Why you’ll love your wedding video

For some people, wedding videography tends to sit somewhere between “maybe” and “if the budget allows” on a lot of to-do lists.

I know you spend hours on the details and drop a small fortune on the décor, the perfect dress or a dream suit; and that hard work and expression is exactly why video deserves more than just the scraps of your budget and your brain space.

And besides, years from now you wont remember custom napkins or the boutonnieres, but hearing your partner say their vows in their actual voice will always hit different.

I sat down with Carlo from Lunar Red Films and we talked about common questions from prospective couples, and important info to know about video when you’re deciding on vendors.

What do Videographers do?

Videographers create keepsakes. A living, breathing memory you can hit play on anytime your heart needs it.

Carlo explains to create your film, Videographers use a mix of roaming cameras and tripods (multiple angles, yes please), and there’s a lapel mic on one of you, often another small mic on the celebrants handheld microphone, plus they are able to patch into our PA system so absolutely nothing gets missed.

He adds, "photos and videos are really the only two things from a wedding day that gain value over time. Cakes are eaten, flowers wilt, and a dress can sit in a cupboard, but the memories are precious and forever. It's why when you see videographers and photographers post about their packaging, they refer to it as an investment, because it is."

We are tossing up Video and/or content creation, what can we expect from each?

This question is an easy one to answer because the two are very different services. Booking one doesn’t mean you can skip out on the other, you get two very different things when booking content and video.

Video is piecing together a full narrative of your day. Its cinematic, and it’s intended to incite an emotional response from the viewer by layering the visuals with mood-matching music and real audio from your ceremony, vows and speeches.  It’s all about how it feels, not just how it looks.

Content is kind of like a highlight reel, intended for social media. Instead of audio you’ll get music over a collection of clips shot more from a ‘behind the scenes’ point of view giving you a nice taste of the vibe surrounding the wedding.

So you see, both vendors are using ‘video’ but on different equipment, for different purposes and delivering a different product.

Carlo also explains it in movie terms like this “ Your content creator will make a clip that’s more akin to watching a behind the scenes clip about how a movie is made, and the feature from the videographer is the actual film”.

What do we get?

Every videographer is a little different, like all your vendors – check the offerings.

From Carlo, you will definitely be seeing your ceremony and your speeches in their entirety, you get a teaser clip and then a feature. The feature video, he says, is layered with music that suits the scene and it’s the masterpiece that pulls all the moments together.

Just like no two weddings are the same, no two wedding films are either. And that’s where the magic really kicks in.

Find Your Style

Each videographer brings their own signature style to the party. Some are cinematic, others documentary-style. Some thrive on storytelling, others keep it raw and real. From upbeat, candid chaos, to Carlos own signature of soft, sultry, romantic haze.

What matters is finding someone who gets your vibe and can nail the brief without turning your day into a production set. As Carlo says, “Let the day be what it is. Authenticity is everything. The feel of the wedding and the events throughout the day will always dictate how my film will be put together. Its fun where its fun, heartfelt, true to who you are and how you celebrate”.

Bottom Line

If you’ve been sitting on the fence about wedding videography, consider this your nudge. Find someone whose work makes you feel something—and trust them to bottle up your day, the people you love, and the way it all felt.

You’ll never regret sitting down for a re-watch, but you might regret not ever having the option to.