I want to respect the environment of a Wedding for the couple and their guests, so I use a discreet and unobtrusive filming style. I use small, and silent camera’s similar to what a photographer uses, no great big over the shoulder camera’s or tripod’s that some Videographer’s lug around and get right in your face! I blend into the background, looking for natural moments, and discreetly record them as they happen.
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This way the focus can remain on the important things... creating a lasting legacy of memories of the couple’s day.

​I get to know my couples well. I will arrange to meet my couple on several occasions. Starting with consultations and keeping in regular contact throughout.  
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I want to know as much about the couple as possible. What makes their perfect Wedding Film. What they want to see and what they don't want to see.

I want to know everything, not just how they met, but what makes them tick, what makes them laugh, cry, smile, it’s these kind of emotions and details that I want to show in my Wedding Films.

I take the time to make my Wedding Films perfect. Each film takes many, many hours of hard work and meticulous editing, colour grading, and sound mastering.  

​It is a lengthy process, but when I hear that one of my couples have re-lived their story for the very first time, I know every ounce of effort and every second invested has been more than worth it.
​I typically complete each Wedding Film within 8 weeks from the date of filming. 

I love Weddings.
It is one thing to love what I do, and to make people happy and able to relive their wedding over and over for eternity, but I also love a good wedding. At a Wedding, I am not just a Videographer, I am a also a guest. I am not just going to be a bore, stood in the corner of the room all day and night!

​A Wedding is a celebration, and I am always honoured to be a part of them. I often stay until last orders at the very end of the wedding and mingle with the other guests with a beer when I have finished filming.

Warning – Be prepared for some serious dad dancing around 11:00PM!! 

So, you've hired your wedding videographer, which means that the hard part is over, but you still have some work left to do. 

To ensure that the highlight film from your big day is perfect, you should give some thought to the music that will be included. After all, you will be watching it with your family and friends every year on your anniversary for the rest of eternity, right? If you're not sure how to choose a timeless, upbeat musical option, i'm here to help. These tips make finding the right tunes for your wedding video one of the most fun tasks you'll cross off your Pre-wedding to-do list.
 
1. Watch a lot of wedding videos.
The best way to get ideas for your own wedding video (and entire wedding!) is to watch videos from other celebrations. Ask your friends and family if you can watch theirs. Be warned though, wedding films have really changed over the years. Particularly in the last decade. Are you still picturing wedding Videography as the 2 hour long video shot from the back of the room filmed by Uncle Bob? With terrible audio and shaky footage, that would make it worthy of submitting to You’ve Been Framed? Think again.

Your film does not have to be like a wedding video from the 1980’s. Today, a short highlight’s film between 5-8 minutes that shows clips of the day in a non linear fashion set to music is the norm. It is a fun way to share a summary of your big day with family and friends that were not able to be there physically. Technology has changed quite a bit in the last ten years, and wedding Videography has definitely seen major improvements. However, so has the way Wedding Videographer's are allowed to use Music in their wedding films.

This blog post is for the soon-to-be brides and grooms aimed at giving tips and advise on how to make your wedding day run smoother by helping your Videographer. I know you are busy planning your big day, and probably don't have time to read another Blog about weddings, but this post should help you with a few tips that you may not have even thought about. So here are my 5 tips!

1. TELL ME EVERYTHING!

I personally hate surprises, and like to be organised and know exactly what is going to happen and when. For the best possible experience, your videographer will need to know everything that is going to happen. Even the small details.

Are you having fireworks, or sparklers? Are you going to wear your grandmothers earrings, or some other sentimental items? Is there a surprise that the guests don't know about but perhaps the videographer should? Is your cousin Dave bringing his drone? Is someone making an impromptu speech? If they are, the Chances are, if your Videographer didn't know this, they won't have had the opportunity to give them a clip on microphone to record the audio. We Need to know these things to be able to capture these moments on film. The more we know, the more personal, and special your film will be and likewise, the better prepared we can be, and the better your film will be. The best rule to follow is: if in doubt, tell the videographer!

In addition, make sure you keep the videographer informed throughout the day. I know there is going to be a lot going on, you are busy enjoying your day. – you won’t notice us capturing those intimate moments, and that’s the way it should be! But please don’t forget about us. When you’re going to cut your cake, just give us a heads up so that we can get cameras set up. It’s likely we’ll want to have more than one camera rolling for these important moments, so that we can cut between different angles in your film, so tell the DJ to wait for our nod before cuing your Ed-Sheeran-first-dance-medley.

