Find the best person for the job.
Asking around for suggestions is a great way to start, says Zev Greenfield, cofounder and president of NYC–based Milk & Honey Productions. Once your list is narrowed to the few with the best reviews, he suggests viewing two or three full-length samples of each person’s work. Ask to see videos of events that are close to yours in size and, even better, videos that were shot at your site.

Interview each other.
It’s important to inquire about your videographer’s approach: Does he make an effort to be as unobtrusive as possible? What will he be wearing? How does he capture sound? At the same time, you want to hire someone who will treat your day like the personalized event that it is, so make sure you talk about the kind of party you’ve planned. "Look for someone who listens and genuinely wants to know about your wedding," says Green-field. Also, make sure you’ve met the actual videographer and not just the salesperson.

Find out what your options are.
For example, your entire wedding or a single isolated moment can be shot on Super-8 film, as opposed to digital video, to give it a vintage appearance. Videos can also be set to songs of your choice, or may incorporate a mix of music and sound bites from the day. Some videographers are even shooting in high definition, a great feature if you have HDTV. With all these options, figure out the look you like most and then find a professional who can make it happen.

Make sure two cameras are ready to roll.
Whether two videographers or one cameraman plus an assistant are covering your event, a second camera is needed to capture key moments that happen in two places at the same time (such as when the bride and groom are getting ready) says Paul Korver, founder of Los Angeles– and NYC–basedFifty Foot Films. Greenfield also keeps a second camera handy to record the reactions of the bride and groom at certain points, like during the vows or best man’s speech.

Find out what you’ll get.
Most wedding videos are edited down from six to eight hours of raw footage (often available for purchase) to a DVD that’s 40 minutes to one hour in length, complete with a menu of chapters that bring you to different parts of the day. Both Greenfield and Korver also offer a quick turnaround on trailer-length videos that can be downloaded to a cell phone or MP3 player, a fun bonus for yourself and for guests eager to relive the excitement.

Know what to expect.
Your contract should cover details such as who is working your event and for how long, the cost of overtime, and the number of DVDs you’ll get and when they’ll be ready (two to four months is typical). Also ask about your videographer’s policy on changes, says Korver, who allows clients to make small modifications (up to three hours of editing time) to a rough version of the video.

Have your videographer and photographer talk.
Though it’s not common practice, Greenfield suggests encouraging the two to speak before the wedding. This will help both professionals come up with a game plan so that no one’s shots are compromised by the other person’s method.

Give your cameraman a cheat sheet.
Providing your videographer a list of key moments, such as your groom and his buddies doing their college football cheer at the reception, will ensure that nothing special is missing in your final video.