It’s no longer enough to keep a written diary, journal, or love letters between the couple. The love evolution has resulted in love stories being told on film. Some videos tell the story of how the couple met and fell in love, shows footage of their families and even their childhoods, highlights important dates in their relationship, and may document the planning of their wedding and the days and hours before the nuptials. The pre wedding video is sometimes shown at the reception, or may just be shown to close friends and family.

As if brides and grooms didn’t have enough to do planning their wedding, now they’re adding another layer of “to do’s” with a pre wedding video. But one that is well-done is beautiful to watch, and will be a perfect keepsake for the bridal couple and their children in the years to come. There have even been a few such videos that have gone viral on You Tube in the past year.

But should you have a pre wedding video done? Here are some considerations:

1. Is something like this important to you? Don’t do something just because a lot of other people are doing it. It needs to mean something to you so that it won’t be an irritation when shooting of the video begins and people are asking you questions about how the two of you met, etc.
2. Do you have the time? Even if you hire someone to do the video for you, they won’t be able to complete it without a lot of input from you.
3. Where are you going to show it? Are you just having the video done for the bridal couple or do you plan to show it to others? Are you a private person who will redden when a video starring you flashes onto the screen?
4. Can you afford the added cost and added stress? Do you want the added cost and added stress?

Pre wedding videos can be wonderful to watch again and again on your future anniversaries. It can only be done before your wedding, so decide today if you want to add it to your celebration of love.

Firstly you will want to pick songs that are special to you both. Everyone has a favorite song or songs and most couples have tracks that recall happy memories for them both. No doubt you will have already selected some songs that were played during the day, such as for the first dance, so these will be a good place to start. It is also helpful to pick tracks that capture your personalities to make the video even more personal.

You then need to assign a song to each part of the day. The video will usually follow a chronological order of the pre wedding preparations, the ceremony, and then the reception and it is a good idea to mark these different parts of the video with different tracks.

Significant parts of the wedding video that you will want to consider and some ideas for the best wedding video songs are:

The bride getting reading before the ceremony

• Fergie: Glamorous
• Prince: The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
• Shania Twain: From This Moment

The arrival of the guests and bridegroom at the ceremony

• Dixie Cups: Chapel Of Love
• Tony Bennett: Fly Me To The Moon
• Elton John: Can You Feel the Love Tonight

The bride’s arrival

• Rod Stewart: Have I Told You Lately
• Nat King Cole: What A Wonderful World
• Westlife: Flying Without Wings

The ceremony

• Celine Dion: Because You Loved Me
• Lionel Ritchie: Angel
• Faith Hill: Breathe

Meeting your guests after the ceremony

• Lou Reed: Perfect Day
• Shania Twain: Still The One
• U2: Beautiful Day

The wedding breakfast and cutting of the cake

• Sting: Brand New Day
• Stevie Wonder: Ribbons In The Sky
• The Beatles: Dear Prudence

Bear in mind that most wedding videographers will have a collection of music that they have paid royalties on to be able to use. If you choose tracks that are not amongst the popular wedding video songs, the price of your video may increase if the videographer needs to buy additional copyright licenses. Obviously you can negate the need for a wedding video song by not adding music and capturing the ceremony and other moments as is. Overall if you do go for music, just be sure to choose songs that mean a lot to you and you won’t go far wrong.



Hence, the cost usually reflects the expertise and service quality of the videographer.  Yet videographers have various ways of packaging their services and quoting their prices. To make things more complex, prices vary depending on the geographical location and season.

While there are hardly any hard and fast rules as to how videographers come up with wedding video prices, the guidelines below should offer you a rough guide to the type of services you can get with your intended budget:

• A basic package – comprising the coverage of just the wedding ceremony using one camera, and lasting an hour to an hour and a half – will cost less than $1000.
• An enhanced package – that covers both the ceremony as well as the reception will cost between $1,000 – $1,200.
• A deluxe package – comprising two cameras to capture different angles and covering both the ceremony as well as the reception runs between $1,300 – $2,000.
• The ultimate package – if you are looking for services in the likes of professional movie-making, including special effects and interviews as well as coverage of the wedding preparations, the price will cost between $2,000 – $6,000, depending on the number of premium services you want.

Moreover, additional services that you request can incur extra costs: for example, asking for speed editing and extra copies of the DVDs, and including photo montages into the video.

So take the time to survey different companies to get a sense of the range of wedding videography prices in your area and the corresponding quality of their products.  This will help you get the best value-for-money videographer for your big day.

