Wedding video - yes or no?

I saw it in a wedding mag too, but not keen at all if I am honest. IMO if you are going to spend on a video then it may as well be a professional, well put together, well flowing job.

I am very much of the MUST have camp, and insisted me and OH got one. I will watch it an awful lot while OH is away from home and he has said he will do the same. So it won't be wasted. I like the idea of it capturing what we don't have time to take in.

I haven't always wanted one though and I can see the disadvantages and I know they don't come cheap either.. I guess it's personal opinion, and if you don't think you need one... Don't worry too much about it. My grandparents never had an option and 62 years later nan still remembers her special day like it was yesterday (despite her stroke!)

We aren't having a professional videographer as I can't imagine we'll be watching it more than 2 or 3 times throughout our marriage. We'll be more likely to look at photos so we're spending more money on getting that done professionally. We'll probably have a member of the family holding a video camera for some more informal shots though.

xx

We'd *love* to have one, but unfortunately there's no room in the budget for a professional. I think we're going to treat ourselves to a camcorder and get family to take videos throughout the day. At least we can use the camera ourselves afterwards that way, and so much cheaper than a vog. I know I'd watch the video a few times, and would be a nice thing to show the g'kids eventually!

Most of the video people we looked at were around the £1000 mark.

Thankfully two work colleagues from our media department are happy to bring along our 'broadcast quality' cameras and shoot the footage for us, which I will then edit after the event into something hopefully vaguely interesting, and then get professionally duplicated and printed (works out less than a pound a copy) to offer to everyone we invited whether they came or not.

If it wasn't for my work colleagues, we probably wouldn't have one as we simply don't have the budget for it.

My OH used to be a wedding videographer (a hobby rather than a job) and so he has a contact filming the wedding, plus a few friends and then he will edit it - so we will have a 5 minute edit to music, 1 slightly longer one and then an edit of the whole day.

The friends i know who have not had any video have regretted it so something is better than nothing if its not within budget.

Thanks everyone. It really is a tricky decision.....I loved some of the 'Shoot It Yourself' final videos - they're exactly the sort of thing me and my fiance would want if we went down the video route...esp with the music and informal approach. I guess we need to review the budget and see if we can afford it.....

L x

I just looked at that website, it seems quite expensive. If you have any friends with camera who can film then it will be a lot cheaper to find someone to edit it. For example this is what my OH used to charge.

set fee of £150 covers

• capture up to 60 minutes of footage from a DV tape
• transfer of up to 3 hours footage from a memory stick
• creation of a video montage set to music (up to 5 minutes) using 4 hours of the provided footage
• online display of your video and delivery via memory stick / email

The following options can then be tailored to suit your preferences, each charged at an additional £50:

• up to 5 minute seperate video edit of the ceromony
• up to 10 minute video edit of the speaches
• up to 5 minute video edit of bride and / or grooms preperation
• up to 5 minute edit of the evening reception

WOW that shoot it yourself package is over £100 more expensive than my Videographer!!

Where abouts in the world are you? Perhaps you need to shop around a little more? We have got a guy who does it as his weekend job and so we know it will take a little longer to get the video back, but in return we get a great rate.

Hi Louise,

I would say yes! We hummed and ah'ed over a video and so many of my married friends either regretted not having one or were so relieved that they did, that we decided to go ahead. We got married just over a month ago and used "Shoot it Yourself" and we are THRILLED with the results - go to http://www.shoot-it-yourself.co.uk/blog/ and click on Phil and Victoria.

We went for the 2 camera option and not only were they nearly £1000 cheaper than the 3 other videographers we contacted (in the Surrey/South London area), our friends did the filming which made it even more personal. We didn't want a formal, starchy video AND like most young couples, we were bound by budget AND there was no intrusion by some old codger who we didn't know... Our "cameramen" were able to interact with all of our guests on a personal and more relaxed level capturing some of the most intimate and hilarious moments of our day.

As you can probably tell by watching the online video - Phil and I embrace life to the full(!) and we feel their edit captured our day absolutely perfectly. We submitted nearly 7 hours of footage which they had to trawl through (the poor things!) but the end result is perfect in our opinion! We love the stills, the name tags of our special people and Phil and I sat down and chose the music for the edit together which was lovely.

From what I understand about the 2 camera package we chose, the editing isn't bound by time (i.e. 5 mins here, 3 hours footage there). I wouldn't hesitate in using them again or indeed recommending them to any of my friends.

I hope this feedback helps you make a decision, please feel free to contact me if you've got any questions about our experience. Have a great wedding!! I wish I could re-live mine again and again and again!

