Should YOU hire a wedding videographer?
Ok so you’re planning a wedding right? You’ve got all of these ideas swimming around in your head, not to mention the entire internet just bursting at it’s virtual seams with opinions and somehow in the middle of a whole lot of noise you’ve ended up here. A quick little article with a lot to say. The wedding vendors that you hire say a lot about you as a couple. I’m sure somewhere there’s a whole study of what a certain kind of flower type in a bouquet says about your personality profile but I’m talking deeper than that even. Consider this : the legacy of your marriage and the stories that you tell about the day it all started could be passed down from generation to generation. Who you are as a couple could be the cornerstone, the foundation, the start of a legacy of healthy happy marriages grounding beautiful families. That’s not to try and put a lot of pressure on you, it’s to say that this decision you’re making to get married : it carries a lot of potential weight. Did you know that most anthropologists consider the family the central bedrock of human civilization? Heavy right? You’re embarking on a tradition that aligns you with hundreds of thousands of years of culture and social tradition and the purpose behind it all is not just love - it’s longevity. Our communities, our beliefs, our values are all passed generationally not all that differently than they were a few thousand years ago and for all of our technology and developments your wedding day will still represent the start to something really special for you and all of the family and friends who will come to support you. So where the heck am I going with all of this? Don’t tune out - it’s pretty cool. This resource was built for you as a simple way to add a little bit of perspective on why and how having a wedding video can be a really important addition to your day. Below I’ve got a short write up by my good friend and film maker Brandon Buccheri. Brandon ran my wedding films company MWB FILMS for several years before moving with his business partner to the DFW area and starting both Evoke Films (a commercial video production company) and recently Solari Films (a wedding film company). His perspective is refreshingly unique and so easy to understand and my hope is that by simply reading his “WHY” you’ll better understand yours. Why having a videographer present to document your wedding day is a critical part of the wedding vendor process.
From Brandon :
“Every wedding and every couple is unique. I truly believe that. I’ve been fortunate enough to shoot all kinds of weddings over the last ten years, from DIY back yard weddings, to million- dollar-budget luxury weddings, to destination weddings, and everything in between. For me, the only thing that’s been a constant through providing my services for my clients and their families is my approach to the day: telling the unique story of the wedding day in a cinematic, story driven fashion - from an “insider’s perspective” rather than on the outside.
My approach has always been to make everyone feel as if I am a guest at the wedding. In fact, if your guests don’t even realize you hired a wedding videographer, I consider that to be a big win. In doing that, it allows me access to the most intimate parts of the wedding days. By capturing those moments as they actually happen, authentically in the moment rather than trying to “direct” them or force them to happen, I’m able to edit together an artistic, cinematic wedding story that is not only beautiful, but relevant in 50 years and not just the day it’s delivered.
That’s the importance of not just having a wedding videographer, but hiring a good, experienced wedding video vendor. When you hire a videographer for your wedding, you need to understand that you’re not hiring someone to deliver a recap of the day. You are investing in a lifetime’s worth of memories being captured and then pieced together in a way that stands the test of time. Every audio element (speeches, letters, vows), every smile, every tear.
A wedding is a story of laughter, tears, anticipation, and hope. Your wedding video should reflect all of those things. Sure, you’ve got your pick of the litter when it comes to the style you like, the way the story is weaved together, the way the videos are shot, how the audio is used. All of that comes down to taste. But the reality is, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not having a good video of your wedding day.
Video tells these stories in a way that photography alone simply can’t do. A photograph can’t move, can’t let you hear your groom cry on your way down the aisle, can’t let you hear the crowd cheer when your ceremony ends with a kiss. Remember when your best man’s voice cracked when he broke down into tears during his speech? You might, but your photos won’t let you hear it, and they’ll only remind you of a brief moment when it happened.
But your wedding video... Your wedding video will always be there to play back these memories for you, as they happened in real time. Long after time steals away your memories, your wedding video - if done well - will be there to remind you of every tear, every laugh, every smile, and every thing that made your wedding day unique.”
Dive deeper into videography by listening to our newest Photographic Collective Production Podcast “CUTTING ON ACTION” hosted by Brandon Buccheri.
OK So there it is! A quick perspective right from the trenches of somebody who does this day in and day out. I’ll add to it though by simply saying this : if you’re on the fence about hiring a wedding videographer here’s three debunked statements I hear a lot about wedding videographers I want to unpack and shed some fresh perspective on.
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“We don’t want to hire a wedding videographer because we won’t ever watch it.” Fair Enough : but is everything about you? More importantly is every investment about right now? Imagine how beautiful it could be to give your grandkids the opportunity to experience some of the most intimate and intentional moments that you guys had on the day you two said “I do”. Consider this : After a long happy marriage when you’re both old and grey you pass away peacefully in your sleep leaving your spouse with a lifetime of amazing memories to both celebrate and mourn along side your kids and grandkids. This isn’t a sad moment, it’s a celebration of a life lived beautifully and it’s the perfect time to watch how it all started. Imagine a tradition where you sit every single anniversary together, sip wine and relive those vows (and maybe even say them again). You think you won’t watch it - well make time to.
“Wedding video is too expensive.” Listen, I’ll admit it. A GOOD wedding videographer’s editing time is often 1.5 - 2 times longer than my photo editing time. These individuals and companies often work nearly twice as long and often make half as much as we do as photographers. Given there’s often a bit more pressure as a whole on the photography throughout the entire day, and given traditionally photos are a more central element of what couples and their families really desire and the cost reflects that pressure the reality is that a good wedding videographer has just as much if not more gear overhead, more time, and often more technical training than a lot of photographers do. Not all, but a lot of wedding film makers earn every single penny. As a whole in this industry we aren’t greedy people, but our kids do get hungry a few times every day and if we’re going to make this a real job, we have to charge real money.
“It’s just a glorified music video.” Perhaps - but that’s often on the couple, not the film maker. If you hire a videography company with a keen understanding on clean audio capture and building cinematic storylines the next logical step is to give them things to capture. Consider writing and reading letters, personal vows, giving meaningful toasts, asking your officiant or pastor to say a little something extra. Allow the depth in the story to be filled with words that do it all justice and ask your film maker how to be intentional about integrating those words into the way they capture the visuals on the wedding day!
Check out this super rad video Brandon created of me working along side the Fujifilm team with two actual MWB couples in the California Desert last year!
Lastly you’ll find below a few wedding videos that I personally think are absolutely remarkable. If you’d like to connect with Brandon directly with Solari films to chat with him about being your wedding videographer I can assure you - you won’t regret it. After about 100 weddings somehow associated with each other I can say that his process is one of the most extensive and beautiful in the industry however whether you contact him (CLICK HERE) or somebody else be picky! Choose a film team that you love, that you feel like will vibe well with your other vendors and if all else fails simply ask your photographer or planner who they recommend! I’m always happy to help connect our couples with friends of mine and I certainly have plenty of videography friends I love to work with every week if I have the chance!
Here’s a few links for other videography companies I absolutely love!
https://www.whiteinrevery.com/#intro
https://wearetheportos.com/films
https://www.daveandacamera.com/weddings
https://www.aaronnovakfilms.com/
I don’t necessarily agree with all of this advice but I found these links filled with great tidbits that may help you navigate hiring a wedding videographer that’s right for you as well as some of the important questions to ask to make sure you’re making the right choice.
https://www.marthastewart.com/7946394/tips-for-choosing-a-wedding-videographer
https://www.theweddingplannerla.com/blog/wedding-videography-tips
https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/the-5-reasons-you-must-hire-a-videographer-for-your-wedding
