Wedding Planning Guide · Long Island
Questions to Ask Your Wedding Videographer
Eight questions that separate a wedding film you will love from an expensive disappointment — why each one matters, and how we answer every one of them.
The checklist
1. Who actually films our day — and who edits it?
Studios and marketplaces sometimes send a shooter you have never met, and editing may be outsourced entirely. Ask whose work you are looking at, and whether that person is the one who will show up.
How North Fork handles it: Scott films and edits every wedding himself. The films on our video portfolio are his work, and he is the person who will be there on your day. North Fork is one team with one point of contact for the whole day.
2. Can we watch complete wedding films — not just trailers?
A two-minute trailer hides inconsistency. Complete films show how a videographer handles the quiet parts: the ceremony, the speeches, a dark reception room.
How North Fork handles it: You can watch 30 complete wedding films on our video portfolio before you ever talk to us, and every film has its own page with the couple's story and their vendor team.
3. What exactly is included — and what costs extra?
Ask for the itemized list: coverage hours, the edited film, full ceremony and speeches edits, raw footage, and the price of each extra. If a quote will not itemize, keep asking.
How North Fork handles it: Our collections are laid out in full in the pricing guide: Highlight Film at $3,500, Highlight + Raw at $4,000, and Gold Video at $5,000, with full documentary edits of the ceremony and speeches available to add to any collection.
4. When will we receive our film — and is that in writing?
Delivery promises are easy to make and hard to enforce after the fact. The timeline belongs in your agreement, next to everything else you were promised.
How North Fork handles it: Highlight films are delivered within three to four months of the wedding. Your date is reserved with a signed agreement and retainer, and your coverage is clearly laid out in that agreement before you sign.
5. Can we get the raw footage?
Some videographers never release raw footage; others charge for it later. Ask now, while it is still a choice — it is the complete record of the day, including moments no edit keeps.
How North Fork handles it: Yes. The Highlight + Raw collection includes the raw footage from the day, and raw footage can also be added to the Highlight Film collection after the wedding.
6. Have you filmed at our venue before?
A videographer who knows your venue knows where the light falls, where the ceremony audio works, and where to stand without being seen. Ask for films from your venue or one like it.
How North Fork handles it: Very likely. We have filmed weddings at 19 Long Island venues — vineyard, waterfront, and estate settings across the North Fork, the Hamptons, and Nassau and Suffolk County — and many of them have their own pages here, with the films to prove it.
7. What is your backup plan — and are you insured?
Ask what happens if the videographer is sick, a camera fails, or a venue asks for a certificate of insurance. The answers should be calm and immediate.
How North Fork handles it: Scott shoots solo with a backup available for your wedding day, and we are happy to send a copy of our certificate of liability insurance to your venue or any of your vendors on request.
8. How do we reserve our date?
Popular dates go early — for peak-season North Fork and Hamptons weddings, couples commonly book 12 to 18 months ahead. Ask what actually holds a date, because a penciled-in date is not a reserved one.
How North Fork handles it: Your date is reserved with a signed agreement and retainer. Checking availability takes a minute — send your date through the form below, or text Scott at (516) 606-1783.
Next steps
Check your date
Now booking 2027 / 2028 — send your details and we’ll confirm availability for your date.
To see more of our work for photo and video for your wedding day, check out www.northforkweddingfilms.com