Importance of Wedding Films

If you're reading my blog, chances are you've hired us (or are considering hiring us) to produce your wedding film.  Or maybe you're a friend or family member of a wedding couple whose wedding just took place and you're anxiously awaiting sneak peaks of highlight clips!  Regardless of why you're here, you are well aware of the importance of wedding films and how well they can capture all the fun and excitement of weddings.  Still photos are certainly wonderful to have (and believe me, I'm a huge fan of still photography!), but to be able to watch and hear the festivities of a couple's special day is an experience that can best be captured in a professionally produced wedding film.

Recently, I received an article from Alan Berg, author of “If Your Website Was An Employee, Would You Fire It?” and the brand new book "Your Attitude for Success".  Alan is a professional speaker and a small business marketing expert, and recently came to a realization of his own when watching his parents' wedding film.  Enjoy!

Let’s watch our first dance … oh, that’s right, we can’t 

Hiring a videographer is more important than you think

I was recently helping my parents clean out their house when I came across a box of old 8mm movie reels.  Most of them were shot with the family movie camera when my sister and I were kids.  One of them was larger and in a nice, plastic case, not a metal canister.  I couldn’t remember seeing it before and was curious about what could be on it.

So, I dug out the movie projector (that’s what we had before DVD players and VCRs), blew the dust off and fired it up.  I couldn’t believe what I was watching.  The images were of my parents’ wedding in 1954, but they didn’t look like the home­made images of my youth, they looked better.  I was speechless as I watched the silent images of their ceremony and reception.  There stood my parents, happy and youthful, sharing their wedding day with friends and relatives, many of whom were no longer with us.  I saw their first dance.  I saw my grandparents, who were probably my age now.  I saw my great-grandparents, who were probably the age my parents are now.

I asked my mother about the film and she said that they had hired a professional for the wedding.  While that’s commonplace now, I’m sure it was very progressive in 1954.

 Fast-forward 18 years and I’m approaching my own 29th an­niversary.  I would love to be able to pop in a DVD and watch the highlights from our wedding.  I’d love to hear our vows, see our first dance and watch our friends and family getting down on the dance floor, but I can’t.

You see, when we were planning our wedding, B.I. (Before the Internet), no one asked us if we wanted video, so we never really had a chance to decide.  We were the first of our friends to get married and we didn’t have anyone to ask.  All my fiancé had for planning help was a national wedding magazine to look at for ­dresses.  There were no wedding TV shows or local magazines.

If someone came to us on our 29th anniversary and said they had a video of our wedding, what do you think it would be worth to us?   Priceless, right?  When I see the amazing wedding movies that today’s brides are getting, it makes me wish, even more, that we had one of our wedding.  If only we could share with our two sons those special memories.  One day, when we have grandchil­dren, I’d love to be able share those memories with them.

I’ve been in wedding media for over 20 years and one of a couple’s biggest regrets after their wedding is not having a video.  Lucky for you, if you’re reading this, you still have the chance to capture your wedding memories for your children and grandchildren.  If you already know you’re having profes­sional video, great.  If you’re on the fence, I hope my personal story will help you decide.

If you were thinking of not having professional video, do yourselves a favor and at least take a look at what’s being done by today’s video pros.  Your future grandchildren will thank you.

This article was written by Alan Berg, author, professional speaker (www.AlanBerg.com) and published in Beautiful Bride Magazine (www.BeautifulBrideMagazine.com).  Reproduced with permission from Alan Berg.