When planning a wedding it is almost a given that you are going to hire a professional photographer. What might not be so clear is whether you should hire a professional videographer. In this article I will explore some of the pros and cons of hiring a videographer vs. having a friend or relative tape the wedding or even going without.
The first question you need to ask is yourself is whether you want a video of your wedding in the first place. You are already going to have hundreds and possibly over a thousand photographs from your wedding, so what more could you need? This may seem obvious but, how about sound? Flipping through a photo album is a great way to bring back memories of your wedding day but years from now you probably will not remember what it sounded like. Having your wedding day captured on video lets you hear your vows all over again, the sound of your family and friends cheering for you and the music that was playing as you share your first dance together as husband and wife. The other factor of course is motion. The subtleties of all of those special little moments that go by so fast just can't be captured the same in a still photo. Another consideration is sharing your wedding video with your children and even grandchildren many years from now. A video can give you the sense of being their like no other medium. You can pass on to future generations a little time capsule, a record of that one special day in your lives and the lives of all your family and friends who are their to share it with you.
Another thing to consider of course is whether it is worth the cost. Absolutely, yes. In fact if you shop around you will often find a good videographer for a lot less than you will spend on still photography. While many parts of your wedding day will come and go before you know it, you will have your wedding video for many years to come.
Why not have a relative tape the wedding? On the upside you will save a lot of money on your wedding day. Is it better than nothing? Probably. First and foremost you should consider what you are asking your relative to do for you. If they are an invited guest do you really want them to spend the whole day working? A professional wedding videographer will usually spend at least six and often ten or more hours working non-stop to record your wedding day. This is quite a bit to ask of someone who would probably rather enjoy the party with you. Another important aspect of course is the quality. A professional will have professional equipment including a wireless microphone to record your vows and a second camera to cut to when the first camera is moving. Your professional videographer will then spend at least twenty, but probably forty or more hours editing the footage, mixing the sound and creating the final video for you. This is a level of service you are unlikely to get for free.
You will invest a lot of time and money in planning your perfect wedding, so it makes sense to not take any chances and include a videographer in your budget from the beginning. You will only get one chance to capture this day.
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