• Wedding videographers usually market their services in packages. But try going ‘a la carte’ and request only those services that you really need. You may end up with a smaller bill and still have the assurance of professional expertise.
• You are likely to get cheaper prices from new wedding videographers who are trying to build up their business. They are also more likely to be willing to negotiate. To ensure that you engage someone with the necessary expertise, ask to look at their previous work.
• Check with your local university for students who are skilled in videography. Since they are eager to build up their portfolios, they are likely to take on the task for bargain prices. You should also ask to see previous examples of their work to get some reassurance that you will be getting a certain amount of quality and expertise.
• Are any of your relatives or friends savvy with a video camera?  Or perhaps they know someone who is. You can engage them to do the wedding videography for you at a bargain fee. A word of caution though: you can’t be guaranteed a great video if you engage an amateur. Take this option only if you really can’t spare the budget for a professional videographer.

These are several avenues open to you to look for cheap wedding videography services. However, you would want to ensure that you don’t end up with someone so incompetent that it ruins your memories of your most special day. To avoid this, be sure to ask a lot of questions and look at the prospective videographer’s previous work to help you make a sound judgment.

The same tips work for finding your wedding photographer as well. As you will need both a photographer and videographer, it can often be beneficial cost wise to find a company that offers both services. Online is a good place to track down such a business, if word of mouth leaves you without any good leads. There are many directories of photographers offering you a good place to start. Just find one that covers your local area, such as the Atlanta Photographers Directory.  Good luck!

What do professional wedding videography prices include?

It is hard to standardise the services of professional wedding videographers. They vary from firm to firm and between individuals. It is common to find these services available to you as packages, typically called bronze, silver and gold. You will need to look at the fine print to find the details of what you are actually paying for though, if you want to compare prices. You are usually able to pay for ‘extras’ if you want something out of the ordinary, say perhaps interviews with your guests, so watch out for these if you are attracted by a cheap wedding videography price. It can be overwhelming when comparing different wedding videography packages, so here are the basics of what you should be looking for:

• Two smartly dressed cameramen
• Professional wedding videography equipment comprising three HD cameras and wireless microphones
• A meeting to discuss your exact requirements with the actual videographer who will be attending your wedding and editing the final film
• Copyright licenses for the wedding video music
• Edited 60-90 minute versions on one Blu Ray disc and three DVDs
• Your choice of wedding photo printed onto the DVDs
• DVDs presented in formal cases

If you can afford it, you are well advised to capture your complete wedding day. This will involve your wedding videographers being needed for about 10-12 hours when they will film the following important events:

• The bride getting reading before the ceremony
• The arrival of the guests and bridegroom at the ceremony
• The bride’s arrival
• The ceremony and the signing of the register
• The session with the still photographer
• The wedding breakfast, speeches and cutting of the cake
• The happy couple’s first dance during the evening party
• The guests partying and dancing
• Guests leaving video messages
• The bouquet toss.

Photo by kennymatic.

The price of wedding videography services is as changeable as the packages on offer. It depends on where you live and what deal you are able to negotiate. Typically you should expect a bill in the region of $2,000 and above. You will probably have to pay a deposit to ensure the videographer keeps the day clear in his diary. The final payment is either due before the actual day or sometimes when you receive the final wedding video. You are likely to receive the final product within 3-5 weeks of the wedding but you can expect this to be longer in the summer months.

Styles of videography for weddings

When you meet the wedding videographer it is a good idea to discuss his or her videography style. Individuals will tend towards a style that they prefer but a professional will no doubt be able to accomodate your wishes. The different types of wedding video theme are as follows:

• Journalistic – a bit like a documentary, the segments of this style follow the time line of the day
• Cinematic – the videographer will try and convey a more dramatic representation of the day. There should a feeling of ‘wow’ whilst watching it.
• Storytelling – the bride and groom are more involved in this style. They are not just left to go about the business of the wedding, but are also asked to provide sound clips effectivley narating parts of the day. These clips can be recorded during or even before and after the day.

Most videographers do not stick to a single theme, but prefer to mix and match elements of them all. This usually ends up with the best result for the bride and groom.

