A Wedding Videography business has brand new business all of the time. Our couples are always new to the wedding planning process and most have never done this before so we are always educating them on the hiring and what to expect as well as what to look for when deciding on this must have part of your wedding day. I meet with hundreds of couples a year and some things we are asked make our little sensitive wedding videographer souls die a little each time. I want to educate you so you avoid wounding your potential wedding filmmakers sensitive soul and let’s face it… I am going to say what no other wedding videographer will say but we all think…

We die a little each time a potential client sends us films from another filmmaker and asks if we can create a wedding film like “this”. We consider our wedding videos art. We work very hard to create our art. When someone tells us we love your art but change it to look like this we are often left wondering if you really loved our art at all and why are you hiring us if you want your art to look like someone elses? Nine times out of ten the video sent to us as a sample of what they want is nothing like our work. We know that is not your intention and you are just sharing your vision. Bottom line is you need to love our work if you want to hire us. If you don’t that is o.k there is a wedding videographer out there for everyones style. But don’t expect us to change our style to fit your vision. Everyone will end up unhappy. We want you to have the most fabulous wedding film possible and we want to have fun creating it. If we aren’t a match for you someone else will be perfect for you.

When told “You are too expensive” it feels like a punch in the gut. The question shouldn’t be “Why do you cost so much” it should be “Why are you worth so much?” Each wedding film we create is hand crafted and customized to each couple. What you are paying for is not so much the filming of the wedding it is the editing of the film. It take SO. MUCH. TIME. We carefully curate every single shot we use and every piece of audio we pick and we tell a story of your day. We lay it all down on an editing timeline, re-work it, edit it to beats of music and do this over and over again until it is perfect. Not to mention we are never valued as much as the Photographer despite our gear being just as expensive, needing more of it and the hours spent in post production are longer. We are seen as the item you don’t have to have and then everyone freaks you out that you don’t have it and then at this point video isn’t budgeted for appropriately. Then we get the “Well we weren’t planning on having a video so what can you do to make this work”. So let me get this straight… You didn’t plan for us so we should work for less because you didn’t prioritize wedding videography in your budget? No thanks. You aren’t our client. We want to work with people that value a wedding film. We are ok with the fact that it wasn’t a budget priority for you I totally get it. So just say we are out of your budget and roll with that. The other just makes us sad.

When you tell us you are getting married in a church we aren’t super excited. I love what getting married in a church stands for and the tradition and sanctity of the Ceremony in a church. I would love it even more if it meant good things for your photos and wedding film. But logistically it is rough… First and foremost couples who get married in a church are always going to need to invest more in their Photographer and Wedding Videographer because they will need them for more hours to be able to cover the entire day from Getting Ready to the last major event of the night. Church ceremonies are always early and there is often a break before the reception so it just requires a couple to invest in a lot more coverage of the day. Plus adding multiple locations into the mix of the day from the Getting Ready location to the Ceremony location to the Reception location just makes for logistically a more challenging day and potential to run behind. Next issue is churches never have good natural light. It is always hard to film and have you look your best in artificial light. Plus the light varies from the back of the sanctuary to the front. I am never in love with the color of the footage. And finally…. Angry church ladies… Now there are some amazing women who handle the churches ceremonies and are lovely. But many are not. There are tons of rules and regulations and they don’t communicate this information politely nor do they allow any flexibility with it. I totally get it. This is God’s House. We must be respectful of the the Ceremony and not be a distraction. But the rules and regulations make it so difficult to cover the Ceremony to the best of our ability and the photos and video are not always ideal because they don’t let us move. We are professionals though and can work through any situation and will adapt and overcome. I just wish couples understood what the choice to get married in a church means for their day. If they are cool with it then great!! Sadly couples often don’t know this information until after they have booked the church.

When you tell us you love our work and then tell us how to do our job. What you have to remember is that we do this all day everyday multiple times a weekend. This isn’t our first rodeo. It is however yours… You fell in love with our work. Now trust us to create that work for you and allow us what we need to be able to do that work. Telling us you want it this way or that way takes what we love most out of our job which is being creative. More than likely what you are wanting would be in the film anyway without you telling us. Trust us. And if you don’t love what we present to you we can always revise.

When you ask us for a DVD. Wedding Film delivery has advanced so far past this dying technology. When you ask for a DVD of your wedding film it is like asking for music on a cassette tape. In a couple of years you will no longer be able to view your film on a DVD. We are delivering to you in what is best for the preservation, safety and security of your memories. Don’t be frustrated. We truly do have your best interest at heart.