Victoria

I would love to get a vog but OH wasn't keen, he has been speaking to a colleague who has just got married and said that they regretted not having one so I think he is coming round to the idea

Afternoon Brides to be!!

My husband and i used the 'Shoot it yourself' cameras at our own wedding, mainly because like some of you we weren't too fussed about having a videographer but were worried about regretting not having a video at all. We also didn't want to fork out money on a 'bog standard wedding video' ending up with an hour and half (or more) of footage of the big day which i can honestly tell you from watching my friends wedding videos will bore your family and friends to tears!

The cameras were delivered and collected to our best man's house at a time and date that suited him, they were very easy to use on the day and we had A LOT OF FUN filming - no one froze when the camera was pointed at them because it was friends and family doing the filming - if anything our guests came out of their shells and really made some wonderful footage of the day (a few glasses of champagne helped them along!) Its a great way to get friends and family involved in your day!!

The team at Shoot it yourself were quick in communicating via email or phone and once we were back from honeymoon we only waited a couple of weeks to recieve the finished DVD's which have caputured the day exactly as we remembered it. Our friends and family LOVE the video, its not too long and not too short but captures the essence of your wedding - you even pick your own music to go along with the video so its very personal.

Shoot it yourself cannot be compared to the usual wedding videographers - If your looking for something a little different and fun, that doesn't pull tightly on your purse strings i would highly reccomend Shoot it yourself!!

Best wishes to you all in what ever you decide,
The new Mrs M

I'm a Videographer and I think it could be a good idea if you are on a restricted budget. A few things to think about if you do decide to go for it:

Do they provide external mics for the ceremony and speeches? The internal mics on even the pro cameras are not great. Ideally you want wireless lapel mics for the ceremony and an external recorder for the speeches as well as on camera mics for syncing footage.

Does the price include the copyright license or do you need to sort this out yourself?

Do you want to put the pressure on someone who is a guest? It is a pretty full on job capturing all the footage to make an interesting video. You would need to choose someone you can trust who won't mind being tied up much of the day. If they mess up with the recording will you forgive them for losing you the money?

I presume the company insures the cameras so that you are not liable for any damage but worth double checking.

I do a similar thing at weddings I am filming by providing a 'guest cam' during the drinks reception so couples get some fun footage filmed by a guest, which can be particularly good for messages as people are more relaxed talking to someone they know.

If I had to choose between my vog or my tog I would definately go for the videographer. I've watched the video about 6 times since getting it a month ago (with other people obviously, not on my own, in my dress, reliving the day or anything...)

There's a lot of stuff I'd missed, I loved seeing what OH was up to before the ceremony, seeing guests arriving, seeing my friends singing during the signing of the register (since we were in the vestry at the time). I also enjoy watching the Welsh contingent getting to grips with ceilidh dancing! The videographers were so unobtrusive, very few people remember seeing them!

Obviously it depends who you get and what they cost, and it seems we were lucky to get her for £600 (that covered bridal preparations, 2 videographers for the duration, first few dances and 3 copies of the dvd).

Just my opinion obviously, but I think the video captures the mood or spirit of the day, and I'm likely to forget a lot of the day as time passes so it's nice to have a record of it!

I really want one - OH did too and then he changed his mind AFTER I booked someone to do it BUT I havent yet cancelled them... :/ Its a friend of mine and his dad - his dad used to do it professionally but has since retired from it, and kev is amazing at that sort of stuff - wanted £100 and then £10 for each disc we want doing so I still think this is an amazing bargain. We still havent got a quote for the photographer though so see how money is and then decide...although with this new job I can afford both.

I say if you like them book them. I havent seen them but depends on what you want.

x

We debated this and wernt gong to bother to save money but when i asked around, most people said they prefer their video to their photos, not one person regretted paying for one. then i asked people who didnt have one and most people said they wished they had as it captures the mood so much more than photos and you see everyone arriving, the groom before you arrive and then theres people wishng you all the best and leaving personal messages etc etc. i have chosen a videographer local to me who videoed 3 friends weddings and all thought they were fantastic. its costing me £695 for allday and until after speeches. i could have paid £100 more and had them film some of the night do and 1st dance but wasnt bothered for that. i dont know where you are but im in yorkshire, if you are let me know and ill send you details.

last thing id say is what made the decision for me, we are spending enough money on this wedding, for the sake of one day. our photos and video are the only thing we will have after the wedding (apart from memories!) and what a lovely thing to do on our anniversary!

Hello Louise,

I'm Andrea from Shoot It Yourself and I am pleased to hear that you have not only found our website but that you like the idea of our concept!