​Additionally, if you’re going off with the photographer for some shots, it would be great to let us know, too. Sometimes the photographer forgets because they’re so focussed on getting some beautiful photos of you, which is absolutely fine by us. But chances are, you’ll want some beautiful shots in your film too, so just give us a heads up. Maybe the photographer wants 15 minutes alone with you – that’s cool! All we ask is that we get some time alone with you, too.

2. GET READY NEAR A WINDOW

First of all, before you get ready, turn off all the lights! - Yes that's what I said! turn them off! A lot of indoor lighting has a yellow tint to it, which is unnatural. On video and photographs, the yellow light can look horrible. Everything will look weird and unappealing, and it will make your skin tones look unflattering.  Natural light however, is both flattering and will show true to life colours. 

Ladies, when your make-up artist arrives, chances are they’ll sit you by a window (after all, it makes sense for them to have loads of light too in order to work their magic). But if they don’t, maybe try and suggest moving. Some make-up artists will bring their own lights, and will prefer to work in front of them than in front of a window, and that’s okay! Any worthwhile videographer will be able to work in artificially lit conditions – all we’re talking about here is how to foster the ideal conditions for the best Wedding Film your videographer can produce.

Gents, chances are your videographer will spend less time with you when getting ready, simply because it doesn’t take as long for you to get ready, and there are only really a few shots we want to get. For example, a shot of you (or your father/best man) doing up your tie is always great, as is a shot of you putting on cuff links and throwing on your jacket. These can be relatively mundane shots in a dimly lit hotel room. But stand by a window, and we can position you such that there are all kinds of interesting shadows occurring, and it’ll just make the shot much more interesting and appealing. Plus, it means we can get some awesome silhouette shots, too!

It’s for that reason that I always recommend an ‘unplugged’ ceremony. In essence, this is a ceremony where you ban people from taking photos or videos. It might sound a bit extreme, but it is becoming more and more popular. When sending our your invitations, request that the guests leave their phones turned off in the bag, or car. - Leave the capturing to the professionals!! Seriously, this is what the professionals have invested thousands of pounds on their equipment for!

It will be a much better experience for everyone, to see the day through their own eyes, rather than through their phone.

With an unplugged ceremony the effect can be fascinating: people actually sit and watch your ceremony with their own eyes! And I can get a clean shot of your ring exchange without having to have a word with Uncle Pete!– win-win!

5.  Be true to yourself

This one applies to men more than women; because of the whole ‘man up’ thing. I don't subscribe to the idea that all men, need to act tough and be a 'ruddy bloody bloke'.  Men are generally reluctant to let their emotions show. and I have found this is no different on your Wedding Day.  When they see their significant other gliding down the aisle, radiating beauty, a lot of men do want to cry, but only a courageous few let that happen. The rest of you try to bottle it up, which results in some of the strangest faces you will ever pull (which isn’t ideal on what is potentially the only day you’ll ever have a professional camera pointing at your face). So don’t bottle it up… let it all out and cry like there’s nobody watching – it will make your Wedding Film ten times better. Plus, it’s a fact that the sight of a man crying is more likely to set somebody else off than the sight of a woman crying; so chances are that, once you start, someone else in that room will join in before long (and, if they’re anything like me, it may well be your videographer).

So there you have it – 5 ways you can help your Wedding Videographer to make your film the best that it can be. Again, these aren’t essential, and they won’t ruin your film if you neglect to follow them, but they will help to foster the ideal conditions for your videographer to work their magic and make you a fantastic Wedding Film that you’ll be proud to show family and friends for the rest of your lives.

Still picturing wedding videography as the 4 hour long, boring video shot from the back of the room filmed by Uncle Bob? With terrible audio and shaky footage, that would make it worthy of submitting to You’ve Been Framed? Think again.

Your film does not have to be like a wedding video from the 1980’s, - four hours of long, drawn-out footage. Today, a short highlight’s film between 5-8 minutes that shows clips of the day set to music is the norm. It is a fun way to share a summary of your big day with family and friends that were not able to be there physically.
Gone are the days of bulky cameras, cheesy interviews and poor quality films.

Technology has changed quite a bit in the last ten years, and wedding videography has definitely seen major improvements. We have listed a few ways that things have changed to give you a high quality, beautifully watchable wedding film.

​1.            The equipment will look similar to your photographer’s camera.
 
