Your wedding day is one of the most special and memorable days of your life, and being able to have it captured and documented is so valuable. A wedding film enables you to relive the moments that make your celebration so special, from documenting the heart-felt speeches, vows and emotion-filled moments to preserving all those little details you spent so long preparing. But how can you make sure you get the best out of your wedding film, while avoiding any extra stress on the day?
As a wedding videographer, I have compiled five tips to help you get the best out of your wedding film, and help your videographer to create the perfect film for you. These simple but important details will help to make sure your film is the best it can be so that you can watch it with joy for years to come.
Here are my top five tips!
Have a plan
Get into the dress earlier than you think
Have personal vows
Make the most of natural light
Remove the clutter
1. Have a plan
When planning your wedding, it's really helpful to create a timeline for the day and make sure you give this to all your suppliers. Of course, things may not all run on time but this is a good place to start.
When making your timeline, it is important to be realistic about how long things will take. Your wedding day will only happen once, so you will want to make the most of everything and not feel like you're constantly rushing onto the next thing on the list. You should allow plenty of time for each part and even include some 'empty' space to allow yourself to catch up during the day if things do run over.
Unfortunately, when couples are pushed for time and in the swing of their wedding, one of the first things that usually gets cut is the couple photos/videos. This is a shame because these moments are an opportunity for the videographer to get some beautiful creative shots of the two of you which adds a lot of impact to the final film. It also gives you a moment to reflect together with your new spouse which is so precious on the busy wedding day. I definitely recommend making sure this time is protected in your plan for the day. It doesn't need to be long (a minimum of 10-15 minutes is fine) but it is so worth it.
2. Get into the dress earlier than you think
On the topic of time, another mistake that is so commonly made is the bride getting into her wedding dress at the last minute just before leaving for the ceremony on the wedding morning. It's always surprising how quickly the time goes in the morning, but getting into your wedding dress earlier than you think you need to enables you to take the time to relax. You can get all the photos and videos of getting into your dress and with your bridal party and family without having to rush.
Often the videographer and photographer need to leave the bridal prep a bit earlier than you so they can get set up and ready for your arrival at the next venue. Having an extra half an hour in your dress will make everything much more relaxed and ensure you get those precious pre-wedding shots..
3. Include personal vows
Writing your own vows is a great way to make your wedding (and video!) even more authentic and special. With personal vows, you can express your love for each other in a way that is meaningful and heartfelt, and expresses who you are as a couple.
For your wedding film, these personal vows can be used as a voiceover which adds an authentic touch to the film and makes it unique to you.
4. Make the most of natural light
When it comes to your wedding film, using light to your advantage is really important. You don’t want your wedding film to look dark and gloomy. The best sort of light you can have is natural light, which gives a softer, more flattering look to the video.
Some venues will have more natural light, such as outdoor venues or those with large windows. However, if you don't have a venue like this there are still some things you can do that make a difference.
The first is for the bride to have your hair and make-up done beside a window. This helps to make sure those shots are really flattering and, especially if there is a view from the window, it can create a lovely backdrop as well.
Another tip is to make the most of golden hour if you are blessed with a sunny day. This is the time around an hour before sunset when you get that warm glow. Again, this light is really flattering and can create some artistic details in a video. It's also a really great time to have those couple shots I talked about earlier!
5. Remove the clutter
When you book a wedding venue, you are probably looking for a beautiful space that will serve as the perfect backdrop for your special day. Whether it's a grand hotel or a picturesque barn, the venue you choose will likely play a prominent role in your wedding film and photos. Therefore, you want to make sure that the space is as tidy and uncluttered as possible so that the venue really stands out.
It's especially important to keep the area where you'll be getting ready free of things like brightly colored bags (those dreaded bags for life we all love!) and leftover plates from breakfast. These items can be visually distracting and can detract from the overall beauty of the space, especially in a film. It's also good to try and have an attractive but clear and neutral space for group photographs, such as in front of some trees or the doorway of a grand building. Your photographer or videographer should be able to help with this though!
I hope these simple but important planning tips help you to get the very best out of your wedding film while being stress-free on the day. You can see my packages for wedding films here and contact me if you would like any more information!