somethingprettyBy SomethingPretty editorial · Published · 7 min read
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A wedding video package needs a clear description of what is filmed, edited and delivered, plus how the finished work may be shared. Ask about audio, full speeches, highlights, revisions and storage. Music permissions require particular care: a licence for domestic video use does not automatically cover public promotional or social-media posting. This guide helps you commission the film you want without promising that any song or sharing method is permitted.
Describe the film you want to keep
Explain whether your priority is a short highlight, the full ceremony, complete speeches or a longer documentary edit. Those deliverables involve different coverage and editing. Ask the videographer to describe each finished item rather than choosing only by the headline length of a package.
Discuss the tone you like using the provider’s own examples, while recognising that your day and locations will differ. Tell it about important moments, languages and any privacy preferences. A cinematic trailer may be lovely but may not include the words you most want to preserve. The brief should make those priorities explicit before the provider plans cameras, microphones and editing time.
Match coverage and locations before comparing prices
Ask when the crew arrives, what period is filmed and how travel or breaks affect coverage. Confirm the number of operators and the role of each where relevant. A second person may support different angles or locations, but it is not automatically essential for every brief.
Use fictional arithmetic only to check scope. A $2,400 booking plus $300 additional coverage and $200 travel totals $2,900. A $2,850 offer is $50 lower only if the agreed coverage and deliverables are genuinely equivalent. These are invented figures. Do not compare a short highlight-only service with a package including full ceremony and speeches as though the difference were merely a higher hourly charge.
Ask how important sound will be captured
Vows and speeches need a practical audio plan. Ask the videographer what it needs from the celebrant, venue, band or sound provider and who coordinates that handover. Do not assume a venue microphone automatically supplies a usable recording to the film crew.
Give suppliers the final schedule and identify the person responsible for access to relevant equipment. Ask about outdoor conditions and the alternative ceremony location. Technical setup and suitability belong with the professionals; the couple should not be expected to connect unfamiliar audio equipment on the morning. A clear plan reduces the risk of each provider assuming another one is recording the words that matter most to you.
Separate music selection from permission to use it
Tell the videographer what music you hope to include, then ask how rights are cleared for the intended uses. APRA AMCOS describes a Domestic Use Video Licence for specified private-event recordings and domestic delivery. Its guidance distinguishes those uses from public or social-media distribution.
Do not assume that owning a recording, subscribing to a streaming service or hearing a song at the wedding grants every video right. Nor does crediting the artist automatically solve licensing. Ask the provider which music options it can lawfully offer and what happens if your preferred track is unavailable for the intended release. Keep the answer specific to the actual edit and distribution, rather than promising any commercial song will be included.
Plan public clips and private films separately
A private keepsake and a public promotional reel can have different music, privacy and contract considerations. Tell the provider whether you intend to post clips publicly and ask for an appropriate version if available. A password or private link on a social platform should not be assumed to fit a licence merely because ordinary viewers cannot find it easily.
Discuss the provider’s own promotional use too. Ask which material it may publish, where and how preferences are recorded. Consider guests and children who should not appear in promotion. OAIC guidance explains that privacy treatment can differ between individuals acting personally and covered organisations. This article does not decide a particular publication dispute; it recommends clarifying the arrangement before filming and sharing.
Sources: APRA AMCOS: current domestic-video licence guide · OAIC: photos and videos, including private individuals
Define edits, revisions and delivery dates
Ask what editing is included and how the revision process works. There may be a distinction between correcting a mistake and requesting a different creative direction after approval. Confirm the number of review rounds, how feedback is gathered and the charge for additional work. One coordinated response is easier to manage than conflicting requests from several relatives.
Record the expected delivery timeline for each item and how delays are communicated. A teaser arriving quickly does not establish the date for a longer film. Ask whether titles, names or captions need checking, especially where spelling and language matter. Keep the accepted brief and feedback in one place so the final deliverable can be assessed against an agreed description.
