What makes an awesome wedding video?

There are many different factors that make an awesome wedding video. I wanted to run through some of the things that I think are the most important which will make the couple look back on their day and relive it, bringing the day back to life years later, making it feel as special now as it was then.

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The Moments

 A wedding video is all about capturing the feeling of the day and those key moments that cannot be missed. So the most important aspects of making a wedding video as memorable as possible is to make sure you have those key moments. For example, the first time the Bride and Groom see each other, the rings being placed on their fingers, the “you may kiss the bride” and of course the first dance. All of these moments can tell the story of your day and express the true emotions of everyone present.

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Establishing

Establishing where you are is something that I have found is missing from a lot of wedding videos, but it is a very effective way of making you feel like you are going back in time and reliving the day. As a viewer, establishing where you are and knowing what time it is in the day, whether it is morning or evening will help the story follow nicely and make sense. Scenic shots in a wedding film give your mind chance to catch up with where you are in the day.

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Movement

By movement I mean the movement of the camera. If the camera is moving it feels like the story is also moving. Making sure there is as much smooth slow movement in a wedding video can give it a really relaxed and nice feeling, when moving into the evening the movement will get fast and less smooth to add energy to the party.

What looks really impressive is following the Bride and the Groom as they walk together, this is usually staged but it can also be done with the Bride walking down the aisle. This is not usually possible though because people do not want a videographer walking in front of the Bride as she walks down the aisle. An alternative is to follow the journey of the Bride from the side of the aisle behind where the guests are seated. This looks lovely as you can see the Bride going down the aisle and the guests reactions.

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Music

The music that is used in the video can dictate the whole feel of the video. It needs to start off slow but also have some energy in it, the music can be the difference between having a really engaging, exciting wedding video to having a boring one. The Bride and Groom can help the videographer by suggesting songs that they like and that are personal to them, making the video truly unique.

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Pace

A longer video isn’t always a better video. It is often thought that the more you have in a wedding video the better it will be, this is not the case in most instances because there are some parts of the day you do not need to see and some parts you may only want to see once. For example, if there are lots of shots of the dress on a hanger this can slow a video down whereas it would be better to see the dress on the Bride which you will later in the film anyway. Some of the best wedding videos I have seen have been some of the shorter ones because you can really feel close to the Bride and Groom without having lots of cliché shots that you don’t really need. The pace of a video can be fast or slow depending on the couple and the day, because each couple is unique and each video unique. A faster paced video will have more energy and a slower film may have a more romantic feeling.

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Is a wedding video worth it?

 

As everyone knows weddings are one of the most expensive events in your life. A couple’s budget for their wedding can vary massively so it is easy to see why a video can seem a large cost on top of everything else you need to pay for.

Why video and not just photos?

Almost all weddings have a photographer to capture many priceless moments of the day so that people can remember them for years to come and have the pictures on display for all of their lives – which is a very important thing to have from your wedding day.

Although people may not display a video in their home continuously, a wedding video does not just capture single moments from the day. Through film you can see more emotion and more reaction from people, the change in the Groom’s expression as he sees the Bride walking down the aisle, laughter from guests as the best man reads out his cheesy jokes about the Groom. Those are true stories from the day that can be relived years later, this is something that can be lost with photographs as the memories fade.

What do you get from a wedding video?

If you ask any Bride about their wedding day they will tell you, it was one of the best days of their lives but it was gone in the blink of an eye. A wedding video gives you time to look back on the day and enjoy it all over again and from different perspectives, for example:

• Bridal preparation
• The groom arriving
• What the guests were up to
• Messages
• The venue
• Behind the scenes

On the day you can get either one or two videographers who will be filming all the aspects of the day you choose, including the ceromony, speeches, guests arriving, messages from the guests and anything you have specifically asked to be filmed. These are usually edited down into a few different forms; a short highlights video that you might share on social media, a longer highlights video including the full ceromony and speeches and individual requests which you can ask for before the wedding.

A wedding video is a record of your special day, for you to do with as you wish. They can be completely tailored to your needs and be a great memory to look back on to see how much your family and friends have changed over the years. The extra cost will always seem worth it in the future when you want to look back, because if you do not take the oppurtunity to have a video while you can, it can be something you regret not having.

But we will have what guests filmed on their phones!

Yes many people take the videos that their guests have filmed of the day and keep those to remember the day by but this isn’t always ideal. Most wedding guests are not trained videographers, so there maybe fingers in the way of lens or hands covering the microphones so you can’t hear the most important moments. With a professional videographer you also get them using professional video and audio equipment. The videos will look crystal clear and be creatively shot by a professional, telling the story of the day in a structure not just disjointed moments that seem out of context.

Professional Video Equipment

Can the photographer do the video?

This is a question that gets asked a lot and the short answer is no. While many photographers might be more than capable of filming the day, they might not nessacarily have the correct equipment to do so to the same quality as a videographer who is geared up specifically for video. Also a photographer is at a wedding to take photographs and if they also have to think about shooting video, the quality of the photographs can suffer which no one wants especially not the photographer. That is why most photographers that are asked this question will say no because they know want to give you the best photographs they can possible give you.

What if I can’t afford a video?

If having a wedding video made strectches your budget to breaking point then consider asking for contributions from your guests in the invitations to help cover the cost, instead of a gift from them.

Most guests at weddings want to offer the couple a gift but many find it difficult to think of what to get as most couples have most things they need in this day and age. So by giving them the option to contribute to something that you really want and something they know you will keep forever can really help your guests feel they are giving you a fantastic gift.

Should I have a wedding video?

As someone who makes wedding videos I think YES! 

You should have a film made about your wedding day because you only get married once and it is an amazing way to remember your day. Considering most wedding videos cost about the same as having a photographer, it’s a bargain because you get rather a lot for your money in terms of the time the videographer works on the film and the finished artical you recieve at the end.

So please, get in touch!