Wedding videography has typically taken the form of cheesy, boring hour-long films and in many respects, has lost any real art form whatsoever. If you have friends who have had this kind of “traditional” video shot at their wedding, I would imagine they would tell you that they have only watched their video once or twice. Imagine spending all that money on a product that you barely enjoy.

Enter Love & Light Productions! We created our brand specifically with the idea of adding a cinematic flare to your wedding video and to produce a truly unique and memorable film of your day; one that you & your family will enjoy watching over & over again.  We don’t refer to it as videography… we call it filmmaking.

So, with all of the above in mind, what do you need to know before you hire someone to shoot video on the most important day of your life?  What questions should you be asking your potential wedding videographer?  Love & Light’s very own wedding cinematographer breaks it down for you :).

Question #1 – Do I connect with the style of their work?  Is their work cinematic, documentary-style, romantic…?

This is important.  When you are browsing through and watching wedding films on any videographer’s website, are you left feeling like you want to see more?  Do you love the selected music and editing style that the videographer employs?  If you do, that’s a wonderful sign!  If you’re left feeling unemotional and bored, they might not be the right fit for you.  We want our films to evoke major emotions and tug at our viewers’ heart strings– whether you personally know the couple in the video or not.

Question #2 – Are they available for my date?  Are their any travel fees involved if my wedding is out of state?

After deciding whether or not you connect with the style of their work, contact them to see if they are available for your wedding date.  If they aren’t, ask if they can recommend you to another videographer in your area.

As far as out-of-state weddings go, your videographer may charge you an additional travel fee.  At Love & Light, this travel fee is based upon the distance and details of the wedding.  Any venues or locations further than 40 miles from our office shall require payment for travel expenses at the current IRS mileage rate (which is 54 cents per mile in 2016).  Venues or locations more than 90 miles from our office shall require overnight hotel accommodations for the night of the Event.  Any airfare and/or hotel accommodations shall be covered by the client.

Question #3 – Do I actually like them as a person?

Are you planning on meeting with your videographer before you decide to book them?  You probably should!  Your videographer, along with your photographer, will be spending a ton of time with you on your wedding day– probably more than anybody else you hired!  Which is why it’s so important to vibe with them!  Whenever we get a wedding inquiry at Love & Light, we send out a questionnaire to ask a few questions about your day, and then we always ask to meet up and grab coffee!  Booking is an interview process for us as well.  We think it’s important that we connect well with our couples.

Question #4 – Are they organized?

When you think of the type of person you want your videographer to be, do you imagine them being organized and efficient?  We believe it is super important that the videographer you choose keeps things orderly and streamlined for your day.  The day goes so quickly, so punctuality, communication and an understanding of the timeline of the entire day are all a must.  We provide our clients with a detailed timeline of the entire day so that we are all on the same page.

Question #5 – How much do they charge and what kind of final video will they be producing for me?  How long will it be?

A value simply cannot be placed on the importance of your wedding day film, but you do want to make sure you are able to fit a wedding videographer into your budget.  The attention to detail and the amount of time it takes for a good wedding cinematographer to plan for, shoot and edit a high quality wedding film is well worth the money in the long run. You really don’t want to pay less and hire someone who is inexperienced– we have heard horror stories of brides who don’t even enjoy watching their own wedding film, which is heartbreaking!

At Love & Light Productions, we have two options for film length.  Our base collection includes an approximately 10+ minute short film.  We also are able to make a shorter highlight reel if that is something you are interested in adding on.  The highlight reel is approximately 3-5 minutes in length. See an example of one of our highlight reels here —>  Highlight Reel

Question #6 – What does he/she require to book their services?  (i.e.: a Retainer Fee?  A signed contract?)

A lot of times, you will be asked to put down 50% of the total price upon booking your videographer.  This is how we reserve your date at Love & Light.  You will also review and sign a detailed contract that will explain the legalities and specifics about the services and product(s) that you will receive.

Question #7 – Will they mic us for the vows during the ceremony?  Will they capture the audio and the beautiful words that are spoken during the speeches at the reception?

Yes!  We even double-mic so as not to miss any important audio.  Audio is what we use as the foundation for your wedding film.  Bad audio can ruin a good film, so make sure your videographer has a plan for picking up quality audio of the words spoken on your day.

Question #8 – Has he/she ever worked with my wedding photographer?  Does he/she know him/her well?

At Love & Light, we are a packaged deal!  We are able to provide you with both photos and video for your day.  We feel this is what makes us so unique.  However, if you have already booked your photographer and are only looking to hire a videographer, we can do that as well.  We always make sure to reach out to your photographer so that we can get to know them and be on the same page on the day of the wedding.

Question #9 – Do we get to pick our own songs for our film?

Typically, we do not allow our clients to pick the songs for their film.  We license all of our music through independent companies, therefore it may not even be possible to license a song that you think you would want in your film.

However, with that being said, sometimes we spend days looking for the perfect song(s) to use in your film.  This is not something we take lightly.  Fortunately, after getting to know you before your wedding and spending so much time together, we typically feel we have a pretty good grasp on your overall “style” and what songs would work best for your film.

Question #10 – How long will it take to receive our final film?

You should know when to expect your video(s) to be finished.  In fact, it should say in your contract (as mentioned above).  You don’t want your video back too quickly or too slowly, necessarily.  We take the time to get to know each of our couples and make sure to learn their story.  This is such an important first step in producing a film that really connects with the audience and has true meaning.  Each of our wedding films are created paying attention to small details and special moments.  Because the editing process is very extensive, we limit our production number each year.  Keep in mind, wedding videographers sometimes film 40 or more weddings a year.  We feel that limiting our production number is the only way each of our couples will receive a final film that not only documents their love story, but are true pieces of art.  With that being said, we tell our clients to allow up to 6 months for the delivery of their final film.  Your film will be posted online to our Vimeo page for your personal viewing before we post it on our social media pages for the public.  We will email you a link to your film, and will also mail you 2 custom-designed flash drives of your film as well.

Simply click here to > Contact us!  We’d love to hear from you!