This year I celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary to my high school sweetheart. I’ve learnt a lot about marriage in that time. And would you believe I have only one major regret? Not hiring someone to shoot a wedding video.
At the time, Jacqui, my then girlfriend of already 12 years, was organising a massive exhibition at a similar time to our wedding. So, I’d taken the lead as primary wedding planner… everything from managing the budget, coordinating the venue, liaising on catering, the DJ, the photographer, you name it… making it all come together on the day.
Which left me to make the biggest mistake.
And it’s kind of ironic, given that I worked in television, effectively living and breathing video every single day.
But bucks were tight and I knew how much time and effort went into making a decent video, so it was right at the bottom of the list. If we could afford it, then we’d squeeze it in, after all the other seemingly important expenses that were priority.
Plus, I never really thought I’d watch a video again. Would we really sit through all the speeches again? I would be front and centre with my bride, so why would I need to watch the ceremony from some distant perspective?
On top of that, I was also well aware of how intrusive video cameras can be, so I didn’t want them hovering around us and potentially interrupting the guests. I figured wedding videos were quite cheesy, and didn’t trust anyone to do a decent enough job, especially as the people who were the best at filming were actually attending the wedding.
It didn’t really phase me at the time, seeing we had hired a photographer, and I believed that would be more than sufficient to capture the essence of the day.
But it wasn’t.
The day turned into the most magical blur, and so much happened that Jacqui and I never got to see. A video would have seen and heard it.
Today, I regret not hiring a wedding videographer because I wish I could:
● See the look of astonishment on my own face when my gorgeous bride was being lead down the aisle
● Replay the hours before the ceremony as we all donned our finest – most of which was only worn once!
● Hear ‘our’ song again as we came together
● Listen to the cheers from family and friends as we took our first kiss
● Re-watch our hilarious MC, who recently died from cancer
● See the way my cousin furiously turned out the most remarkable feast
● Relive those crazy dancefloor antics, when even Gran was ‘Staying Alive’
● Share the video with friends overseas who couldn’t be there
You see, there are some things photographs will never be able to capture – the vows, the toasts, the music. There’s no sound of small nieces and nephews getting up to mischief, no cackle of that one mate who laughs at absolutely everything, and no awkward silence as the best man stands up.
A wedding is not just the most significant day in your life… it’s a moment in time.
To capture the real emotion of your fairy-tale day, you need the immersion of video. Think of it as a time capsule. One you will be able to unearth whenever you want to, whether it’s to celebrate your first anniversary or your 50th with your grandchildren. In many ways a wedding video is a family heirloom.
So don’t make my mistake by thinking maybe, if, possibly, it’s not necessary. A wedding video must never be an after-thought.
Rather, see it as a family investment, by putting it at the top of your wedding budget.
