As the years go by and young couples become older Moms and Dads with kids about to be married, there are lots of things about a wedding that a daughter is much more fortunate to have now than 20+ years ago. One of those things is a great wedding video. When Deanna and I were married over 20 years ago (no dinosaur jokes, please!) our wedding video was just a very simple recording using 80’s consumer camera technology. You can barely hear us giving our vows, and its VHS tape quality is grainy with the colors all blown out. Although we are glad we have something, it’s not anything like what we now produce for our clients. The wedding videography industry has changed so much and so rapidly over just the past 10 years that there really is no comparison to 1980’s videography. Better cameras, better microphones and wireless technology, better editing systems and a more discerning eye for artistic rather than just documentary-style wedding videography have made wedding video a completely different medium. Now it’s even possible to capture high-quality stills from the wedding video if the Photographer happened to miss something important to the couple. It’s definitely not your Mother’s wedding video – not by a longshot. All too often we hear of couples opting not to have their wedding videotaped. We can’t help but wonder if it’s because they have an old model or perception of what wedding video looks like. It’s up to us in the wedding videography industry (but also in the overall wedding industry as well) to re-educate couples on the benefits of getting a video, since the differences are truly night vs. day compared to 20 years ago. There really is no comparison for the vast majority of videographers/wedding filmmakers. It’s a truly different concept and product. Couples really have options now when it comes to wedding media – they can tell their story to their reception guests through a well-produced video clip that entertains and informs. They can send all their family and friends throughout the world a video clip that highlights their entire wedding. They can do themed wedding videos, music videos, short films, and all kinds of other creative ideas with the help of talented wedding videographers now. Their video can tell their story like no still photograph can (although photographs are always a given – we love photos too…) and today’s videography really has become more of a time capsule than just a simple wedding video. Couples can capture who they are as a couple at that moment – how they met, how they fell in love, what they were doing, and all the moments of their day in a beautiful stylish way, probably in a way they’ve never been featured before, and share that either with their wedding guests, or via the Internet to all their family and friends everywhere. Every single weekend there are couples who are getting married who have put wedding video at the bottom of their priorities for their wedding, to the point in which they let it fall off their list – and they wake up after the wedding with no opportunity to change their mind, or to get those moments back in a way they can share with their family and friends. It may not hit them immediately, but sometime down the road they are going to wish they had done it. With the wedding videography industry improving and innovating as it is now, they are also going to see more of their friends sending out great highlights clips, love story clips and “save the date” clips to their family and friends - and wishing they had done the same. I believe it is our responsibility not just as wedding videographers, but as wedding industry professionals in general to educate couples as to what is really available to them now with video - for it is a totally, completely different product than what they may remember from their Mom and Dad’s video, and that’s a good thing. It’s also important for wedding planners and bridal websites to emphasize to their clients the importance of getting video, and the possibilities around it. Planners especially should recognize the value of video for their clients, since they work so hard with the vendors to create a beautiful atmosphere that deserves to be captured on digital film. For so many great reasons, today’s videos for weddings are nothing like your Mother’s wedding video. Hire a professional wedding filmmaker/videographer and you won’t have to look back on your video with any regrets – and you’ll be able to see your wedding from a beautiful, artistic and unique perspective.
