Why spend the money on a videographer?

I am asked this question (above) by clients all the time when I ask them, "do you have a videographer?" For those of you who know me, you know that I love wedding videos! I would rather watch a good wedding video over a movie any day...that's real love. Yet for some reason when I ask my clients if they've booked or have a videographer, they either offer a quick "no way too expensive" or shluff it off as not important. Me personally, I would rather spend $20 on a wedding gown and have a stellar videographer, then not have my day recorded. A great wedding video captures the raw emotion, the feeling and the very heartbeat of a wedding. If photography was jelly, videography is some good crunchy peanut butter.  I know, I know...why am I so for videography if i'm not a videographer? To be honest I just love all things weddings, and with a background in film and television I also have a serious appreciation for good video. So I thought what better way to convince you that videography is a wedding must have, then to feature some of my favourite videos. So grab a box of Kleenex, enjoy some actual "true love" and then you can answer the question "why spend the money on a videographer?" Two words for you..."Challenge Accepted"!

Capture Studios

I first stumbled upon Capture Studios when a friend sent me "Gene + Jill // Two Pease in a Pod", I cried from beginning to end! Then I watched it with the friend who sent it to me and we cried from beginning to end, then I sent it to other friends, who also cried from beginning to end. I absolutely love every video Capture Studios shares, if you are in the U.S I would recommend them wholeheartedly. I love their song choice always, as they are some of my favourite artists, I love the clean and crisp video and most of all I love that they capture their clients so perfectly.

"Wedding films are amazing. They captivate, surprise, and reinvigorate the memory of your wedding like nothing else can. The combination of imagery, motion, and sound brings out the laughter, facial reactions, love, emotions, and beauty of the day. It is the best way to preserve the beginning of your journey together, and it is something you will cherish and want to share for years to come."-Capture Studios

So your first challenge...watch Gene and Jill get married!

Gene + Jill // Two Pease in a Pod from capture studios on Vimeo.

Honey and Dear

Well aside from their most precious name, Honey and Dear produce some breathtaking videos and I absolutely fall in love every time with their Same Day Edits. I recommended Honey and Dear to some friends, Mike and Lenna and they captured their wedding, and when we watched their surprise same day edit at the reception I was SO happy I did. Honey and Dear capture the joy and emotion from the day so well that you feel like you were at the wedding and you love the couple like they're your best friends. Honey and Dear were wonderful enough to answer a few of my questions and share some of their favourite memories.

Alabaster Jar What is the number one concern you hear from potential clients and what is your response? Honey and Dear Finances are always a concern for just about every couple planning a wedding. We have had the opportunity to work with a few people who, from the outside looking in, might not seem to need to worry about budgets, but even the ultra high-end weddings do have to watch their spending and certainly account for it one way or the other. Weddings are a difficult thing to plan for a bride, especially if they are not using the help of a planner. Most likely, they have never put on a party of this size on in the past, not to mention the emotional roller coaster ride that is joining lives with another human being! It can be stressful! There are family issues that arise. Health is a big thing that we often hear about - specifically with grand parents. There is a lot that goes into wedding planning that doesn't show up in magazines or Facebook selfies!

AJ What is your favourite part about doing wedding videos? H&D We love the relationships that we build throughout the planning process, on the day itself and beyond. It doesn't happen every time, but we call some of our former H&D 'clients' our closest friends. That's something unique to this industry i think. We love being there for people and being able to give them something at the end of the day that they literally will keep forever.

AJ What is one of your best memories? H&D We have so many amazing memories - one that will go down for us will be having a beach party in the middle of a wedding. Robin and Dave got married in the summer of 2013 and they insisted we bring our bathing suits. It was amazing. For 2 or 3 hours after the ceremony, everyone jumped in the lake and played beach games. It was the best!

AJ What advice would you give to planning brides-to-be? H&D There is so much that goes into planning weddings, but our number one piece of advice would be to focus on the relationship and the reason for having the wedding in the first place. So much effort can be spent on getting the right mason jars or seat covers or four-piece acoustic jazz band - all things that are cool - but don't matter if the marriage is on the back-burner.

Your second challenge is to watch Lenna and Mike's Surprise Same Day Edit...

Lenna & Mike - Surprise Same Day Edit - August 5, 2012 - Toronto, ON from Honey & Dear on Vimeo.

Maple Tree Films

Last but of course not least would be Maple Tree Films out of Toronto. I had the privilege of  shooting a wedding alongside Steve and Melissa of MTF and it was such a blast. As a photographer it can be a bit challenging shooting alongside a videographer, often you get in the way of each others shots, more than once you probably photo or video bomb them and not to mention you are on your own mission to create and so are they. But working with Maple Tree Films was such a breeze, we worked well together, although I think I video bombed at least once or twice! I think it's also so fun when there is a videographer because you, yourself get to relive the wedding when their video is released. You can also be a great asset to one another if you help market each others businesses, I often will feature a video shot at a wedding that I did, and vice versa.

So your last and final challenge is to watch Rhi and Frank tie the knot and try not to fall in love.

Rhiannon + Frank from Steve Machnik on Vimeo.

I hope you've enjoyed the challenge, I hope you cried a lot, but most of all I hope you were able to answer "Why spend the money on a videographer?"

-Love Allicia