“Strictly for Brides” is a series of tips and videos designed to help couples plan their wedding videography.
The one thing every bride wishes for on her wedding day is that everything go exactly as planned, and that none of the wedding nightmares she’s probably heard about happen to her: the unexpected storm, the AWOL vendor, the collapsing wedding cake, the wrong flowers, mom’s missing corsage, the lost wedding ring. She’s planned for months, maybe years, and dreamed about her wedding for a lifetime. The right decisions in the planning and hiring stages of the wedding can make a big difference in her stress level on the day of.
The self-imposed trap: It’s often the shortcuts and shortsighted efforts to save some money that short-circuit months of planning.
Tip: Require a written contract that spells out all the services to be provided in detail. Don’t get into word-of-mouth agreements with a vendor no matter how good the offer sounds. At least with a written agreement you have some recourse if someone important doesn’t make it to the wedding or if the work is not up to par.
Tip: I understand that there’s a strong temptation to accept a freebie from a friend, especially when the budget is a bit lean, but it defies logic to let someone with little experience be responsible for any of the key services, particularly photography and video, which capture the memories.
TIP: See the work before buying, then discus, discus, discus, and firm everything up in writing. A day or two before the event check up on all your vendors with an email or phone call to go over all the relevant details. This last task can be delegated to a responsible wedding attendant. After that, RELAX. Treat yourself to a nice massage.
TIP: Work with vendors who are willing to listen to your ideas and run with them instead of trying to impose their own ideas upon you. Be wary of vendors that try to convince you that they know it all. Inflexibility on a vendor’s part early in the game can foreshadow other problems once you’ve hired them.
Tip: Having all the technical skills and specialized equipment, the dedication to the craft and the passion for what they do isn’t always enough. A track record is also important. It speaks to stability and dependability. You can rely to some extent on reviews and trusted referrals, though the validity of reviews is sometimes questionable. Keep in mind, also, that a referral from a friend may be someone they liked, but not necessarily a good fit for you. Do the legwork yourself if you can.
Making Your Vision a Reality: When it comes to photography and videography if you’re not one who enjoys a lot of direction from your media pros, don’t select someone whose style involves a lot of posing. On the other hand, if you do enjoy the classic look of formal poses in your photography and would appreciate some direction from your videographer to compose a unique video segment, then look for that style in the vendors you hire. Not all photographers and videographers are the same and the results of their work vary widely.
Wedding videography is about relationships and the feelings that underlie them. In my own videography business, my promise is to make sure that the emotional part of your story is not overlooked, and I’m very attentive to the little details that help tell that part of your story. It’s an approach that takes experience, insight and a deep love of people. That’s the challenge and the reward of creating truly compelling video. You’ll see that in the videos on display in our wedding video gallery.
Contact me directly for more great wedding video ideas! Call (310) 547-4702 or use our easy contact form.
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(Marc, a former public school teacher, is a long time Los Angeles and Orange County wedding videographer working out of his South Bay studio for the past 35 years).