In the last newsletter I talked about saving money by having friends and family tape your wedding and reception. Today, though, many brides and grooms are having very creative videos made of their wedding and for their wedding. With this in mind, it is my opinion that if you are going to pay a significant amount of money for something, then you deserve a quality product in return. This issue is dedicated to the quality side of cost-effectiveness in a wedding videographer.

I had an extensive conversation with Roy Chapman of the Wedding & Event Videography Association International (Check out their Bride's Guide at http://www.weva.org). He shared with me a few ideas for wedding videos and some questions you should be sure to ask a videographer.

Before you get excited about the following though, I want to warn you - you can expect to pay anywhere between $1,000-$10,000 on these, depending on how crazy you want to get and how many cameras it will require (and the people to operate those cameras). Before you interview videographers decide how much you are willing to pay and STICK TO IT. It is very easy to get out of control with the following ideas.

Ideas:

1. One idea that was new to me is making a wedding DVD. The cool thing about this is that you can have different chapters on your DVD. One chapter could be a highlights video of your wedding, while another could be the entire ceremony, and still another could be interviews with guests at your wedding.
2. Another idea is to create a "Love Story" video to show at your reception. A videographer can interview you and your fiancé before the wedding about how you met, the proposal story, and any other romantic stories you might want to share. Then they can edit it together in a format of your choice - for example, you may enjoy "The Wedding Story" on TLC and want to have a video like they do. Or, you may want it more like an MTV interview.
3. A third idea,is to have a video of still pictures of you and your fiancé as babies, growing up, from throughout your dating years, and your engagement. Matt and I did this, and our guests really enjoyed it. Most of my relatives had tears in their eyes from remembering me and my siblings as children and I really enjoyed sharing that with them.

Questions to ask a Videographer:

1. Interview 2-3 Videographers to ensure that you get the most for what you pay. And ALWAYS be sure to view entire videos done by that videographer. If you don't like what you see, no matter what they say, you probably won't like your video either.
2. How do you record audio at the ceremony? - If your ceremony is being held in a large church, you may want your musicians to have a microphone, along with your officiant, soloists, and yourselves.
3. Ask for a price quote - this should not cost you a cent.
4. What is the price difference between having just one videographer and having 2 or 3? (Or, what is the price difference between using 1 camera and using 2-3 cameras?)
5. Ask to see the equipment that the videographers will be using. You may want to take into consideration the size and obtrusiveness of the equipment. If the cameras are simply huge, they might be distracting to your guests if they are at the front of the ceremony.
6. Ask for 3-4 recent references - AND CALL THEM! The best place to find out about your videographer is from someone who has experienced their service. (In fact, if possible, ask for the couple whose wedding they did the week before - everything will still be fresh on their minds.) Ask the references what they liked and disliked, what they would have changed, and whether or not they would recommend this company.

When you find the videographer that is right for you, be sure to tell him/her the following:

1. The type of ceremony you will be having.
2. The approximate length of your ceremony
3. The number of guests that will be attending your wedding.
4. Any special details of your ceremony/reception that you would like to make sure they record.
5. The style of video you would like - if you viewed an example of one of their wedding videos and have chosen that videographer because you liked the style, make sure to get it in your contract that you want the same person who taped that video to tape your wedding. Often, companies employ a number of videographers. Just because you liked one of their videos doesn't guarantee you will get that videographer.

My number one recommendation is that you make certain that you are getting a quality video if you are going to pay such a high price. Part of being a cost effective bride is knowing when it is worth it to pay a little more to receive infinitely more in quality, but also knowing when that high quality just might not be worth that extremely high price.

As always, I wish you much luck in all the decisions you are making and a wonderful engagement!

Sincerely,
Kelly Kons, kelly@bwedd.com
http://www.Bwedd.com/TrueCompanions/