the venue by early spring, then reserve photo and video within a few weeks of that. That leaves well over a year before the wedding, and nothing about the day itself needs deciding yet.

If you are looking at 2028, the same order applies. Sign the venue, then send us the date and we will tell you where it stands.

Compare every collection on our packages page, and when the venue is signed, reserve your date with a $500 deposit applied to your total.