Video camera placement for ceremony

We set ours up at the beginning of the isle. There was a place to set it up out of the way. I would think the front of the isle would be in the way. Could you put it behind the officiant a bit?

View Quoted Comment Behind the officiant is where I was thinking but I was afraid it could accidentally get knocked over. We’re you happy with the results where you placed yours?

So I looked up bunch of articles about the best place to put your tripod (we did a livestream for those in lockdown overseas) and a lot of them recommended:

* infront of behind the groomsmen or bridesmaids so the camera is facing the couple (but this wouldn't be able to capture you guys walking down the aisle)

* last row of the seats so you can get a wide angle (but this will require a mic so it can catch the vows)
* the second row, next to the aisle runner (this is what we did) - we also had a bf of my bridesmaid control the tripod, so he turned the camera to face our bridal party walking down and when we all stood in front of the officiant, he turned the tripod to face us. But even if you didn't have anyone to handle the camera/phone, if you put it right by the aisle runner/seats, it wouldn't be knocked over or be in the photographers way.

View Quoted Comment I was happy with it in that we have video of the ceremony. It’s not the best, but it’s something we can share with kids down the road or watch on anniversaries. You can see what’s going on. It wasn’t too far away. It’s a little hard to hear, but we didn’t have any mics. I think behind the officiant would be good because you’ll get to see everyone come down the isle and then the vows. If you put it enough behind it shouldn’t get disturbed.

For a tripod mounted camera there are two locations I think would be most ideal:

1) In front of the altar/arbor and to the side, facing your guests. This location would be most ideal for capturing your procession and you walking down the aisle, during the beginning of your ceremony.

2) At the end of the aisle (farthest away from the altar/arbor) dead center. From a visual capture perspective, this would be best for capturing your officiant performing your ceremony, your ring exchange, your vows, and any readings that happen after the initial processional, and would be a great perspective for your recessional. However, you may not capture great audio from this location because the camera is further from the action.

The issue with a tripod mounted camera in either of these locations is that the location is really only ideal for part of your ceremony and then totally in the way for the other half of your ceremony, and inevitably it will get in the way of or appear in some of your still photos. Additionally, depending on the camera used there could be issues capturing audio. I'm a mostly still photographer and the primary reason I don't do a whole lot of video is because audio recording is an entirely different beast and requires some professional equipment and skill to do really well. I almost think it would be better to just ask a friend or a guest (or hire a film student) to capture some amateur video clips of your event. It might also be worth asking your photographer what they recommend, because at least they will be able to give you some perspective on what not to do that would get in the way of photos.