I fell in love with wedding videography at my first wedding. Let me set the scene: it’s 2013, I’m fresh out of film school, I’ve decided to move home because Hollywood wasn’t the life for me, my friend has a nice camera and he’s visiting me for a week. My other friend is getting married, and we decide to film her wedding for her.

It is one of my favorite films to-date, because I can so clearly see my immediate love of capturing people’s stories, of getting those intimate details, in preserving the movement of the day rather than just the stills (though I love those too!). Now, I wasn’t a professional at that time, but I’ve learned a lot in the past ten years and one of those things is why it’s important to hire a professional videographer for your wedding.

Capturing High-Quality Footage

Wedding videographers use professional equipment to capture your wedding day in the best way possible. There’s a lot that phones can do, and they can shoot in 4k, but they can’t switch lenses to create a different feeling from a shot, they can’t capture professional audio so you can preserve your vows and speeches. Simply put, a phone cannot do what professional video equipment is capable of.

If you like the feel of phone footage, there are wedding vendors now that will be your “social media” people and go around on your wedding day capturing footage on a phone!

Telling Your Unique Story

Professional wedding videographers aren’t just good at the technical side of things, they’re also masters at witnessing and expressing your story. They romanticize your life. That is part of being a videographer, is being a good storyteller.

My whole goal is to know you, see you, listen to you, witness what is important to you so that when I get to the editing room, I’ve already crafted an idea in my head about how to best tell your story visually. A friend with a camera won’t be able to do that.

Creating a Last Memory

Your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Having professional videographer will allow you to relive that day over and over again. I’m sure you’ve heard that people’s biggest regret is not having a videographer, and that’s because it’s such a unique way of showcasing your day. There are so many tears, laughter, words that are expressed on a wedding day and you’ll want to look back on those as the years pass.

Providing a Complete Experience

I can speak from experience; you don’t want to have to micromanage anything on your wedding day. You want to be able to trust your wedding vendors to do their jobs to the best of their ability. I’m going to be honest, I tried to cut corners on my own wedding day. I had a small budget, I thought, I’ll just hire a friend to shoot video, someone I went to school with, I’ll edit it myself.

He knew how to work a camera, but he wasn’t a professional wedding videographer that had a business, had experience in weddings, knew the flow of a day and what to expect. I kept having to direct him on what was coming up. And…I didn’t get audio of my speeches. Even though I specifically handed him the mic, put it on the camera myself…he forgot to turn it on.

There is so much value in a professional that can give you an experience from beginning to end. On my part, I work very hard to be a quick and efficient communicator. Even if you’re just emailing to show off the awesome veil you’ve purchased, I’ll respond asap. I want you to know I’m invested in what you care about. On the wedding day, I’m going to be by your side more than almost anyone else, so when I can see you need a glass of water, I’ll grab it, when I notice you having a moment with grandma, I’m going to capture that without being asked. When we get into post-processing, I’m going to discuss music and audio with you to know what kind of feel we’re going for. And, after all that’s over, you’ll get a little gift to show you that I really value your trust and want you to have a good experience from beginning to end.

Peace of Mind

This builds on the last one, but when you hire a professional videographer, you are paying for the peace of mind that this person knows what they are doing. You won’t have to worry about someone missing important footage or not having your back in the case that they have an emergency day of. A professional will have backup, they will have a plan, and they will be reliable.

When comparing professional videographer’s prices, it’s good to know your own budget and also look at their experience. They might be technically very talented, but how many weddings have they done? Is an affordable cost worth you losing peace of mind? Things to consider.

The truth is, you can hire and do what you want with your wedding day, but if you’re reading this, chances are you’re considering a videographer for your wedding day. Hiring a professional videographer will bring you so much value and ease.

I’m interested in hearing more about your wants out of a wedding video and all about your story! Please reach out to start the conversation.