Videographers do not have to use bulky camcorders to capture your big day. Even though the equipment is small, the footage is captured in HD. The equipment is now so compact that they can move as freely as your photographer, without interfering with the festivities.  In fact, during all the festivities, most of your guests will not be able to tell your photographer and videographer apart!
 
2.            Your videographer won’t be glued to a tripod.
 
Without having to use a tripod for the entire day, the videographer has a lot more freedom to shoot from different angles. This cinematographer is using a monopod for stabilization, which allows her to move around freely while still getting beautiful, steady shots. You will be able to get fun, creative shots without being limited by bulky equipment! If you want to get adventurous with outdoor shots during your photo session, your videographer will be able to join in the fun!

​3.               Having more than one cinematographer will give you more angles for your film.

Why should you have to choose between seeing yourself walk down the aisle and the reaction of the love of your life waiting to marry you?  Having more than one videographer gives you a chance to see multiple angles of the big moments throughout your wedding day. When all of those shots are combined, your film will showcase the full story of your big day in all its glory!
 
4.          Videographers can also carry extra, compact equipment that allows for even more creative shots.

Just as your photographer may take some time to get some creative shots outside of the traditional posed pictures, your videographer can do the same. Fun, creative shots of you and your wedding party make a great addition to a trailer or feature film!

5.                      There are several ways to watch and share you wedding film

We are living in a time where the majority of media is now digital. DVD’s are no longer sought after, with online streaming services getting increasingly popular. That is why we deliver your Wedding film on a USB stick. You can watch you film on a modern, HD Television, just plug it in and enjoy. Not only can you also put it onto your computer, and save it to your hard drive, why not upload it to social media, so that all your friends and family can watch it. Share you wedding film with your distant relative’s around the world. – Instantly.

Lasting between 5 and 8 minutes long, a highlights film allows you to relive all of the best bits of your day in a format that you can sit down and watch whenever you like, with whomever you like. It is perfect for sharing online with friends and family who couldn’t make it (or those that could make it, but want to see it again). This is sure to have you laughing, crying and feeling like you are right back in that aisle all over again.
Another benefit of the digital age is that your film will be available in a mobile format, so you will be able to watch it anywhere!

35% of brides say that not hiring a Wedding Videographer is their #1 regret from their wedding day, and 25% of couples that DID hire one wish they had spent more money on one.  

So, after finding this out, I wanted to set out and attempt to elaborate on why 1/3 of brides regret not hiring a videographer, and why those that did wish they had invested more in it.

“I wish I’d hired a videographer.” - Two big reasons couples don’t get a videographer? 

Budget and “we already got a photographer.”

There’s only so much budget, and it has to be stretched or allocated.  You can get this DJ and these flowers or this band and get WAY less flowers.  Then there is photography.  The reasoning sometimes goes that if you are getting a wedding photographer, do you really need a wedding videographer?

My answer to this is that  BOTH a wedding videographer and wedding photographer are key in documenting the day.

Wedding videography captures your love story in such a different way.  Visually it is different, but it also incorporates audio and emotion in a way that really shouldn’t be compared to a wedding photographer’s craft.  I love photography, and I do think that a lot of photographers are storytellers by their own right.  To compare the two though is such a misstep.  They are different things, and will mean different things to you when you get them.

“I wish we had spent more on video.”
A lot of couples wished that they had spent more on photography as well. I have always believed that you get what you pay for.

There isn’t a magic number here. Some people charge more than others. Just keep in mind that if you are shopping for a wedding videographer with a low budget, all of the quality work is going to be out of reach.

So what?
So, the wedding videographer writes a post about how you should hire a wedding videographer. Not surprising – I get it. The great news is that more and more couples ARE getting videographer's, and I do think we are headed for a time that it will be rare that a couple doesn’t want one.

Documenting your day is, in my opinion, one of the most important investments that you can make in your wedding day. Don’t find yourself 10 years or 20 years into marriage wishing that you had spent more on things you can show to your kids, instead of flowers that you don’t have anymore. Photographers and videographers create family heirlooms – they document your love story.

Does that mean you need to scrape more together, start shopping sooner, get your photographer and videographer first, or re-allocate expenses that you have already made?

​In my opinion, whatever you have to do to make it happen will be worth it.
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I am currently taking bookings for 2018 / 2019 / 2020 and 2021 Weddings. Have a look at our wedding packages and Click here to get in touch and make an inquiry.

You won't regret it!