The Short Answer
There is no wrong answer and there is a videographer out there that will create a wedding video the right length for you.
The long answer
First you want to choose between a cinematic highlights video or a more traditional documentary edit as these very in length.
Cinematic Wedding Films (The Creative Approach)
This is the style of video we offer at Signature Wedding Films, we prefer to focus on creative wedding videos in the 5 minute range, but also offer longer edits if your wedding demands it.
Cinematic wedding films typically combine shorter clips from your wedding day, edited to appropriate music. These films can also use audio elements from your ceremony and speeches to tell the story of your wedding day. Some wedding videographers will also include drone footage and carefully selected sound effects to enhance your wedding film.
If you want a creative, cinematic highlight wedding video showing all the best bits of the day, you can expect it to be shorter, somewhere in the 3-7 minute range.
If you have a smaller low key wedding, you may not get varied enough footage for an engaging 20 minute cinematic film. The ratio of captured footage to used footage for a cinematic film is extremely high and a shorter duration might do a better job of highlighting your wedding day.
For smaller / low key weddings or elopements: I suggest a cinematic film around 5 minutes in length. You will be surprised by the amount of footage a skilled videographer can cram into 5 minutes. Your friends and family will thank you for a shorter video too.
For larger, varied or visually exciting weddings: A 15 minute feature film might be a better choice. It gives your videographer more flexibility in the edit to incorporate sound bites from the speeches, letter readings or vows. If you have a lot of entertainment planned or want an extended couples portrait shoot, a longer edit like this would make sure more of your day makes the final video.
Documentary Wedding Films (The Traditional Approach)
A more traditional wedding video that shows almost everything your videographer captured, including the ceremony and speeches in full, you can expect it to be 60 - 90 minutes or even longer.
These style of videos tend to be highly variable in length and is directly related to the length of your wedding day and hours your videographer films. Shots tend to be held longer than a cinematic wedding video leading to a slower paced wedding video.
Typically these videos go a great job of documenting the day, but are a lot less exciting to watch and share.
TIP - When choosing a length of wedding video: Find a video you like, if when it finishes you wish it was a little bit longer… this is probably the perfect length (and style) of video for you.
Just remember, longer isn’t always better and I wouldn’t get hung up too much on the exact length, especially if you found two videographers you like, but one offers a 6 minute highlight and the other “just” 5 minutes.
