When I opened my inbox this afternoon, I found this wonderful email! I was so touched that I had to share it!
Hi Mike and Jenn,
Hope
you guys are doing good. Mike was asked to officiate a 20 year wedding
renewal for his brother, so I took out our video to get some
ideas....and it brought me back. It's almost five years (this May),
and seems like a lifetime ago, yet just yesterday. We are still
ridiculously happy! The day was so beautiful, and once again, I'm so
grateful to you both for capturing those memories for us. I can't wait
to one day show our children when we have them, Lord willing.
The time you took, the detail you put into it...you seemed so excited for us. It didn't seem like just a job to you.
Words can't describe our appreciation!!!
Sincerely,
Miriam and Mike
There is a reason "I wish I had a wedding video" comes up on a lot of regrets lists. The one thing that most engaged couples don't realize is that a wedding video doesn't really show it's worth right away. Even couples who decide to get a wedding video don't realize how much they will love having it until years later. Our couples often send us emails saying that they wanted to reminisce or just celebrated their anniversary, so they decided to watch their film. It's after these viewings that we receive these wonderful emails. We get a greater response from them years after their wedding than we did when they initially received their wedding film. This is because wedding videos appreciate more over time. As you begin to forget all the little nuances of your wedding day, as loved ones pass away and as you start to have a family of your own, you become nostalgic and want to go back or want to share your wedding day with your kids. We get a lot of emails from our couples saying that their kids can't stop watching their wedding film (most call it mommy and daddy's wedding movie). It's important to point out that your not only filming your wedding day for you to remember, but also for your parents, grandparents and children. We recently heard this from one of our couples:
We are so grateful to all of the couples who chose to work with us, continue to recommend us every chance they get and especially those of you who come out of the woodwork and send us an email or post to our Facebook wall years after your weddings to tell us the wonderful things that you do! We love an appreciate all of you and are glad that you let us into your life! And just for the record, we remember each and every one of you and all of your fabulous weddings (I'm talking to you, Michelle). If you're reading this post and weren't mentioned, please know that it's not personal. I was just writing it REALLY fast and used what I found first.
Miriam and Mike were so happy with their final film and their experience with us that they wanted to do a testimonial video for us. I thought it would be helpful to repost it for any couples out there that are on the fence about getting a wedding video. In this clip, they talk about the process they went through and the struggle that Miriam faced when deciding if she wanted a wedding video. I've also posted a clip of Miriam's bridal prep from their wedding film.
It always makes us smile and warms our hearts when we hear back from our couples like this! Our goal is to make wedding films that our couples will love to watch and continue to watch as the years go by. When we get emails years after the wedding like this one, it means that we're meeting that goal and that fills us with such happiness. It happens more often than you would think too. And that got me thinking...
All couples are excited to see their wedding video when they first get it, but after a while, many let it sit on the shelf. Why? The answer is simple. It's because those couples didn't make getting a wedding video a priority. Often these are the couples that spent most of their budget elsewhere and only had $1000 left to devote to a wedding video or worse, set up a little camera on a tripod at the back of the church or had a friend or family member film "just the important moments". The things is that, beyond the obvious moments like the vows, toasts and first dance, you never know when the important moments will happen, so these videos are not a true representation of your wedding. These videos often look half asked or home videoish because that's precisely what they are and that's why they just collect dust on a shelf. However, it's comments like that and the stigma of really cheesy, old-school wedding videos which drive the most asked questions among engaged couples:
This is a decision that many couples struggle with, including Miriam and Mike.
Is a wedding video worth it?
Will we ever watch it?
Won't it just be duplicating the photos?
This is a decision that many couples struggle with, including Miriam and Mike.
Miriam came to us kind of late in her wedding planning process because, like many other brides to be, she wasn't sure she wanted or needed a wedding video. Like many other engaged people planning their wedding, she thought a wedding video wasn't necessary. "I'll get a good photographer and that will be enough." But she never stopped thinking about it and after going back and forth about it and getting some encouragement from Mike, she decided to do some research. She found a few videographers online and decided to meet with them to finally decide if it was worth it to get a wedding video and if it was something that she wanted to move forward with. As you can see, she did and now, five years after her wedding, she still loves watching her film and is grateful to have it.
Most couples don't regret getting a wedding video,
they regret not getting a wedding video.
There is a reason "I wish I had a wedding video" comes up on a lot of regrets lists. The one thing that most engaged couples don't realize is that a wedding video doesn't really show it's worth right away. Even couples who decide to get a wedding video don't realize how much they will love having it until years later. Our couples often send us emails saying that they wanted to reminisce or just celebrated their anniversary, so they decided to watch their film. It's after these viewings that we receive these wonderful emails. We get a greater response from them years after their wedding than we did when they initially received their wedding film. This is because wedding videos appreciate more over time. As you begin to forget all the little nuances of your wedding day, as loved ones pass away and as you start to have a family of your own, you become nostalgic and want to go back or want to share your wedding day with your kids. We get a lot of emails from our couples saying that their kids can't stop watching their wedding film (most call it mommy and daddy's wedding movie). It's important to point out that your not only filming your wedding day for you to remember, but also for your parents, grandparents and children. We recently heard this from one of our couples:
"Get a video!!!!!! Hubby's grandmother watched
it 3 times in one afternoon, so if not for yourselves, then for your family,
since they love you so much."
