Most couples book a wedding videographer having compared three showreels and a price. That's not much to go on, and showreels are designed to make it not much to go on.
Here's what I'd ask if I were booking someone.
1. Can I see a full-length film, start to finish?
The single most useful question, and the one almost nobody asks.
A highlight reel is a showreel. Anyone with a decent camera and a year of practice can assemble ninety good seconds from a full day - there's enough material that some of it will be beautiful by accident. The long film is different. It shows whether they actually covered the ceremony, whether the speeches are audible all the way through, whether they were in the right place when something unrepeatable happened.
If someone can't show you one, ask why.
2. Who is filming on the day - you?
At smaller outfits it's the person you're talking to. At larger studios it may be a freelancer assigned nearer the date, sometimes someone you meet for the first time on the morning.
Neither is wrong. But you should know which one you're buying, because the person's eye is most of what you're paying for.
3. Who edits it?
This one matters more than people expect. The film gets made in the cut, not on the day.
If footage goes to a separate editor, the person who understood the room isn't the person deciding what stays in it. They didn't hear the thing your uncle said before the speech that made everyone laugh. They'll cut on rhythm rather than meaning, because rhythm is all they have.
I shoot and edit everything myself, which is the plain reason I'd give for why nothing gets lost.
4. How do you record the speeches?
The most common serious failure in wedding video is unusable speech audio, and it's nearly always because the videographer relied on the camera microphone or the venue's PA.
The answer you want involves a separate recorder or a lapel mic on the speakers, plus a backup. If the answer is vague, that's the answer.
5. What happens if you're ill?
Everyone gets ill. What you're testing is whether they've thought about it. A good answer names a network of other videographers they'd call, and what happens to your money if nobody can cover.
6. How many weddings do you film in a season, and any near mine?
Back-to-back weddings affect your delivery time and how tired the person is. Not necessarily a problem - just worth knowing.
7. When will I get it, and what exactly do I get?
Get this in writing. "A wedding video" can mean a three-minute highlight and nothing else.
You want to know: how many films, roughly how long each, in what format, delivered how. One to three months is normal in London, longer in peak season. There's more on this in my guide to wedding film styles.
8. Do you have back-ups of the footage?
Cards fail. Ask what happens between your wedding and delivery - dual card slots on the day, more than one copy of the footage afterwards. Anyone serious will answer this instantly because they've been thinking about it for years.
9. Have you filmed at my venue?
Useful, not essential. Someone who knows the venue knows where the light is at four o'clock and which corner of the ceremony room you can actually stand in.
But an experienced videographer at a new venue will simply arrive early and work it out. Don't rule someone out over this.
10. Are you insured?
Public liability insurance. Many London venues require it and will ask your supplier directly. If they don't have it, you'll find out late and badly.
11. How much will I notice you?
Ask it directly and listen to how they answer.
Nobody enjoys being directed at their own wedding. If the answer involves a lot of setting up shots and moving guests around, decide now whether you want that day, because you'll be living it for ten hours.
My own view: if the day would have happened more or less the same without me there, I've done my job properly.
12. Do you also do photography?
Only worth asking if you want both. One team means one point of contact, one consistent look, and two suppliers not competing for the same three feet of aisle. It's usually cheaper too - there's a fuller answer in videography vs photography.
The thing the questions won't tell you
You're hiring someone to stand next to you during the most emotionally exposed hours of your life. Technical competence is the floor, not the decision.
By the end of a first conversation you'll know whether you want this person in the room. That instinct is worth as much as the showreel - and if the answer is no, no amount of good work should override it.
You can watch recent films here, or start a conversation.