Source: ACCC: understanding contracts
Ask about source files, storage and future access
Clarify whether unedited footage, audio files or project files are included. Do not assume a delivered film entitles you to every file created during production. If long-term access matters, ask the provider what it retains, for how long and under what conditions replacement files may be supplied.
Check the delivered formats and how to download them. Keep your own secure copies of work you are entitled to retain rather than relying indefinitely on a gallery or cloud link. Ask whether a higher-quality file is available for personal storage and which version is intended for sharing. A clear file handover avoids discovering years later that the only copy was a compressed social clip.
Coordinate filming with the venue and photographer
Tell both image providers about the ceremony plan, space restrictions and important group moments. Ask them to coordinate access and positioning professionally. A tight room or a ceremony rule may affect how work is captured. Do not promise unrestricted movement without the venue and celebrant’s agreement.
Confirm any drone proposal through the provider, venue and relevant permissions; this guide does not authorise a flight or provide drone compliance advice. Keep optional aerial work separate from essential coverage. SomethingPretty can record confirmed video costs in the wider comparison, but it does not clear music or assess technical quality. Choose a provider whose deliverables and lawful sharing options match how you actually want to use the film.
Make a separate plan for the version you will share
Before editing begins, tell the videographer where you expect each version to go. A longer private film, a clip sent directly to relatives and a public promotional reel are different uses. Ask which versions are included, whether music changes are needed and what instructions accompany delivery. Avoid creating a public edit yourself from files unless the relevant permissions and agreement allow it.
If the provider offers licensed music choices, review those options early. A late request for a particular commercial recording can change the work or prove unavailable for the intended use. Decide which priority matters more: the exact track or the planned distribution.
Record any preference about children, sensitive moments or supplier promotion. The couple’s wishes may not settle every legal question concerning guests, but they give the provider an important practical brief. Ask who can access review links and when those links expire. A clear release plan makes sharing easier because you understand what the delivered version is designed for, rather than treating every file as interchangeable across platforms.
Keep a copy of the final deliverables list with the download instructions. A relative helping save files should be able to identify the full film, approved sharing version and any separate ceremony recording without guessing.
FAQ: Can our wedding film use any favourite song?
Ask the provider about rights for the particular recording and intended distribution. A song being available to stream does not establish permission to include it in a film. Domestic delivery and public posting can involve different arrangements. Discuss alternatives before editing rather than assuming credit or a personal subscription is enough.
FAQ: Does a domestic video licence cover social media?
Do not assume so. APRA AMCOS’s current domestic-video guidance explicitly distinguishes its scope from social-media uploads. Ask the provider to identify an appropriate arrangement for any public or platform-specific version. A private social link does not automatically change the licensing category or settle every right.
FAQ: Are full speeches included in a highlight film?
Only if the package promises them. A short creative edit and a separate full-speech recording are different deliverables. Tell the provider what you want to preserve, ask about audio coverage and obtain the agreed list in writing. Do not infer complete recordings from the fact that cameras were present.
FAQ: Can we request unlimited changes to the edit?
Read the agreed revision process. Ask how many rounds are included, what counts as a correction and which changes create additional work. Give coordinated feedback and check names or titles carefully. Consumer rights may be relevant to a problem, but they do not make every later creative preference an unlimited free revision.
Bring the details into your plan.
Use confirmed figures, keep unknowns visible and record the dates agreed with your providers.
Sources and editorial notes
Sources checked 24 October 2026. Worked examples are fictional illustrations. Rules and provider terms can change; check the official source for your circumstances.
- APRA AMCOS: Domestic Use Video Licence ↗
- APRA AMCOS: current domestic-video licence guide ↗
- OAIC: photos and videos, including private individuals ↗
- ACCC: understanding contracts ↗
General information, not an individual legal, financial or contract assessment. AI-assisted drafting with source checks; independent professional review has not been completed. About our guides · Suggest a correction