So, what is the true worth of a wedding video? A wedding video is an investment that you make in your memory. Years after your wedding, maybe when you have a disagreement, you'll be able to pop in your wedding video, listen to your vows and remember how you felt the day you got married. Maybe you'll notice the way you were looking at each other during your vows or a tear on your cheek, if you cried. Maybe you'll see a smile, hear a laugh or listen again to the words someone used to described how much in love you are in their toast. Maybe after watching your wedding film that disagreement will seem silly in the grand scheme. Maybe you'll watch back your video and see your grandfather dancing and having fun when now, he doesn't really get around so well (this is actually from an email we got from our past bride, Tina). Maybe it will be a happy reminder of your dad who has since passed away, like it is for our groom, Danny.
We hear back from so many of our couples, especially those from years ago when they find us on Facebook (we didn't have a Facebook page when we started). It's so nice to read all of their comments. Many of our couples even continue to follow our blog and watch our Facebook page for new clips and leave comments, like Adam. That is a true testament to the worth of a wedding video vs the myth that all wedding videos are boring. Though some of our couples are family and friends of other couples we've worked with, most are not, yet they still enjoy watching the clips we post. To me, this means that if you prioritize wedding video and hire someone who does a great job, even total strangers will want to watch your wedding video.
We hear back from so many of our couples, especially those from years ago when they find us on Facebook (we didn't have a Facebook page when we started). It's so nice to read all of their comments. Many of our couples even continue to follow our blog and watch our Facebook page for new clips and leave comments, like Adam. That is a true testament to the worth of a wedding video vs the myth that all wedding videos are boring. Though some of our couples are family and friends of other couples we've worked with, most are not, yet they still enjoy watching the clips we post. To me, this means that if you prioritize wedding video and hire someone who does a great job, even total strangers will want to watch your wedding video.
Many of our couples enthusiastically recommend us to their family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who will listen (Marissa). Over and over again, they tell them "You need a wedding video!" because they know the true value of what they have now that their wedding day is over. They realize that when people tell you "the day goes by so fast" and "it's all a big blur" that it's REALLY TRUE!
I wish I had some video clips prepared to add to this post of the comments our past brides and grooms make when we're filming a sibling or friends wedding because those comments are just as sweet as the emails! We've heard several of our couples tell their kids, "These are the people that made mommy and daddy's wedding movie." Many have told us that getting a wedding video was the best decision they made. Some have said that they watch their film far more than they look at their wedding album.
Easy there photographer peeps. I'm not belittling your importance at all. We believe that photography and videography are equally as important. I'm just trying to get the point across that afterwards, many of our couples think that video is more important than they thought it was when they were planning their wedding. It's pretty common for engaged couples to splurge on photography because it's always held a place of importance, but often videography only gets the left overs. That means that sometimes we fit in a budget and sometimes we don't. This is where that dilemma comes in. Is it worth it to reallocate money in the budget or dig up some more cash somehow for a video? We often ask, "If you had to do it again, what would you change?".
I wish I had some video clips prepared to add to this post of the comments our past brides and grooms make when we're filming a sibling or friends wedding because those comments are just as sweet as the emails! We've heard several of our couples tell their kids, "These are the people that made mommy and daddy's wedding movie." Many have told us that getting a wedding video was the best decision they made. Some have said that they watch their film far more than they look at their wedding album.
(Scratched Vinyl Record Sound Effect Here - see, if it were a video, I wouldn't have to write it in)
Easy there photographer peeps. I'm not belittling your importance at all. We believe that photography and videography are equally as important. I'm just trying to get the point across that afterwards, many of our couples think that video is more important than they thought it was when they were planning their wedding. It's pretty common for engaged couples to splurge on photography because it's always held a place of importance, but often videography only gets the left overs. That means that sometimes we fit in a budget and sometimes we don't. This is where that dilemma comes in. Is it worth it to reallocate money in the budget or dig up some more cash somehow for a video? We often ask, "If you had to do it again, what would you change?".
Most of our couples say that they would have looked for and booked a videographer sooner
and they would have given wedding video a higher priority.
We are so grateful to all of the couples who chose to work with us, continue to recommend us every chance they get and especially those of you who come out of the woodwork and send us an email or post to our Facebook wall years after your weddings to tell us the wonderful things that you do! We love an appreciate all of you and are glad that you let us into your life! And just for the record, we remember each and every one of you and all of your fabulous weddings (I'm talking to you, Michelle). If you're reading this post and weren't mentioned, please know that it's not personal. I was just writing it REALLY fast and used what I found first.
Miriam and Mike were so happy with their final film and their experience with us that they wanted to do a testimonial video for us. I thought it would be helpful to repost it for any couples out there that are on the fence about getting a wedding video. In this clip, they talk about the process they went through and the struggle that Miriam faced when deciding if she wanted a wedding video. I've also posted a clip of Miriam's bridal prep from their wedding film.
Here is a Miriam's Bridal Prep from their wedding film.
Special thanks to Miriam for taking the time out of her day today to write me such a wonderful note which helped me to write this long overdue post!
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