Why You Should Hire a Wedding Videographer
I should start off by saying that if you've come to find a totally impartial perspective on why to hire a videographer for your wedding day, you've absolutely come to the wrong place. I am, in fact, a videographer, so I may be a bit biased. That being said, I do truly believe that every wedding should have a videographer. That's why my team got into this business in the first place: film is a much more personal and "real" way to remember big life events than any other medium. Allow us to explain why, after 10 years of capturing excellent wedding video, and over 250 weddings, we still believe video is a worthwhile investment.
Keep More Than Just Moments
Don't get us wrong: wedding photos are great, and they do a fantastic job of capturing moments from your day. However, that's all they capture: moments. With a video, you can capture so much more emotion, so much more atmosphere, so much more feeling. When you have a record of more than a few slices of time from your day, you won't just remember it, you'll relive it.
With a video, you'll be able to hear the sound of your fiance's nervous chuckle at the altar. Relive your first dance. Feel the air leave the room as you enter the venue. Wedding videos aren't just a way to remember your special day, they're a way to feel the emotion of them all over again.
We've received a lot of feedback from couples we've filmed, but that is the most common theme: their wedding video made them laugh and cry and fall a little more in love. But don't just take our word for it, here's just a few things brides we've filmed for have said about their videos and why they are glad they got a videographer:
See What You Missed
You're not going to see every detail of your day - but the video will. The day goes by fast, and there's just not enough time for you to be able to see each moment of it. With a video, you won't miss the flower girl walking down the aisle, or your fiance and their friends laughing and getting ready beforehand. Each moment during your day is going to be precious, and a video will ensure that you won't miss a single one.
Highly Sharable and Unbelievably Emotional
Your wedding video isn't just going to be raw footage of what happened during the day. It will be thoughtfully edited into an emotional film that tells the story of your day from the moment you start getting prepared, right up to the moment you and your fiance share your first dances.
But you and your fiance won't be the only ones to get emotional about your film -- wedding videos can be posted on social media and shared with anyone. Our couples frequently tell us that friends and family (and even complete strangers, sometimes) experienced a similar rush of laughter (or a few tears!) just from watching our clients' wedding videos. As an added bonus, if you have any family or friends who are out of town or otherwise unable to attend, they can watch your film after and not miss a beat.
Common Concerns Answered
We've been capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments for 10 years and counting, and in that time, we've heard a lot of valid concerns! Here's how we answer these common videography questions and concerns when we are talking to future brides and grooms.
We won't watch it enough
Many couples have heard, particularly from older couples, that they don't watch their wedding video enough. Maybe you're feeling like you'll only watch it once per year, or that you'll only dig it up for your 10-year anniversary. Wedding video has changed a LOT, even in the past 10 years! Your videos are now totally digital. Whenever the whim strikes, you can watch, send, share, and download your films. You can share them on social and re-share every time that memory pops up. You can download to your phone and watch whenever the mood strikes. And with an Unnamed Films video package, you can also listen through your vows again and again with our full ceremony video. You don't need to unpack the VCR, dig up a DVD, or even remember a username and password. With a modern video, your video is available 24/7, 365.
Videographers will get in the way or feel overwhelming
We've also heard folks say they don't want their wedding to become "a big production." We totally feel you. Nobody wants a videographer busting into their shot or getting in the way of those critical moments. A more novice videographer or a videographer with massive production equipment could potentially get in the way, but if the videographer you're working with has experience, they won't get in the way, but will enhance your wedding day. Our videographers are trained to be discreet, effective, and when they do need to get involved, FUN! They'll help you to feel comfortable on camera.
They won't work well with our vendors, like our photographer
With 10 years of filming in and around the Mitten State, we've worked with a TON of excellent West Michigan vendors. We can hit the ground running with any vendor you've hired, because we network with them beforehand so we can show up ready to work as a team. We love to bounce off your photographer creatively, and having two excellent vendors will make both your photos and videos even better. We'll work to get your timeline pinned down with your planner or coordinator beforehand, and your DJ will know what we need when we show up to make sure we capture the best possible audio. If you've got an on-site painter, a live band, or any other unique vendor you'd like us to work with, we can make it happen! At risk of getting copyright claimed, we know a thing or two, because we've [been to a wedding or two].
We won't like the music
Some videographers say "you get what you get" and choose the music for you. Now, it can be a HUGE benefit to let a professional choose your music--they know how to best select music so that you receive a video built around your wedding, not a series of clips built around a song. That said, at Unnamed Films, we make sure you get a chance to approve your music. We won't move forward until we know you love it. And if at the end of the day you're willing to pay to license a premium song you choose, we'll make it work.
It's too expensive, out of our budget, or not worth it
You can read more about why we charge what we do in other posts, but we assure you that we keep our costs as low as possible, while delivering as much as possible, to ensure we fairly pay our staff. We really believe in wedding video, and we do everything we can to make sure EVERYONE can afford it. We offer custom payment plans and special discounts to try to make sure everyone can afford a video! As far as whether a wedding video will be worth it... that depends on you! Read through our reviews to see what our past clients had to say. We think you'll agree they believe it was worth their investment!
But don't just take our word for it.
Couples we film frequently tell us that their video was the best investment they made for their big day. If you wanna hear it from them, check out our reviews. Or, decide for yourself and watch some of the videos that we've made at our portfolio.
