What to expect from me as your wedding videographer
There’s a lot that goes into planning a wedding and on the day of, I want my clients to trust I’ve got it covered to capture their moments in an authentic, journalistic style. As a bride/groom/person about to be wed, your main focus should be enjoying the day with your people and not worrying about a DAMN thing. To help you get an idea of what to expect from me, I’ve mapped out a sample timeline for the special day.
I typically arrive when hair and makeup is close to being finished. This allows time for me to gather video content of jewelry, the dress, and capture you hanging out with your bridal party. During this part of the day, I am focused on capturing the atmosphere of you and your bridesmaids getting ready! No need to do poses here-- I want to see those natural moments come through. If the groom and his groomsmen are getting ready in a nearby area, and time allows, I will sneak over and capture footage of them getting ready. No matter what I will be sure to get some fun shots of the groom and his groomsmen! This all depends on location and timeline of the day-- I don’t want to miss the bride getting into her wedding dress!
Depending on the timeline for the rest of the day, I will either capture the first look, or we will head over and prepare for the ceremony. If you are someone who is doing a first look, this is a BEAUTIFUL moment to capture on camera. It is so raw-- it really brings out those natural emotions. There are other alternatives to a first look! You can do a back-to-back vow or letter read, or a door frame vow/letter ready. Both of these are great if you don’t want to see each other until the ceremony but still want to share an intimate moment with one another. I like to record any vow or letter reads to be included in the wedding film. I love incorporating audio from these moments into the video because it really brings back those emotions when you’re watching it.
Once we get to the ceremony location, I will be getting all my cameras setup to record the ceremony. This is where I bust out all my audio and get things tested and hooked up properly. I have two cameras I use for the ceremony—one is setup on a tripod to capture the ceremony in full. The other camera I use to get reaction shots throughout the ceremony. I will attach a lavalier microphone to the groom and sometimes the officiant, if they allow. But securing it on the groom is number one priority. I have a shotgun microphone I put on my stationary camera and a digital recorder that I hook into the sound system (if there is one) as backup audio. You can never be too careful!!
After the ceremony is when we move into families, the couple, and the bridal party photos and videos. Sometimes these photos will take place prior to the ceremony, if time allows. I suggest time-budgeting 2.5 hours for these photos/videos. It’s helpful if you have a list of family you would like to get photos with—that helps it go faster! After that is when we take time to get bridal party/groomsmen photos and video clips at a separate location or if the venue has a lot of variety for backdrops, we stay put (this is ultimately up to you, the couple, to decide prior to wedding day!). After the group shots with your friends and family are done, it’s then time for those intimate couple photos and videos. When I am capturing video of this, I may give the couple prompts in order to bring out some of the natural emotions. With video, I may have you do something multiple times so I can secure different angles (e.g. wide-shot, close-up, detail shot, and extreme close up). I promise to be efficient with my shots :)
After spending time with the couple, it’s time to party! Once the reception begins, I am just a ‘fly on the wall’, observing and documenting all the fun that is being had! I use the same camera setup for the speeches and dances as I used for the ceremony. And once the fun dancing starts, I stick around for about a half hour of that and then I’m on my way!
When you’re working with me, there’s not need for the extra nervousness that sometimes comes with being in front of a camera. I have plenty of experience interviewing, conversing, and generally getting my clients to feel their most comfortable when I’m capturing footage. I will give you prompts if that’s what we need, but I’m ultimately focused on capturing the day authentically.
I am ALWAYS here to answer any questions of the day, about my style, my equipment, and background. It can be very intimidating to see so many different packages when you are shopping for a videographer or photographer-- I want to make the process as easy as possible. Questions? Concerns? Thoughts? I want all of it! Reach out with whatever comes to mind!
