Let's talk about that mountain of footage sitting on your hard drive right now. As a wedding videographer, you're probably all too familiar with that post-wedding feeling: the creative high of capturing beautiful moments followed by the sobering reality of hours upon hours of post-production ahead.
I remember my first wedding season... 12 weddings booked, and by mid-July, I was drowning in footage. My apartment looked like a scene from "The Shining" – except instead of "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," it was "All editing and no sleep makes Jack miss deadlines." Not good.
So, what's your game plan for wedding video editing? Hire a freelancer for each wedding or try a subscription-based editing service like WedWill? Let's break down the real numbers together and see which outsourcing option actually puts more money in your pocket while giving you your workflow—and life—back.
We've all been there – scrolling through Upwork or calling that editor your friend recommended for wedding highlight reel editing. On the surface, the costs seem straightforward, but the complete wedding post-production expense goes far beyond the invoice.
Most freelance wedding editors charge you in one of these ways:
For your typical wedding package (a 5-minute highlight, ceremony edit, full documentary cut, and those Instagram teasers your clients keep asking for), you're looking at dropping $600-1,200 per wedding to a freelance video editor.
I once had a freelancer quote me $50/hr for what they claimed was "6 hours of work." Forty-seven hours later (and yes, I was stupid enough to agree to hourly), I had a $2,350 bill and a highlight film that still needed revisions. Lesson learned the hard way.
Here's where it gets interesting – and expensive. Working with freelancers comes with hidden price tags:
These wedding video post-production headaches translate to roughly $150-300 in value lost per wedding.
Not to mention the night sweats when you realize you've got three weddings to film next weekend and still haven't finished the edits from TWO weekends ago. Been there. Didn't sleep much.
Here's the real kicker: while you're busy managing freelancers, sending feedback, and coordinating deliverables, you're not out shooting more weddings. For many videographers, that means 1-3 fewer bookings per season.
At your average rate, that's potentially $3,500-10,500 in revenue that never hits your bank account. This opportunity cost is often the largest hidden expense in wedding video workflow management.
WedWill takes a completely different approach to wedding video post-production with monthly subscription plans:
Here's the game-changer – unlike an employee or ongoing freelancer relationships, you can pause WedWill's wedding video editing service when things slow down. So if your typical year looks like:
Your actual yearly cost with the Creative Pro plan is $7,992 ($999 × 8 months), not $11,988. This flexibility is critical for seasonal wedding videography businesses.
Time for some real talk about your annual wedding video editing numbers:
With Freelance Wedding Editors:
With WedWill's Creative Pro Plan:
When you put it that way, the wedding video editing outsourcing decision becomes much clearer.
WedWill's pricing is based on a monthly processing capacity of approximately 23 business days per subscription (the average number of business days in a month). Each edit type requires a specific number of business days to complete:
This transparent processing framework means you can accurately predict your timeline and plan your bookings accordingly—something freelancers rarely provide.
Important Note: All estimates assume average project complexity. Actual delivery times may vary based on specific project requirements, but we're committed to delivering exceptional quality within our estimated timeframes. All holidays and breaks are pre-calculated into the subscription plan prices.
Money matters, but let's talk about your quality of life and wedding video workflow for a second:
Look at the difference in how wedding videographers spend their time with each approach:
The pie charts above tell the story that numbers alone can't capture—with WedWill, you're spending significantly more time behind the camera (where you make money) and dramatically less time behind the computer. Notice how the "Editing" portion shrinks from 45% of your time to just 15% for "Review Edits," while "Filming" expands from 40% to 65%.
My back literally stopped hurting after my first month with WedWill. Turns out sitting hunched over a computer for 12+ hours a day isn't great for your spine. Who knew?
With WedWill handling your wedding video post-production, you're saving 30+ hours every week. Think about that. What could you do with an extra 30 hours?
With a dedicated wedding video editor who gets your style:
During peak season when every videographer is pulling their hair out:
Let's be real – WedWill isn't for every wedding videographer. Freelancers might make more sense if:
If you're filming 10+ weddings annually, WedWill's wedding video editing service typically gives you:
Remember, your most valuable asset isn't your new camera body or your drone – it's your time. WedWill's entire model is built around giving you that time back while delivering professional wedding video edits at a price that makes mathematical sense.
I used to think I'd save money by editing everything myself. "Why pay someone else when I could just do it?" Five years and about 2,000 hours of lost sleep later, I realized the answer: because my time is worth something too. Shocking, I know.
Ready to see for yourself? Our 14-day trial costs $199 and includes a full 4-6 minute highlight video with color grading, sound mixing, and all the revisions you want. Plus, there's a 7-day money-back guarantee, so there's literally no risk to try WedWill's wedding video editing service.
You'll work with a dedicated editor who learns your unique style preferences. After your first few projects, they'll understand your color grading approach, pacing preferences, and audio mixing style to maintain consistency across all your wedding videos.
I was skeptical about this at first - nobody edits like me, right? But after my second wedding with them, I barely had to request any revisions. They nailed my style so fast it was almost creepy.
Unlike freelancers who might charge premium rates for rush jobs, WedWill processes requests sequentially with predictable turnaround times. For specific turnaround times: ceremony/speech edits (3-4 days), highlight films (6-7 days), cinematic highlights (7-9 days), full films (6-8 days), and social teasers (3-4 days).
Submit revision requests via Slack (for Creative/Cinematic Pro) or our client portal. There's no limit to the number of revisions you can request until you're completely satisfied with the final wedding video.
The unlimited revisions thing isn't a gimmick btw - I once requested 11 revisions on a particularly tricky highlight film (bridezilla situation, don't ask), and they handled every single one without complaining.
Our system calculates your needs based on: (1) your monthly edit volume by type, (2) whether you want to spread edits across multiple months or complete all in one month, and (3) your project parameters like average footage hours. This helps determine if one subscription is sufficient or if you need multiple parallel subscriptions.
Yes! During your consultation call, we'll show you sample edits that match your specific style. We can also connect you with current clients who can share their experience with our wedding video editing service.
WedWill includes royalty-free music licensing from platforms like Artlist, Musicbed, and Audio Music. Our editors can help with song selection, or you can specify exactly which tracks you'd like to use.
For projects exceeding 500GB, you can use proxy files or request an increased quota via Slack. Our system is designed to handle the significant storage needs of professional wedding videographers.
Calculate Your Wedding Video Editing Savings
Use our Wedding Videography ROI Calculator to see exactly how much time and money your specific wedding videography business could save with WedWill's professional video editing service.