Planning a wedding? 3 Things you MUST know!

First things first, how do you want to remember your Big Day?  Yes planning for the Big Day takes up most of your time- the dress, the venue, the guests list, the honeymoon but all those things important as they are will soon be a distant memory and let’s face it you are never going to wear that wedding dress again ;) So much of a wedding budget gets spent on things that are experienced and over with in 12 hours and yes it’s a Wedding and probably one of the most memorable days of your life, but here’s a question; how will you remember your Big Day? Without memories most of what we do in life has little meaning would you not agree? There is a saying;

“you will never know the importance of a moment until it becomes a memory…” So this leads to the

3 Things every Bride should know long before that day arrives;

1. How do I plan to remember my Big Day?  2. How much of my Wedding Budget should I set aside to remember the day?  3.How do I find the right Photographer or Videographer to make sure that day is documented in the way I want to remember it?

So, let’s deal with the first question; How do I plan to remember my Big Day?

 

Photo, Video or both?

Traditionally Photographers are above Videographers on the list of a Brides wants and Photograph’s do capture your day in a unique way. How though do you find the right photographer? What style of Photography do you want? How much should you spend?

Finding the right Photographer is not something you should rush at, let’s face it you will have to live with those wedding photo’s forever! Often a Bride spends more time choosing a dress than a Photographer but that dress won’t ever be worn again and more important wont be captured in all it’s glory if you don’t choose a good photographer! So take your time choosing a photographer.

Documentary style or Portraiture?

Yes what’s your style? Do you want to document the day as it happens and capture spontaneous candid shots that really evoke memories as they happened or would you prefer Portraiture Style Photography that is a more classic style of wedding photography? – Think of your parents wedding photograph’s – more posed and set up shots that feature beautiful backdrops and scenes? It’s good to know what your style is before you go shopping for a Photographer because some photographers excel at Documentary style and others more Portraiture style- the last thing you want is to look back on your wedding photo’s and not like them- in fact this is more common than you might think! Maybe you would like a mix of the two styles – Documentary Style and Portraiture? If this is the case then you need to find a photographer that specialises in both. Also be sure that once you have chosen your photographer you communicate clearly to them exactly what you are looking for that way you are more likely to be happy with the pictures you get.

 

Video?

What about video?  Often a bride won’t immediately think of having a wedding video as a way to remember her Big day but here are 3 reasons why we believe every Bride should think about Video as a way of capturing her Big Day;  1. Video captures more!  Yes that’s right a video captures more than any photograph ever could-  it captures moments in their entirety. For example, a photograph will only capture a second frozen in time whereas a video captures many seconds and minutes and not just the images of what’s happening but the sounds also. 2.Multiple Layer: For example a typical wedding scene on video say of the ceremony will capture not just the Bride & Groom but often the parents of the Bride and groom – the expressions on their faces as they see their daughter or son getting married- yes video captures multiple layers where photo captures only one. 3. You will see things in Video that you miss on the day: I cannot tell you the amount of times Brides & Grooms have told us that when they watched their wedding film for the first time they saw in the film things happening on the day that they missed and could not have seen if it hadn’t have been captured in video; like the expressions on the father of the brides face as he see’s his little princess marry the ‘new man in her life,’ or the look on a proud mother’s face as she see’ her son become a man. Then, there are those emotions experienced by the Bride & Groom that video can capture forever!  So hopefully  those ideas have helped you decide ‘how’ you want to remember your Big Day but now let’s look at the costs. So what should you choose Photographs or a Wedding Film? I think you should choose both, only photo’s can capture that special moment in time and only video can capture more of that time. They are different mediums that offer a couple equally unique ways to capture and remember their ‘Big Day.’  When it comes to video we think the cinematic style is the best type of wedding film; Here is an example from a Highlight Film of what Julian Voigt Wedding Films has to  offer:

The Budget

Hopefully you will now realise than documenting your day should be high up your priority list and that the other elements will only really be remembered if you make the right decisions when it comes to choosing a Photographer and Videographer. The old adage, ‘You get what you pay for’ is generally true. However, there is a balance to be struck- while you shouldn’t look for the cheapest wedding photographer and videographer that you can find you shouldn’t necessarily look for the dearest either. A good Photographer or Videographer should be in demand if he or she is good they will be! If they are in demand the chances are they won’t be the cheapest around. When budgeting for your Big Day you should be thinking in terms of setting aside a considerable portion of your funds to documenting the day right. Your Photo’s or Video will be with you forever your dress, venue, cake (hopefully not) honeymoon destination won’t be. They will be long gone and if not documented correctly forgotten too! So shop around and have a good look at what’s on offer. Ask to see examples of photo albums and videos produced. Make sure the company you are looking to deal with offer you a consultation whereby you can chat about what is important to you and what style you are looking for- we at Julian Voigt Wedding Films offer all our couples a FREE home visit and consultation and we put as much emphasis on the planning side of  your Big Day as to the actual Filming of it!  We make each and every wedding film unique to the couples who have chosen us.

https://julianvoigtweddingfilms.co.uk

Plan well in advance. Because having your Big Day documented is going to take up a considerable portion of your wedding budget it’s best not to leave choosing a Photographer or Videographer to the last minute as this will invariably mean limiting who you can choose to capture your Big Day especially if most of the wedding budget has already been spent. Planning well in advance on getting a good photographer or videographer will ensure you have enough in the budget to get the photographer/videographer of your choice and not a bargain basement options. Remember, this is a decision you will I’ve with for the rest of your lives!  A good rule of thumb is to avoid the cheapest options out there and choose a professional that might not be the cheapest but perhaps has got some particular offer on- which leads me to my next point: photographer/videographers are quieter in the off season which is generally October-Februrary and that’s when they are more likely to put on offers to get their Diaries full, so this could be the best time of year to go looking for a good photographer/videographer but at a slightly lower price.

Finding the right Photographer/ Videographer

Let’s face it you get married once (hopefully) and so you have never looked for a wedding photographer/videographer before, so how do you find the right one? Recommendation! Yes as much as possible you want to go off who others recommend- why? Because they have been tried and tested!  Now what if you don’t know too many other couples in your circle of friends that have wedding photo’s or a video that you like? This is where Wedding Supplier websites like Hitched come in very useful  https://www.hitched.co.uk

Websites like these not only have list of numerous wedding suppliers but more importantly also have reviews for them too. This makes choosing a good Wedding Photographer/Videographer a lot less risky. So go to reputable Wedding Supplier websites and look for photographers/videographers with four star ratings and glowing reviews.  Avoid third party advertisers on the internet offering low prices as these usually scrape the bottom of the barrel. If you are looking for Wedding Videography  check out Julian Voigt Wedding Films on Hitched here:

https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-videographers/manchester/julian-voigt-wedding-films_38574.htm

 

We at Julian Voigt Wedding Films work with a select few Photographers that we can recommend who are great at Documentary & Portraiture Style wedding photography. Here is a link a superb Photographer that we wholeheartedly recommend- Karli Harrison;

https://karliharrisonphotography.com

 

Remember, you will never know the importance of a moment until it becomes a memory!

 

by Julian Voigt