Before getting engaged to my fiance, I never thought of having a videographer on my wedding day. If you are currently planning your wedding, you must know that wedding expenses can stack up pretty quickly if you do not pay attention to your budget. Before getting engaged, Michael and I thought of wedding videography as one of those luxuries we did not want to spend money on. We said, all we need is a fantastic photographer, and that should be enough. Now that we are in the final few months before our wedding day, we have gone full 180 on videography and have put it on top of our vendor priority list.
We have been out on the field a lot, both photographing and filming weddings, and what is always amazing is the relief and gratefulness of couples who have chosen to capture their big day on film. For Michael and I, videography is a must, not just as professionals who believe in its power to capture your big day, but as an engaged couple who want the hard work we put into our wedding planning, all the guest shenanigans, and all the vows and speeches to be documented.
Why do you need a videographer when you already have a photographer to capture your day? Here are five reasons why:
1. Everything will happen so fast!
One of the things we are always told by our married friends when we talk about wedding planning is how quickly the wedding day unfolds, and how much we will likely miss or fail to notice. Your wedding day can go really fast: you have guests to say "hi" to, you have an itinerary to follow, weddings vendors on the clock, and a finite amount of time in your wedding venue. Your videographer can capture all the crucial moments without missing a beat, from your getting ready, vows and speeches, and all the dance moves you and guests have to offer. :D
2. Capturing sound
As a professional photographer, the one thing I envy the most with videography is its ability to capture sound. It is the most fantastic thing to hear the couple's wedding vows again, the heartfelt speeches from best man, maid of honour, and family members, and the joyful laughter from the guests. The audio that comes with your wedding videography can not only set the tone for how you remember your big day but also take you back into those awesome moments. This is why we at Mocha Tree Studios have invested so much in our audio-recording devices. We mic up almost everyone: we work with and mic up your officiant to ensure that your vows are not missed; we feed into your DJ's mic and sound system to record those speeches, and we attach a mic on all our cameras. If there is one thing that should convince you to hire a videographer for your big day, it is this: the ability to hear it all again!
3. For those who cannot make it.
I have family all over the world. However, as much as I would love for everyone to be at my wedding, the reality is that many of them for whatever reason will not be able to travel to Ottawa to attend it. The only grandparent I have left is my grandma on my dad's side who lives in the Philippines. Due to old age, she can no longer travel. Despite the distance, I would still want them to see my wedding and experience it in the way our guests experienced it. Having a wedding videographer is an excellent workaround to this challenging situation. Most wedding videographers offer a cinematic trailer, a 5-7 minute reel with highlights of the day. We strongly encourage our couples to share this clip to everyone they know, especially to people who cannot make it or were not invited.
4. Watch it on your anniversary or after a fight.
Watching your wedding video during your anniversary (either in segments or in its entirety) is a great way to create an anniversary tradition between you and your new spouse! Have a lovely dinner and a glass of wine, and then after, sit back and relive the moments of your wedding day.
In deciding to get a videographer for our wedding, Michael and I researched how often couples actually watch their wedding videos. One of the fascinating things we discovered while conducting our research is that, apparently, wedding videos come in super handy after a huge argument or a fight! So now, Michael and I joke that when we get into a big fight post-wedding, all we need to do is watch our wedding video to remind us of why we married each other in the first place! In all seriousness though, having a wedding video is an excellent way to extend your wedding investment for decades by preserving the memories of the big day. It is something that you can show your kids and your grandkids as part of your family mythology!
5. Videography complements your photography.
You cannot think of videography as a replacement to photography and vice-versa. That is simply not the case. While both often use the same gear, the skills required, and the end products are different from one another. However, you can think of your wedding photography and videography as complementary. Each one provides a different angle, a different set of eyes to capture your wedding day. Each medium allows you to experience and remember your wedding day in entirely different and compelling ways.
One thing worth noting, but perhaps for another blog post: having your photography and videography in the same style allows for a more cohesive story-telling. For example, Michael and I love wedding photos that are darker and slightly moodier; for our wedding videographer, we would not want to choose one that has light and airy aesthetics. It would look and feel like two completely different weddings. With Mocha Tree Studios, we like to think of our videography and photography as two halves of a whole, rather than two separate elements. Our photographers and videographers will capture your wedding seamlessly and produce consistent colour, style, feel, and tone.
If there are other reasons why couples should hire a videographer that were not mentioned in this post, let us know in the comments down below!
We would also really love to know what reservations you might have about hiring a videographer on your big day?