Why should I have a video of my wedding?

I have taken a break today from editing. I have been spending the past couple of weeks finishing up the infomercial from the Palm Springs trip; I have also been wrapping up the video from the mountain top wedding. I have been in front of my computer every spare moment and Leeann told me to take some time off, clear my head a bit and asked me if I could help her with a few things. I am glad she did.

I got a phone call this week from a bride and all she wanted was to get a price on a package for her up coming wedding. That is not a big deal, I get those calls all the time, but this one made me think. After I gave her the price, she said she was not sure why she should have a video of her wedding anyway. She said she had a "friend" who had a camera and he would set it up on a tripod and get the wedding that way. I asked her a few questions and got the feeling that she really didn't understand the whole video process.

Sure it would be easy to have your uncle or cousin at the wedding with a video camera and just have them shoot the wedding, give you the tape and wish you a happy life. But, you have to ask yourself something, "Is this what I want to use to remember my wedding day with?” It is true that the price of consumer quality camcorders have come way down and the quality has gone up in those cameras has gone up. Most of the consumer quality cameras are great and you will get a good image from them, but would you use one of those cameras to shoot a TV commercial or a TV show? Would you like to watch your favorite show if it was shot by your cousin or uncle? Of course not, so why would you want one of the most important days in your life done the same way?

Lets look at the diffrence. Your uncle shoots the wedding and gives you the tape. You first have to get it onto a DVD format to play it back since so many of the cameras use miniDV format and I doubt many of you use a miniDV player in your house to play movies on. Ok, now you've got it on a DVD and you play it back at home and the image is shaky, the camera is moving all over the place, the sound is not great, you don't hear any of the vows you and your husband said to each other. The image is dark, then it jumps to your reception and you don't get to see that first dance you had with your new husband because your uncle was on the other side of the room getting a drink or talking to his wife or kids. You don't get to see your dance with your dad or parent, or you get just a quick glance of a toast made to you. The audio is garbled, or not there at all because the camera is new to your uncle and he didn't know how to get the audio turned on to start with. Now, you finish watching your tape and you put the tape or DVD up on a shelf never to be seen again because it looks awful and you don't feel the emotion of your day remember.

Now, you hire a professional videographer to shoot your wedding. They take some time to sit down and talk with you, get to know you and your groom. On the day of the wedding, your videographer has been at the site of your wedding 2 to 3 hours before you arrive getting some shots of the pre wedding set up. They greet you when you arrive, ask if you have any questions about the day plans. Or, they were with you, as you were getting ready, getting those special moments you share with your mom or dad. They use professional cameras and know how to use them correctly. They know how to edit the video so that it is something you want to watch and you don't see all the bad shots. They get the audio ready to go so that your hear everything that was said. They use professional wireless mic on either the groom or the officiate. They are experts in getting those special shots, setting up the cameras so that they that shot of you walking down the aisle the first time. The first dance, the cake cutting, the party funny moments, they are not off doing their own thing. When you get your DVD from them, you are proud to show it to friends and family. It is a professional quality DVD with chapters, and music of your choice. When finish watching your DVD, you remember all those emotions and feelings from your special day. You have something you can share with your kids one day and maybe even your grandkids.

Now, when you ask yourself again why do I want to hire a professional videographer when my uncle or cousin can do it for me, think about the quality and type of video you will get.