Should We Book a Wedding Videographer?

Deciding whether or not you should have your wedding filmed tends to be a difficult decision for couples when planning their wedding. In our experience, Brides-to-be are more inclined to at least consider booking a wedding videographer, whereas their other half is more likely against the idea. It's something that isn't for everyone, but it could also be the best decision you've ever made. Please read on to find out more - should we book we wedding videographer?

I've booked a wedding photographer, isn't that enough?

Having a professional wedding photographer take photos on your wedding day is incredibly important. For most couples, booking a wedding photographer in the early stages of planning their wedding will come fairly high up on the list after booking their dream wedding venue.

Photos have the ability to capture so much emotion in one single frame that will stick with you forever. The moment the bride walks down the aisle and the groom turns around to see her in her dress for the very first time is a magical moment for a photographer to capture, but imagine watching that moment unfold from two camera angles and with audio too! All of a sudden you now have something that is much more dynamic and more of an experience.

The same can be said for your wedding speeches. A photographer doesn't have the ability to capture the laughter and emotion from the words being spoken during your speeches. Having this part of your day filmed will let you relive the best man's hilarious speech over and over again.  

Would a wedding videographer get in the way?

An experienced wedding videographer should never get in the way. It's a common misconception that wedding videographers will take control of your day and they have huge cameras that look like they've come off a Steven Spielberg film set. As a matter of fact, this couldn't be any further from the truth.

Wedding filming has come a long way in the last 10 years and so has technology. Gone are the days that wedding videographer is going to turn up with a large camera on his shoulder and film your wedding. The type of cameras we use these days are small and in most cases no bigger than the camera that your photographer will be using.

Couples are also concerned that having their wedding filmed will turn their wedding into some type of film set. They're worried that we're going to interrupt their guests and take control of their special day. This couldn't be any further from the truth either. Experienced, talented videographer wants to capture genuine moments, they are less interested in posed manufactured moments. Photographers can get away with shooting posed moments, but for videographers, this rarely works. Videographers are more likely to film most of your day from a distance. In our case, when it comes to filming the bride and groom we will give a little direction and capture the moments when you're relaxed and forget we're present.

What do couples have to say that go on to book a wedding videographer?

"We hardly knew they were there on the day and our guests said the same, they were so discreet and calm on the day. They listened to what we wanted and kept in touch from the original booking up until the film got posted to us. We have watched the film several times and we loved the little wooden box it was presented in! It is something we will treasure forever". - Leanna & Mat

"I must admit I was skeptical about what videographers would offer on top of the photography, but watching everything back brings a sense of emotion you just can’t capture in a still, it’s remembering the words you spoke and how you felt in those moments that on a day like that otherwise just become a blur. To anyone who is even remotely considering having a videographer you will not be disappointed and we honestly cannot recommend James & Kylie any more highly. In retrospect, it was one of the best decisions we made." - James & Rachael

A word of advice from a wedding videographer: If you're worried about how much control a wedding videographer will need on your wedding day, the best thing you can do is arrange a phone call and ask the videographer to explain how they go about filming a wedding. Start at the beginning and work your way through the wedding day.  

What will the quality be like of my wedding film?

A professional and established videographer will be able to produce a wedding film that wouldn't look out of place if you were to see it on your television. Professional filmmakers who shoot weddings for a living usually have some type of experience in the television industry or filming promotional and corporate videos for businesses. They will be skilled in not only filming your wedding but also recording the audio from your wedding. This is something that can perhaps be overlooked. It takes a highly skilled videographer to be able to record your wedding vows and speeches so they can be clearly heard in your final edited wedding film. 

With the recent technology advancements, video cameras have been improved to shoot in lower light situations, which is great for us videographers because it now allows us to shoot cleaner-looking videos during your reception when you're busting your moves on the dance floor. As long as your videographer is shooting in Full HD 1080p you should have no problems at all and your wedding film will look awesome at home on your widescreen television.

Check out one of Storybox Films wedding films:

Why having your wedding filmed can be the best decision you will ever make?

If you ask almost any bride what she remembers about her special day she will probably tell you that it all went by so fast that most of it was one big blur. It's inevitable that and bride and groom will miss parts of their wedding day. While the bride is busy putting her dress on, she will miss her groom full of anticipation arriving for the ceremony with his groomsmen. 

It's well documented that the brides who don't book a wedding videographer go on to regret it. Only about 50 percent of about-to-be-married brides thought videography was one of the top ten things to include in the wedding. After the surveyed brides had gotten married, though, that number climbed to 75 percent—more of them wished they'd actually had their weddings filmed. And 98 percent of the newlyweds said they'd recommend videography to other couples.

The medium of video has an incredible amount of power. Let's think about it this way, when you watch a film at the cinema or a documentary on the television, you can experience all types of emotion, you laugh, you cry, you're moved in some way or form. Video allows creative videographers to combine music, sound, and visuals to tell the story of your wedding, which is a once-in-a-lifetime day. 

Booking a wedding videographer may seem like a "luxury” expense, but in the end, it will actually extend your entire wedding investment by decades by preserving the memories you've made. Having great photographs and a great film go hand-in-hand but each does not “replace” the other. They serve two completely different purposes

If you're still unsure, we advise you to go and read this article that was published on 'Rock My Wedding' about brides who regret not booking a wedding videographer.