We have found that whilst some people prefer the more traditional approach, LOTS of people are looking for something more fun and personal - which is why we set the company up in February. Our cameras are fully insured, easy to use and deliver high definition video that SHOULD make videographers shake in their boots!

We send out online tutorials, presented by US, to give you and your mates some fun ideas to get the best from your day. We also suggest that rather than give it to ONE friend for the whole day, you share it between 4 or 5 of your favourite friends who would like a job on the day.

We spend days trawling through up to 8 hours of YOUR FRIENDS filming and with our team of creative editors, we pick the best bits and add funky titles, cool transitions and upload to Facebook. Its the revolution in wedding videos!

Give me a shout and I'll run you through how it all works and if you like our style but don't trust your mates, we do offer a full professional wedding videography service called our Hire a Director Package http://www.shoot-it-yourself.co.uk/director_prices_packages.php

Thanks to all our lovely brides who have used us this summer and we look forward to editing all of THEIR friends weddings next year!

With the greatest respect I have an amazing set of kitchen knives but that doesn't make me Gordon Ramsay! The same way having a HD camera will not give you an amazing wedding film without a skilled operator.

I am not knocking the concept at all but this is a completely different product to a Pro Videographer and for some people it is a great alternative but although you might have the use of pro video cameras you will not be getting the same product (as the samples show there will most likely be very shakey footage, bad lighting and iffy sound but edited into a watchable format) BUT this raw product maybe more to your taste than a professionally finished video.

The other alternative is to get your friends to film it on their own video cameras (most of the new ones offer HD) and then have a play with something like imovies, which is really easy to use, may take longer to produce but is good fun, very cheap and then you really do have a product you have made yourself. This is what I did for my Sister's wedding and I loved doing it and the DVD is hilarious!

This is an interesting subject. Thinking about what is being offered here it shows how much in terms of time and money video professionals (in this case) think that the editing time is worth

We see plenty of posts saying "photographer for £199" or Videographer for "£300" I can't speak for the videographers, but I know that realistically a wedding where I cover the bride & groom all day, generates me 1 weeks solid worth of work. This concept just demonstrates that.> What I do know is that if you have 2 chaps all day shooting video, based on £600 - £1000 worth of editing time, a fee of £2000 is pretty reasonable

You do generally pay for what you get, this concept outlined above uncovers the bit you dont see happening

My husband and I used Shoot it Yourself as our wedding video.. From the minute we contacted Andrea we were convinced that this was the company for us! They were brilliant from start to finish and although we are yet to see the video - I already know it will be amazing.. I'd even go as far as to say, it was the best part of our day and S.I.Y were certainly my favourite suppliers of the day..

My little brother did a lot of filming on the day and he promises me comedy gold! (although I do understand not everyone is lucky enough to have brother as hilarious as mine!!) You just wouldn't get the comedy element with traditional wedding videography*.

I would also like to say (having been there myself) don't read to much into what people say in forums. Often its stuff people would never say to your face, but is so easy to type. Go with what you really want and don't question it.

*speaking from past experience of having to sit through peoples wedding videos!

Mrs Miller

I haven't put anything on the forum I would not say in person - it's only sensible that people are aware of the possible pitfalls. After all £700 is still a lot of money for people to find if they are on a limited budget. It is only sensible to point out the limitations of this method of filming - I have never told anyone not to do it!

I'd be more wary of married people popping up on a planning forum with just one post recommending a supplier who have never been on the forum before.........

I am afraid that I would be less likely to listen to a comment from a first poster backing up a sales pitch...

I like the idea of shoot it yourself, particularly if you are not particularly techie. However after a few glasses of bubbles my friends would be next to useless and I would rather them enjoy the day than be concentrating on filming.

Personally I will be paying for a professional vog to film my day, the adrenalin will mean I will most likely forget a lot and there is so much that you can capture on film that just doesn't come across in photos...

No for us. I am already dreading looking through a million wedding photos to pick ones where I dont look like a nobber without having proof on video of me slugging wine and laughing like a maniac! Would just make me feel even more self concious.

We are gettinga vog...was a big deal to me. I dont know if thats cause over the years every time the family has got together we have watched videos of us. I have videos of my neices and newphes when they were babies and growing up...its amazing sometimes cause they are adults now...the oldest is 25! Ive seen my brothers wedding video and cousins...where I was too young to remember it in detail but now can watch it and apreciate it as an adult.

Would be lovely to think 20 years from now our kids will watch mum and dad getting married.

Okay they may laugh them selves in to a stuper at the fashion and us looking younger etc but still lol

And as other posters have said...I want to see all the bits that I wouldnt be able to see on the day...like my OH getting ready...and being nervous waiting for me at the alter...my friends dancing..so many things that I would have missed.

