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Mrs. Jasmine, Chicago/LA Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Attorney Engagement Date: March 24, 2007 Wedding Date: June 7, 2008 Blogging Since: September 20, 2007 Venue: Hotel on the westside of Los Angeles About Me: I'm a happy-go-lucky, imaginative spirit trapped in the body of a lawyer. I love reading, shopping, dining out, and exploring my beloved adopted city of Chicago with my fiance. We're planning the wedding of our dreams in my hometown of Los Angeles and we're excited to incorporate our cherished Indian/Pakistani customs and traditions.
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VIV: Very Important Video

November 13th, 2007 @ 5:14 pm by Mrs. Jasmine


For many brides, the choice to hire a videographer is a tricky one. For me, it was a no-brainer. My parents love videotaping everything. We have an entire cabinet in our house devoted to dozens upon dozens of videos of my brother and I from childhood. During graduations, I could always pick my mom out of the crowd: she was the one wielding the giant video camera. Even today, most family get-togethers revolve around my parents pulling out a home video for the amusement of our relatives and friends. There was no question that my wedding day would be videotaped– professionally, no less.

The Wedding Channel has an excellent list of questions to ask any potential videographer:

1. How much experience do they have? How many weddings have they shot?

2. What’s their style and approach in filming a wedding, i.e., interview-style, artsy, documentary, short form, avant-garde? Do they have a standard shot/set-up list?

3. What form will your final video take? Will you get an industry-standard, chaptered DVD with thumbnail image menus? Will you get to select images from your movie and have photo prints created from them? Can they deliver your entire wedding online in StreamingDVD format so you can send friends and family to look at it for a year after your wedding?

4. What type of equipment will they use? Is it new and modern or old and potentially obtrusive? Will they have backup equipment should something go wrong? How will the tape be edited (so you get a feel for how technologically-advanced the videographer is)?

5. Who will actually be taping your wedding — the person you’re talking to, a colleague, or an assistant? Will an assistant be on-hand to help out, and will that cost extra?

6. Do they have other weddings scheduled that day or weekend?

7. What kind of lighting will they use? If you’re having a romantic evening wedding with ambient candlelight, and they need the lights on in order to get footage, there could be a problem.

8. Has the videographer worked with your chosen photographer before? If so, find out if they worked well together — and get the story from both sides.

9. Have they filmed at your venue before? If so, ask to see the StreamingDVD or tape(s).

10. How much and how do they charge for services? Hourly? Project-based? Get a price list — often prices and packages will be listed on their website, but you may have to call for pricing in some instances.

It was not easy choosing a videographer. There are some truly fantastic options in southern California. But in the end, I came down to one clear choice: Today’s the Day Weddings. I’ve heard only the best things about their style, unobtrusive wedding day presence, and the high quality of their work. Their rates are also extremely competitive. But most importantly, they were extremely easy to talk to, very receptive to all my questions, and the chemistry was great. I feel confident that they will be an asset to our wedding.

Are you using a videographer? Who did you end up choosing?

image by Romero Britto, via allposters.com

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6 Responses to “VIV: Very Important Video”

1.
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Guest
Jilian

Sadly - I only remember two things that went wrong on my wedding day.

A. A friend was supposed to video the actual ceremony - didn’t happen.

B. The caterer was supposed to serve white chocolate covered strawberries with the cake - didn’t happen.

Really I didn’t need a professional video of the wedding - but I was hoping for a home video at least we could enjoy :(

 
2.
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Bee
Miss Jasmine (message)  1,154 posts, Bumble bee

Jillian: That’s so sad! I hope your friend had a good reason for not videotaping the ceremony!

 
3.
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Member
Angel (message)  1,252 posts, Bumble bee

*standing up in a group meeting.

Hi, my name is Angel*, and I was going to video my cousin’s wedding. She didn’t ask, but I thought it would be a nice gift anyway. Turns out the batteries were all dead and we were in the middle of nowhere. :(

*Names have been changed to protect the guilty.

We used Stephen and Sonia Steinbach at http://www.weddingtechnology.com

Their work was truly amazing, and yes…very unobtrusive. We got our DVD back and wow. They have great movie cover art and they were able to travel without charging us. They also did our fabulous love story that had everyone in tears and stitches.

 
4.
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Vivian

I have a choice of 3 videographers from my “approved vendors” list (for a DW) and sadly must say that NONE of them do videos like I’ve seen on weddingbee. I’m still debating if we really need the professional videographer, or if we can make do with home video footage, and maybe have someone local edit it for us.

 
5.
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Member
Angel (message)  1,252 posts, Bumble bee

Vivian, you could do what some couples do and have home footage taken and then have a professional edit it for you.

 
6.
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Guest
Karen

When you send your home footage to be professionally edited make sure to let the company know you want the original back. Or if possible give them a copy and keep the original yourself.

 


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Mrs. Jasmine
Mrs. Jasmine Mrs. Jasmine, Chicago/LA Age and Occupation: 25, Attorney Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Attorney Engagement Date: March 24, 2007 Wedding Date: June 7, 2008 Blogging Since: September 20, 2007 Venue: Hotel on the westside of Los Angeles About Me: I'm a happy-go-lucky, imaginative spirit trapped in the body of a lawyer. I love reading, shopping, dining out, and exploring my beloved adopted city of Chicago with my fiance. We're planning the wedding of our dreams in my hometown of Los Angeles and we're excited to incorporate our cherished Indian/Pakistani customs and traditions.
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