Nashville weddings

Can a DIY video ever compete with a professional $3400 wedding video? Of course not.
Can every bride afford a $3400 wedding video? Of course not.
Does that mean she doesn’t deserve to have something to remember the moments of her wedding?

There are many many couples that are getting married on budgets of $10,000 or less. If they choose not to spend a third of their budget on video, are they condemned to do with out?
Or perhaps in your mind it means she just doesn’t deserve to get married.

Posted on June 16, 2011 @ 2:28pm

Thanks for your feedback Christine! 

Of course I don’t think anyone shouldn’t get married based on their budget.  In fact, as you will see in my post above, I listed 3 options for budget brides that will still get them a wedding video.  However, I also know brides that will splurge on whatever is important to them, regardless of their budget.  Some brides with a $10k budget will buy a $4k dress; others will spend half of their budget on photography or video.  It’s a personal call.  But, the bottom line is - I dont care how she spends her $$.  I do care that she informed and does not take on projects that will stress her out.  We know that any day-of DIY projects can cause significant stress.  That’s why we say - hire a planner, hire pros for your day and leave DIY projects to pre-wedding, not wedding day. 

I’d love to hear what others think.

Posted on June 16, 2011 @ 3:19pm

Christine obviously didn’t read my entire blog.  If she had, she would’ve seen that I said:

If you are contemplating renting several Flips but then discover that it will cost close to $1,000 for the package you want, my advice would be to save that money and hire an inexpensive videographer—someone who will actually show up on your wedding day.  I’m a firm believer in “you get what you pay for”, so, normally, I would not make such a recommendation, but if you truly do not have a budget to hire a professional, then that would be the route to go.

I stand by what I said in my blog.  I think these companies are representing themselves to provide something that the bride (who has no experience planning her wedding) will be greatly disappointed with afterwards.  Or, perhaps in your mind, you don’t think its a bad thing for her to waste part of her limited budget on something she will regret later.

Posted on June 16, 2011 @ 4:10pm

So as a future bride, I should trust a student I found at my local university more than my friends and family who are already coming anyways? Why is a student always the go-to option? Would you hire someone to come fix your A/C for free, but they can have “portfolio material”? Of course you wouldn’t. Therefore, I don’t think it’s fair to say the same about videography. From my research, most videographers are hired for like 8+ hours or so, whereas I can get the cameras for 3 days from most of these people. I’m not stupid enough to think I’ll be getting the same quality from a 5k+ videographer than my friends with a handheld point and shoot, and it saddens me to see wedding bloggers and other professionals think we are.

Posted on June 17, 2011 @ 10:30am

Hi Chloe -

In our experience working with brides, we would say yes - if you are truly on a budget, a student would still be a better bet that a complete novice family member who really wants to enjoy your wedding.  That’s our take.  And, we base this on our conversations with other brides.  Students vary in their experience but most are better than a random family member.  Your family could be a different breed and be full of amazing talent.  But for most families, that’s not the case. 

Using Krista of Becoming Mrs. Dial as an example again - her budget was $5k.  She hired a video student because she did want to see her day in action but didnt have a budget to hire.  (And she has a flip camera and I call her Ms. Flip because she LOVES it and was the reason I bought one.) However, when it came to her day, she wanted her family to enjoy it. 

Again, that’s just one option.  We really want brides to enjoy DIY but to make sure that they/their family are not working on their wedding day.  Just our opinion.

We really appreciate your feedback.  We absolutely welcome different perspectives!

Posted on June 17, 2011 @ 10:40am

Think of it this way - the quality you will get from friends using a point and shoot video camera is the same quality you would get if those same friends used a point and shoot camera for your photography.  If you hire someone who is training to enter the field of photography or videography, the results will be much better (if for no other reason than the level of professional equipment used during the shoot) than what will be produced by going the DIY route.

Posted on June 17, 2011 @ 4:45pm

You may want to read this is see it from the brides eyes
http://storymixweddings.com/2011/06/affordable-wedding-video-central-park-arsenal/
Brides comments at the end.

Posted on June 21, 2011 @ 9:12am

Thanks for sharing!  Will check it out.  I do have a question for you - what do you think about DIY wedding photography? DIY wed planning? DIY cakes/catering?  Leave it to the pros that have invested time and money in their skill, equipment or should we encourage brides to DIY everything?

I dont doubt that a few brides can be successful with DIY wed films.  But is that where are going as an industry?  DIY your entire wedding and then you can’t enjoy anything?

I’m all about DIY for some things but we, the wedding pros, are here to remind brides to enjoy their day.  Most brides that I speak with enjoyed their small DIY projects - like some decor items but they were really glad they hired pros.  Is that not your experience? I’d love to hear your personal thoughts and what you recommend to brides on DIY.

Posted on June 21, 2011 @ 9:30am

DIY for every bride is different. Not all brides can/should/would DIY all aspects of their wedding. I have long advocated that they pick and choose the parts that work for them and leave the rest to the pros. You can verify that on Wedding Dish.

This is just one more option for them to pick from.

