Planning Your Wedding: Part 4 - Consider the Power of Videography

I'm going to tell you something I wish I'd known when I got married.

Something I didn't realize the full value of until just last month, after a recent wedding I photographed.

Wedding Videography is an invaluable part of a wedding day.

Did you know that?

In September, I worked side by side with a husband-wife videographer team as I shot a wedding at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, MN. I've worked with videographers before and it's fun to be around and talk with other wedding creatives.

I hardly ever get to see the finished video product though. But this time, I did.

This time, I got to watch the highlight film that these two videographers created from the footage taken during the wedding. 

Their highlight film blew me away. Like RIGHT OUT OF THE WATER.

It was AMAZING.

If I could go back, I would hire a videographer for my wedding day. Someone who specializes in videography and who would create a highlight reel from footage of my wedding day. 

I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Many people have a hard time spending money on a professional wedding photographer. Many people have their friend/relative/coworker etc shoot their wedding for free. People's budgets are tight, and there's not a lot of room for wiggle. 

I get it. I do.

But.

After your wedding is over, and all is said and done, your photos and your video are the ONLY things besides your wedding dress [if you decide to keep it] that you'll have from your wedding day. Your photos and video are the only way to bring your wedding alive for your kids. To show your grandkids what your wedding was like.

And while I wholeheartedly believe in the power of photography, and the importance of having your wedding photographed by someone who is a professional and will deliver images that will last a lifetime, there are some places where photography can't go. There are some places where videography is irreplaceable.

Photos don't capture voices. They don't capture laughter, or at least the sound of it. They don't capture the waiver of her voice as she says her vows. It doesn't capture the way he clears his throat to hide the unshed tears as he slips her ring on her finger.

Video brings a wedding day to life in a way that photos can't, which is why I completely believe in the power of the two, together. The importance of having both at your wedding day.

The two go together like peanut butter and jelly, and I really think that photography and videography are the two most important pieces of a wedding day. If you don't agree, fine. But I challenge you to find a way to bring your wedding day alive to your kids in a way that is as rich, powerful and real without using video, in addition to photography. I don't think you can do it.

Here's the highlight film that brought on this entire videographer revelation for me. 

Do you see why I think it is the PERFECT compliment to a good wedding photographer?

*P.S. If you truly have a wedding budget that prohibits you from having both a wedding photographer and a videographer, please at least have someone film your ceremony with a cell phone, or a video camera. Just have it on video. Your speeches too. The words spoken during those parts of your wedding day are lost in the photography, and if they aren't on video, will be lost from your memory too as time goes on.