Dos and Don’ts of Wedding Video Packages
There are as many options and extras for your wedding video as there are for your photos. To help you pick out the right package for you, here’s what to include with your wedding video package — and what to cut.
Don’t Include: A Photomontage
Don’t get us wrong — it’s always fun to look at baby pictures and honeymoon snapshots. But you don’t need a reel of both to start off and end your wedding video. Save the childhood photomontage for your rehearsal dinner and to the wedding photographer if he’s offering this. Your friends will lose attention after 20 minutes, tops, and you don’t want to waste five of those watching still photos of you two morphing from infants to schoolchildren to awkward adolescents to newlyweds. Get straight to the action. If you’re investing in a videographer to cover your entire wedding, you’ll have plenty of footage to condense so devote your videographer’s time towards a beautifully edited video that you’ll have time to watch again and again.
Do Include: A Digital File
While DVDs are still a popular method for delivering wedding videos, most videographers are now offering digital movie files in HD on thumb drives as well. A thumb drive not only allows you to stream your wedding video to your TV via Apple TV or a similar device, you can also easily upload and share the file digitally with friends and family near and far.
Do Include: The Preparations and Ceremony
You’ll definitely want footage of everything, from the start of the preparations to your final exit including the important words and tears or laughs you share in between. Make sure your videographer doesn’t skimp through the preparations or ceremony coverage in order to get more reception coverage. In fact, the ceremony is a good reason to splurge on a second shooter (more on that later). Also, build in time for your videographer to capture the guests arriving before the ceremony — one of those moments you’ll miss on your wedding day that will be fun to watch afterward.
Don’t Include: Guest Interviews
Guests tend to say the same exact things in video messages. How often do you go much beyond, “Congratulations, you look beautiful and good luck,” when you get the mic at a party? Plus, it can be annoying for the guest who’s interrupted in the middle of eating her salad and encouraged to say a few words about the happy couple as the rest of the table looks on. Sure, watching Aunt Gina caught off-guard when it’s her turn to talk can be funny to watch later, but down the road, it’s the personal messages that will resonate the most — and you’re probably not going to get many of those if your videographer has to put guests on the spot. If you still want to record guests’ personal messages and incorporate voice-overs in your video — taped interviews or statements that can be recorded separately and used to enhance certain scenes — consider a video guest book. A video guest book is just like a photo booth, but instead of taking pictures, your guests will record short videos. To mix it up so they’re not just saying the same “Congrats!” message, set out a jar of questions for guests to pick from and answer.
Do Include: Same Day Edit
This is a no brainer. All of the people you love gathered together at one event will make for some great memories and seeing it unfold on a video story is unlike anything. A great videographer will capture many of the little moments you won’t get to see in person. The day will go by in a blur and you’ll miss the little moments that will help to make the day so special so it’s truly an amazing feeling to watch everything on film to cap this milestone in your life.
Don’t Include: Raw Footage
Once the filming is finished, some videographers will send you the raw footage (untouched, unedited) to preview before editing begins so you can note scenes that you definitely want to keep or cut, like when your groom’s voice cracked while reading his vows to you. If you want to hold on to the raw footage for posterity, your videographer may offer it as part of your package. If it’s not included in your package, it’s not worth paying the extra fee for the raw footage, which you may never even watch. And if you can’t get through the five hours of unedited video, your friends and family certainly won’t be able to. Instead, opt for two videos: a highlight reel and the same day edit.
Do Include: Aerial Shots
For most videographers, this is automatically included. And depending on your location (outdoor, beach, garden) this can quickly become a must. It allows the videographer to be creative and it gives an extra touch of beauty on your wedding video.
This is a republished article by Lockwood Media Group and Open Eye Media. To find your dream wedding videographer please check out Trippix. For questions or recommendations on future articles, please email us at info@trippix.netor visit us at our social channels Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