Posted on June 21, 2011 @ 9:42am

This has become almost comical.  Now StoryMix has posted two new clips (the link provided by Christine above) that show their “Hollywood” production.  One clip is titled: what your pro videographer doesnt want you to see”.  They obviously haven’t looked at any professional wedding videos lately, because I can tell you that most videographers I know would have someone walking with the wedding party.  Would they be carrying a Flip camera?  No - but its rare that we don’t have friends and guests pop their faces into our cameras and speak - sometimes just to say something funny - sometimes to send wishes to the wedding couple.  It happens all the time.  And it definitely goes into the edit.  Why would they say that a professional videographer wouldn’t want you to see that type of footage?  Seriously.  Why?
And - in reply to their comment about your friends not opening up and being themselves in front of a pro:  again, I say—it happens all the time.  I don’t know what wedding videos they’re looking at, but most professionals I know have a talent of making everyone feel comfortable and are “friends” by the end of the shoot.
Enough of this already.  My opinion is that every bride deserves to have a professional videographer for her wedding.  its important—right up there with the photographer.  Save the DIY stuff for things that won’t be around after the wedding day is over.

Posted on June 21, 2011 @ 11:31am

I thought about not weighing in, since this has apparently become such a hot topic! But, my job is to help brides as much as possible. I don’t believe in shaming brides for not hiring the big guns for everything, but I also don’t believe in being shy about the reasons that pros are so great! I would LOVE to tell brides that they simply *must* hire a professional planner and that their friend simply *cannot* do it. But that is not the case! Can they do the job the same way I can? Probably not, but I’m sure they will do just fine. Not every bride out there can afford a professional planner. I get that and it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. So here goes:

1) As a professional in this industry I strongly encourage to use professionals whenever possible according to each bride’s budget. However, not all brides have enough money in their budget to hire professionals for every thing (the average wedding has about 16 vendors). It comes down to this, decide on a budget and price items before you do ANYTHING else so you know what is out there and what you can afford. You may be surprised.

2) If you simply cannot afford a professional ______________ (insert vendor here: videographer, planner, florist, etc), then reach out to your friends if you have some that you can trust with that particular area. Just understand that it probably will not have the same “look” or “feel” that a professional will provide. But I am sure they will do their very best for you and are capable, at least to some degree, of doing a stupendous job! If you know that, and are fine with that going into it, then I’m sure you will *be* fine! Its great to leave friends and family as friends and family, but if you really need them to step in help, I am sure they are more than happy to!

3) If you can afford a professional _______________ (insert vendor! ) then that’s awesome! Go ahead and book it and don’t try to skim some money off the top by going DIY in that area. We are professionals for a reason, and you will get to benefit from that. Enjoy the fact that you have it in your budget and focus your killer DIY skills (and those of your friends) on other projects such as menus, favors, runners, programs, non-floral decor, thank you notes, photo booths…. You get the idea.

Everyone wants as professional a ____________ (video, coordinator, centerpieces) as possible, but if comes down to “I have $6,000 for my wedding and I’d rather have a friend’s video and a friend coordinate than nothing at all” - then I say go for it.

No matter what, enjoy the fact that you are getting married! It is, after all, what the day is all about.
Sarah

Posted on June 21, 2011 @ 3:31pm

While I love my camera and lenses, and crane and steadicam, and, and, and….It’s not about the equipment! IT’S ABOUT THE STORY! 

Today is Friday, before a 3 day weekend, so some of this post should be taken as tongue-in-cheek.

I came across this blog post a little late. First, I, like Lynette, am a professional videographer, so I come from the “You need a videographer” scratch that, “YOU NEED A FILMMAKER” camp.

A wedding is about making Memories and Celebrating Love. Why else do we spend so much time and money on them? All a couple really needs is a piece of paper signed by the right person. 

But, no one wants to remember their wedding day as the day the slid on their flip-flops and flop-flopped down to the courthouse to get hitched.  So instead, we make a party of it and want to remember it that way.

What video does, like nothing else can, is propel you back to that wonderful day!  It’s a memory aid.

What a professional videographer/ filmmaker can do like no one else, is tell your story! 

I can’t speak for all wedding videographers, but we get to know the couple, meeting with them, discussing what is important to them, becoming friends.
We get there early and stay late getting detail shots and capturing the moments that they, as the couple, may not even be aware of, as well as the ceremony and reception. Then we take that footage back and weave it into a story that brings tears to the eyes of not only the couple, but to people who don’t even know the couple.
No one ever emails us and says” I just cried after viewing all of the great camerawork you did”. No, they cry because THEY DON"T NOTICE the camerawork, and feel a connection with the couple and get immersed into their story.

Technology is so wonderful today that almost everyone has a camera phone/ video camera on them at all times.  Here is an example of what a videographer/filmmaker can do with a phone camera, this is shot on a Nokia phone http://vimeo.com/25451551.

For the savvy budget conscience:  Instead of renting the Flip Camera (which has now been discontinued by the manufacturer Cisco) use the cameras on your iphone, there’s not that much difference.  http://gigaom.com/video/side-by-side-flip-ultrahd-vs-iphone-4/  The potentially really cool aspect of this is you could get 100 difference angles of a single event. Then have everyone upload their footage to an ftp site. All you need now is a little time to edit it which you can do with any number of free software. Chances are most of the footage you get will be so shaky it will make you sick, You might want to instruct those who are shooting for you to hold the camera still. Otherwise, have a few of these bags handy.  http://www.xodusmedical.com/Products/58/Emesis-Bag.aspx?gclid=CPe0uNa54KkCFRIH2godonGvZA

In the end it all kind of boils down to what kind of memory aid do you want.  Do you want something that you can rewatch every year on your anniversary and be transported back to that wonderful day, or do you want a record that the event happened?

Posted on July 1, 2011 @ 10:34am

Very very good points.  Thanks for chiming in and for sharing such great (and funny) links.  By the way - we love your work!!

Posted on July 1, 2011 @ 10:51am