How to write a wedding videography contract.

Start from the same base as a photography contract

The foundations are shared: a non-refundable retainer to hold the date, a payment schedule with the final balance due before the wedding, a cancellation scale, a reschedule rule, force majeure, and a limit on your liability. If you don't have those yet, our photography contract guide covers each one; the wording works for film too.

This guide is about what to add on top. It is practical guidance from working studios, not legal advice. Have a local lawyer read your final template once, because consumer law differs between countries.

Music licensing: say who chooses and what it allows

Music is the clause couples misunderstand most. They hear their first-dance song in the film and assume you can use it. Commercial songs need a licence for a film you deliver and they can share; without one, a platform can mute or remove the film when the couple posts it.

Say in the contract that you choose the soundtrack from licensed music libraries, that the couple can suggest a mood or style, and that requests for a specific commercial track can only be met if a licence is available and paid for. If live audio of their first dance is included as recorded on the day, say so separately.

• "Films are scored with music licensed for this use. The couple may request a style or mood; the final selection is the filmmaker's."
• "Requests for specific commercial recordings depend on a licence being available and are charged at cost."
• Say whether you will re-score the film if a platform still flags a licensed track

Raw footage: decide before they ask

Sooner or later a couple asks for all the footage. Decide your answer once and write it in. Most studios either do not release raw footage, or release it as a paid add-on, unedited and ungraded, with no further support.

If you do sell it, say what format and how it is delivered, how long you keep it, and that it is provided as-is. Also say how long you keep the project files after delivery. Six to twelve months is common; after that, a re-edit may not be possible.

• State whether raw footage is included, available as an add-on, or not released
• Set an archive period: "Project files are kept for 12 months after delivery, after which they may be deleted."
• Say that raw footage is ungraded and unedited, and that the couple's use of it is personal only

Revisions: one round, in writing, within a window

Unlimited revisions turn one film into four. Offer one round of reasonable changes to the edit, requested in writing within a set window after delivery, usually 14 days. Define reasonable: swapping clips, fixing a name on a title card, trimming a section. Re-editing to a different song or a different structure is a new edit, charged at your hourly rate.

Delivery times and what counts as delivered

Give a delivery window rather than a date, and make it honest for your busiest month. Then say what delivery means: the films are uploaded and the link is sent. That stops the clock, and it stops arguments about whether a download the couple hasn't opened counts.

If you deliver a teaser or highlight first, list each piece and its own window, for example teaser within 4 weeks, highlight film within 12 weeks, full ceremony edit within 16 weeks.

Audio, drones and the venue

Video depends on things you don't control. Put them in writing so a quiet officiant or a venue rule isn't your fault.

• Audio: you will mic the officiant and couple where the venue and officiant allow; you can't guarantee audio if they refuse, or if a speaker steps away from the mic
• Drone: aerial footage depends on weather, airspace rules and venue permission, and may be dropped on the day without a refund of the package price
• Venue restrictions: if the venue or officiant limits where you can stand or film during the ceremony, coverage will follow those rules
• Meals and breaks: crews of one or two need a meal and a short break on long days; say so and say when

Usage, portfolio and supplier requests

Keep copyright in the footage and grant the couple a personal licence. Reserve your right to use clips in your own portfolio and social media, with an opt-out the couple can choose in writing. Venues and planners often ask for your film for their own marketing; say that any commercial use by a third party needs your separate permission. That line is what lets you charge for it, or at least get credited.