Asking guest to take video of our wedding day

Why not just buy a tripod?

If going this route, it needs to be someone who knows in advance and is prepared to do it. I am having my mother's SO use my video camera to do the ceremony and certain parts of the reception. He has done this for his own family members' weddings, so is very comfortable doing it. He will be using a tripod for parts of it.

I would never ask a guest to take a video at the wedding. Is there a friend of your brother's or a friend of a friend that could come and do it? It would suck to be that guest and not be able to enjoy yourself without having the videos the bride wanted on your mind.

You can totally DIY this! Buy a mini HD and tripod and stick it in the back. You can do it under $200. Be aware that you won't get great sound quality on iPhones or without a external mic for the HD camera.

I am thinking the same thing for my wedding. I want a few clips here and there but can't afford it. My family/friends know our situation and I'm sure will be glad to lend a helping hand by taking a small 1 minute video here and there. I think asking 2-3 close friends/family members to take a minute clip here and there with their iPhones isn't to much to ask, however I know you are going to get a lot of the girls here saying no your guest should not have to do anything but eat, drink and dance. The new iPhone 6s is already kind of like taking a mini video. I know I have taken video's at my friends weddings such as cutting the cake and sent it to them the next day (they didn't ask me I just did it as I love pictures).

oh just noticed Date Twin!!!

Could you check some of the local colleges in your area? Some of them may offer degrees in media production. You might be able to find a student who would be willing to take it on as a project and portfolio-building piece for a lesser cost.

Just my opinion, but after having gotten my wedding video back, I would have cut a LOT of other things out before videography. I know a lot of people think photo is enough but if I had to pick just one, I honestly think I'd give back my photos before my video (and I minored in photography in college and have done pro photography in the past). Video is the only way to really capture the day. You get peoples laughs and smiles, and you get to hear voices, etc. I didn't cry on wedding day past just tearing up but I sobbed when I watched the video. Personally, if there is any way to work a pro videographer into your budget I would do it. Even a student would be better than nothing. For one thing you don't want to make a guest miss the big moments by worrying about taping them but you also don't want to not have good quality video.

@lindsay good idea going to look into that ty

There was a viral post about a couple who put a Go Pro on their dog to capture their wedding day:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3331601/Wedding-gnasher-Couple-entrust-pet-husky-Ryder-film-special-day-GoPro-results-just-shock-you.html

In all seriousness, a tripod that's moved... or a film student would be the route to go.

If you have a guest do this, please make sure they are absolutely ok with it beforehand. My sister is a photography student. Personally, I didn't ask her because I want her to enjoy the day completely and not have to worry about anything more than just celebrating with us.

Please be cautious on this, first you are inviting a guest to watch you get married, not to watch a video camera. Allow your guests to be in the moment not observing it through the lens of a huge iPad. Also, do you want that huge thing to be in almost every picture? Because to get any sound at all it will have to be practically in your face. It also won't have any lighting so getting decent images of all the moments in your reception will be next to impossible. If you are truly going to go the non-pro route, please find someone in media that knows how to stay out of the way of your photographer and knows something about running a camera.

I wouldn't do it. Either, find the money for a professional or just do without.

Check out martins accent wedding videos. That's who I used. They have a $895 package . The deposit is $95, then you pay $400 a month before the wedding and the rest when you get the video. It was a good option for us since we got cash gifts and freed up some money after the wedding.

As others have mentioned, if you want to be able to hear your vows, an Iphone camera won't do. Probably not even a camera on a tripod that is not right next to you. Will you have a DJ for the ceremony music? You could ask them if they can record too. Then you could ask around if somebody has cameras you can borrow and maybe put two at two different locations on tripods.

I think you can ask your friends to do fun mini clips during the reception, but for any important moments I would have a camera on a tripod somewhere. Doing a 1-2 min movie is easy, keeping it steady for any longer is difficult if you are not experienced.

@ Elyse I'm going to look into that! Thank you

I wouldn't do this. I have actually done two of my friends wedding videos, but FH is in production and I am in post-production. We volunteered for FH to video it and for me to edit it as their gifts, but I am a professional video editor. I am hiring a professional to video tape my wedding for me and then I will edit the video myself.

Out of the options suggested, I recommend trying the film student route. They should be cheaper and should have an understanding of white balance, headroom and audio.

My main reasons for cautioning against having guests video for you: 1) The guests will probably miss key moments. The guest is there to enjoy the day and if they are not a professional, they won't have the mindset to realize what moments are important. They also maybe pay more attention to what's happen and the video will be shaky or of the floor. 2) If you set up a tripod without someone monitoring it, someone could knock it over. Also it could get moved out of frame and miss things. I remember hearing about someone whose parent or sibling filmed for them and most of the video was of the floor. 3) Audio. You really need external audio or a professional camera to make sure you are getting the audio in cleanly. Unless someone is wearing headphones and knows how to read an audio meter, you can't be certain you will be able to hear your vows clearly.

ETA: See if any of the videographers will give you a package for less hours. Maybe they could do a 2 hour package, which would be a lot cheaper and cover what you are looking for.

I have never really thought that I wanted ours videotaped. After reading all of the threads on it, I'm starting to think about it, but I won't spend money on it. My grandma is a media specialist and owns all of the fancy videocameras. If anything, we will set one up on a tripod and enlist my brothers girlfriend to push start and stop. She has already said that she would do this for us. We will worry about the rest later. It's better to have too much to cut down than not enough.

I think a lot of this has to do with how "hands on" your crowd is. I know that I have a lot of female friends who are very motivated personalities (like myself) and they love to do stuff like this. I will probably ask one of them who has a good video camera to video tape it for me, and I know it wouldn't be a burden for them.

Yes, it's tacky...and you'll possibly have untrained friendors vying for the photographer's spot and in their way. Many of my couples don't have video, I wouldn't go about it that way.

As long as it's something you ask your guest(s) about ahead of time, and make sure they're OK with, I think it's fine. I'm probably going to end up asking a cousin to set up a tripod and camera for our ceremony.