Once the filming has finished for the day, the editing can start. This will involve joining relevant parts together and cutting parts where not much happens but it can also include creating various special mementos from the footage shot. These may include:

• Highlights – this is a very short version of the day. It will be about 10 minutes long and will cover the key points.
• Short form – this is another short verion covering between 15-50 minutes of the most interesting segments.
• Traditional – this is the long form video and is typically what you would get if a friend took the video for you. There is not much editing so the result will probably last 2-3 hours.
• Photo montage – this is not exactly a video but more a collection of still pictures. They are organised into an interesting order and are often accompanied by sound clips or music.
• Love story – this is the story of the happy couple. It will cover how they met, what they are like as a couple and what they have planned for the future. The bride and groom will be prominently featured talking about their story and the narrative will be cut with shots of what they are talking about.

As well as wedding day videos you can also arrange for pre wedding videos to be shot. These may include:

• Engagement video – the groom will need to be on the ball to organise this to capture the moment he proposes!
• Invitation DVD – rather than printed invitations you can now send videos to your guests asking them to come and join you for your big day.

So make sure you give some serious thought to your wedding videography requirements. It will be too late when it is all over. Plan ahead and make sure you have the perfect memento of your perfect day.

What do the bride and groom want?

The whole purpose of wedding videos is to act as a reminder in years to come of the big day and all those family and friends who came to celebrate the marriage. You need to agree with the bride and groom the overall feel of the video – will it be very formal or do they want you to catch funny moments and ‘interview’ (or ‘chat with’) the guests. When should it start – before the wedding with the bride getting ready – and when should it end – at the wedding breakfast or evening party?

You need to agree which key points during the day they definitely want you to catch, such as the bride walking down the aisle, the vows, the speeches and the cutting of the cake. This list of 22 shots for your weddings video gives you all of the big moments you do not want to miss.   You also need to discuss how close they want you to shoot from. A few metres away from them during the vows may feel quite intrusive but will make for great intimacy on the video.

Preparation is key

If you are local to the church and the venue for the wedding reception try and visit them before the big day to familiarise yourself with the layout and lighting. Consider where you will be able to stand so as to get the best view of the bride and groom at all key moments. Also check where the power outlets are so you know where you can recharge batteries. Finally have a look at the parking arrangements as you will need to move fast between venues.

If you have bought new kit for the big day or you are borrowing someone else’s, make sure you try it in advance. Familiarise yourself with the settings and gather all the equipment together so that you do not forget something on the day.

On the day

Check all the camera settings are working as you would expect and do not forget to change to a new tape for the start of the ceremony. You do not want to miss the “I Do’s” because the tape ran out.

Stay alert and be ready for key parts of the day when your videoing is vital. Stay off the alcohol as this will either impair your concentration or mean your precious filming time is wasted drinking.

What to shoot

The overriding rule is to shoot lots as you can edit it later but you cannot shoot it again. Try and get lots of footage of the guests as well as the bride and groom. When the happy couple look back on the video in 10 years time, they will be more interested in treasured friends and family than in themselves.  So film the guests taking care not to miss any, then a bit of the location and then more of the guests. Try to shoot the interaction between the guests – whether this is close family being congratulated or friends catching up and chatting. The audio may not be so good here but it can be covered by wedding video songs later. Do not be shy – mingle, a lot. You need to get everywhere; keep moving around to get good viewpoints.

Interviewing the guests

Interviewing, or as I prefer to call it ‘chatting’ with the guests on camera, is not as easy as it might sound but is hugely important in pulling together a great wedding video. From the basic prompt of asking the guest to say a few words to the bride and groom, you could progress to a series of questions that might elicit some funny and interesting responses. Such questions may include ‘What do you think Tom should do to keep Jane happy?’ or ‘What do you think Jane loves most about Tom?’. Have a think before the day of what you will ask guests and mix it up a bit to keep the audio fresh. Also have a quick chat with your interviewee before recording begins and ask them to answer the question with a complete sentence so that you can edit out your own voice asking the question later. Make sure you ‘chat with’ as many guests as possible and randomly intersperse the final edit with these clips.

Interviewing the bride and groom

A trick for an interesting bride and groom interview for the wedding video is to ask each party the same questions but when they are alone. Questions such as ‘Where did you meet Jane?’, ‘When did you know Jane was the one?’ and ‘What are your plans for the future?’ can elicit some funny and touching video when the responses are cut together later on when editing.

Relax and do your best

There is a huge responsibility resting with the videographer as this is a one time only event so you can’t afford to mess it up.  But remember it is supposed to be a fun and romantic time being shared by friends and family so do the best you can. If you are comfortable with what you are trying to achieve and the camera you are using and are able to think quickly and improvise when things do not go to plan, you will be fine.