Thanks everyone for all your responses!

I think the general consensus was people do favour videos overall, whatever the style, and I wouldn't want to regret not having the footage on the day (all of a sudden my OH's suggestion of having a 10% wedding fund contingency makes a LOT of sense....I seem to enjoy spending it!!!).

I think my main concern about hiring a 'traditional' wedding videographer was that having sat through a few of my friend's videos, I did find them incredibly tedious and dull....and whilst I appreciate it may be different with my own, I did like the style of Shoot It Yourself's videos - and actually enjoyed watching them even though I didn't know the guests!!!

Anyway, I have shown the site to my OH and he actually seemed genuinely interested so I think this could be a good sign (he didn't show the same interest in my hearts to hang from the lanterns in the barn, bizarrely).

I think I have enough friends who seem capable of capturing the important bits (and hopefully the amusing bits too) and I am looking forward to choosing the music to go with it too (oops - just realised I am writing this as if I've booked it already!!! I guess I need to convince my OH now....).

Anyway, thanks again everyone for your invaulable input - it has helped make me feel at ease with my choice!

L x

I am afraid that I would be less likely to listen to a comment from a first poster backing up a sales pitch...

mrs c i totally agree with this statement, quite obvious!!!! although in fairness could be a whopping coincidence. i cant understand these enormous costs of thousands of pounds. i went to fayres and spoke to so many people and the average was about £800. plus ive seen these peoples videos and they are great!

i think you have to do whats best for you and your budget. aslong as this shoot it yourself company has been up and running for a SIGNIFICANT amount of time it sounds like a good idea if you like that kind of thing (i say significant because i wouldnt give someone so much money if they hadnt been going long and didnt have a good reputation and ALOT of people backing them)

I had never been a fan of wedding videos. We had decided very early on not to have one and spend the money on other things. However my brother got married in the summer and we have just watched their video and its lovely. There are lots of details I had forgotten about. It did make us think twice about getting a videographer but decided not to as my bro and sis in law have only watched it once.

I am a wedding and studio photographer so naturally I understand lighting, the technology of video cameras, what lenses do what. I know how to pose a couple, and a group, I have the anticipation that a professional wedding photographer ought to have and what I have forgotten about sound recording inst worth knowing... I am probably as close as the ideal "non videographer" you could get to shoot your wedding video....

However I wouldn't touch videoing a wedding like this with a bargepole. not professionally, not for family, not for friends. I would rather shoot three or four extra jobs and pay the rate a decent vidiographer costs, knowing the job will be done properly. I know if I was shooting the video, the results would be not up to the standard I would be happy with. Knowing the theory, and the technology is no replacement for the experience a true professional. When people hand me a camcorder, I hand it back

There is another issue, that us photographers call the uncle Bob issue. If you get your uncle bob in to do the job, he will have a stressful day. There are plenty of brilliant amateur photographers - they spend a small fortune on kit, and they produce stunning photographs. No one stretches them too much, and if a shot goes wrong they just delete it. If they are shooting for pleasure, and they take 100 shots and 99 are wrong, they delete 99 of them. Thats the joy of amateur photography - there isnt any pressure to perform, and you shoot what you want. When you get uncle bob to do the job, suddenly he has to get 90/100 bang on every time and in some cases 100/100 of his shots absoloutley perfect - This means he is concentrating so much on getting it right, he has no chance to enjoy your day. By getting a guest to do the video camera work, especially if that guest knows the video is off for professional editing and the guest cares about what he is doing, they will be under an immense amount of pressure to get it right. I wouldn't wish that pressure on any guest

Hello Louise,

It was lovely to speak to you yesterday and I am so glad that you found us! It sounds like your friends will be perfect filmers - fun, outgoing and definitely not shy - the perfect combination for a Shoot It Yourself Wedding Video!

Of course there are going to be LOADS of professional wedding videographers out there trying to make it sound more difficult than it is but with over 100 videos under our belt, we know that you don't have to be a pro to shoot an awesome wedding video.

Check out our examples at http://www.shoot-it-yourself.co.uk/examples.php You can share the filming between 5 or 6 of your friends who each get a chance to do their own little bit and with your mates in charge, it'll be fun, personal and meaningful to you...not just a montage of pretty shots!

Anyway, we can't wait to make you a Shoot It Yourself wedding video for your wedding next year and don't forget to join our Facebook Group for all the latest videos, offers and top tips!

See you in the edit Louise,

Andrea and the Shoot It Yourself Team

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/16964347" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/16964347">Shoot It Yourself</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3967146">Andrea Wiseman</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>