Practically all married couples have at least one wedding photo. We’re all used to the fact that a wedding photographer is a must if you want to save your memories about the wedding. But what about a wedding videographer? This is a comparatively new trend and not everybody can figure out if they need to pay a few extra thousands for a wedding video when they are already going to have the photos. Let’s see what a wedding videographer can give you and whether you need one for your ceremony.
First of all, what’s the difference between wedding photos and wedding video? Pictures are static snaps, they show you one moment forever frozen in time. They’re good for showing emotions, beautiful views, and close-up portraits. Videos, on the other hand, show the duration of a situation, they help you see what happened before and after a certain moment. And if you want to relive your wedding, to remember every little detail of the ceremony, preparation for it, and the celebration, video is suited better for it. Because our memory tends to lose details with time, after a dozen years, you will probably remember only the brightest and most significant moments, while a lot of important things will be forgotten.
The wedding photos and wedding videos are two completely different things. And if your finances allow you, have them both for your happy day. In good wedding photos, you’ll see the love between the two of you, the deep emotions and feelings in your eyes, the beauty of the bride’s gown, etc. But on a wedding video, you’ll see how the groom anxiously awaits his future wife at the altar, bouncing on the balls of his feet, how the guests react to the bride’s dress, how the parents cry with joy and happiness that this day has finally come, how the bride secretly throws shy and delighted glances at her groom. All those tiny but so significant details of the wedding that you sometimes can’t capture in photos.
That’s why wedding videography has appeared. When modern technologies allowed to make great videos in high-quality easily, when drones came into our life, people started to film their weddings en masse. A good videographer with high-quality equipment can do wonders.
The convenient thing about wedding videography is that you are able to get two kinds of your wedding video – a wedding highlight video and a wedding feature video. There is a difference between them. A wedding highlight video is short, 2-10 minutes, it’s perfect for sharing on your social media and sending to your friends and family. A wedding feature video is longer (about 20-30 minutes), it contains more info, this film you can show your kids one day or watch to relive the wedding years after the big day.
Some couples only want one or several highlight videos and no serious documentation of the day, others want a long version to sit and watch it every now and then. There are different options you can choose from, but it’s better if you discuss this beforehand. Of course, the price depends on what you order. Also, ask if your wedding videographer can give you the raw footage of the wedding, which you could watch afterwards. This way, you will get not just a summary of your wedding but everything that was filmed. And usually, it doesn’t cost you extra.
Minuses of wedding videography
Budget. This is, obviously, an important point because the couple ends up hiring both a wedding photographer and a videographer. So, not every bride and groom want and can afford videography.
Obtrusion. A lot of people are afraid of wedding videographers because they don’t want some things to be caught on camera, they don’t want somebody following them and filming their every move, etc. And usually, a videographer films both the bride and the groom getting ready for the ceremony, which also can be hard for shy and not very social people. But actually, you can discuss this beforehand with your videographer so that he knows what you want from him and you know what kind of material he needs for the video. Another very important thing is that a videographer changes his tactics during the day – during the wedding prep or small interviews, he can be very close to you, but when you’re interacting with your guests or are on stage, a videographer will move to the periphery and film from some distance.
In general, wedding videography is a useful and interesting service. If you can afford it, we highly recommend you have it. But if your wedding budget is small, you can totally go without a film about your wedding. It’s up to you whether to hire a videographer or not. Don’t stress about it and enjoy your wedding day to the fullest.
