Do you think a videographer is necessary?

Future couples,,, the above testimonies speak words of wisdom. Well worth the nominal investment. Video is not just a keepsake, but a life long memory of movement, motion, and the spoken word.

There are many ways to save on a wedding budget. All of them involve compromise. Some might be easier than others (limo, expensive favors, 12 piece band etc.). As a video provider, I'm biased, but I've also been on the receiving end of horror stories and tearful phone calls asking me to 'fix' someone else's footage or attempt to clean up an amateur's recording with the ONLY audio recording of the toasts or the vows. This isn't a case of making 'lemonade out of lemons'; if it wasn't done right, it will never be right.

I will go one step further than the previous postings to say that those moments we capture will become your memories of the wedding. If you don't believe me, I've got 200 wedding clients who will gladly attest that their video is worth much more with every passing year. Can you say the same about the flowers, the cake, or the invitations?

I've had a couple friends who couldn't afford the video, but afterwards in talking to them they definitely regret not getting a wedding videographer. They say they wish they had cut back on other areas and just hired someone to do the video especially after they had seen one of my other friend's wedding video.

We're all jealous of her wedding video, which is about 4 minutes long and had all the highlights. Seriously we all watched it multiple times, and it's not even ours! hehe. The video is here.. http://www.perfectshutter.com/blog/nivien-daniel-windsor-and-hamilton-wedding

Her videographer also had a good article about whether or not we should get videography, I think there are some really good points in there.

http://www.perfectshutter.com/blog/5-reasons-why-wedding-videography-is-essential-for-your-wedding

I'm another Videographer that began my business because of my wedding video experience. I came from working in television and film and had high expectations for my wedding video, but the samples I found were cheesy, tacky and lame to say the least. This is why we get so many couples wondering if we are worth the money. I have to admit that I took the diy route for mine. Obviously I couldn't be behind the camera, so I had friends do it. Guess what happened? So so audio and not as much footage as I had hoped for. When the DJ asked guests to join us for our first dance, all the cameras went off so they could join in (this happened all night). Your family/friends are there to have fun and enjoy. Let them. A student may or may not have the ability to deliver a quality video. Weddings are very different from student work (I was a film student once). You need to know where to be, when to be there and how to work with your fellow professionals. Remember, no retakes at a wedding.

Check out this video http://vimeo.com/20148252 and let me know what you think

It was so important for them to have a video to catch these moments that you cant necessarily catch with photos. I am a photographer and videographer and my business is about half and half so i really get to see the value of both.

What it comes down to is... if you really want a wedding video, then it's worth it! Don't let budget$$ stand in your way- there are affordable and creative alternatives out there.

You can do a DIY wedding video by having your friends and family take photos/videos, and they'll get excited to be involved. Rather than a cheesy perfect video, you'll see more meaningful, fun footage that can be transformed into a memorable piece like this one - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4buR6GRcr4

These days, friends and family will end up taking lots of great video at weddings they attend. One alternative to hiring an expensive videographer is to find a service that will edit all that raw footage for you into a pro-quality video. This costs a fraction of what it would be to hire a videographer.

I started a service called Activid (http://Activid.co) because I saw this problem over and over again. For only $95, you can upload all your footage to Activid.co, and one of our editors will edit the footage into a beautiful 3-4 minute video. Give it a shot - we guarantee you'll love your video, otherwise we'll refund you the full amount.

I was a wedding videographer for 25 years. I saw the industry move from a very documentary style to a more cinematic style. For the bride especially, the video shows you what you may have missed through what I call "manufactured memories". The bride doesn't see her bridesmaids walk down the aisle of even herself walking down the aisle. The wedding couple is often overwhelmed by their day. The video gives them an opportunity to trigger those feelings they felt that day over and over again. The video and the photography are the two things that will remain long after the wedding day. I would not have chosen that profession if I didn't think what I offered was a priceless heirloom. Today's market views wedding video differently and I do other types of video work now that do not take such an emotional and physical toll on me. A professional will give you a much better product than a novice with a cell phone. I see couples out and about that say they still watch their wedding video 10-20 years later. Some others say they have only watched it once. Thy are a time capsule commodity whose value may go up or down over the years.

I'm inbetween too, so i'll be following the thread! My cousin recommended WeddingMix to me because it fits into our budget. I'm a little worried about who to give the go-pro cameras to if we get it, but hopefully we'll figure it out. I really want a video to look back on, but my FH Vincent is a little more focused on the bar and food (ofcourse). Keep me posted!