Wedding Guide

There are many crucial elements to consider when planning a wedding. During the process you must book venues, caterers, floral arrangements, and entertainment as well as handling every single nuanced detail that cannot be skipped in order to have the wedding of your dreams. Arguably one of the most important aspects is making sure you hire someone to chronicle the event whether by taking pictures of the event, or ever increasing in frequency, videotaping it. Some couples elect to hire both options to get the best of both worlds, it is all up to what you want, or really, what your budget can afford. If you're looking to have a video of your wedding, don't worry, the Dallas area has many fantastic videographers at your disposal. Here are some tips that should provide use in your search for the right candidate.

First, you should research the styles that videographers commonly employ to capture weddings. One of the more popular styles is the fly-on-the-wall approach, which is a style often used in reality television shows. Another style employed by videographers is the documentary approach, this style features interviews and narration not unlike something you would see off the National Geographic channel. The cinematic style is another popular style, which is more liberal creatively, and almost has a Hollywood feel to it. Each style may range in cost, and particularly quality, from each videographer—some choose to hybridize styles for their own unique touch. Discuss what you have envisioned for your wedding with each videographer candidate, and hear their suggestions.

You should start your search always with the recommendations of your trusted friends, family, and colleagues. You should also use online wedding directories, as they provide plenty of resourceful information such as pricing, reviews, bridal testimonials, and demonstration videos. These directories will help you focus on professional videographers that specialize in weddings, and will point you to the candidates with the highest acclaim and experience. You should only need a handful of candidates to get the ball rolling in your search. Once you have established a list, call them up and ask about their availability on the date of your wedding.

During the interviews, you will want to become personally acquainted with the candidate as you will need to trust them implicitly with their job duties. Make sure you get their contact information, and keep in touch with them regularly before the date of your wedding, particularly once during the week of your wedding. You want this candidate to have a good line of communication with you, if they don't appear to be willing to be social, then don't consider them.

You will want to ask the candidates plenty of questions. One crucial question is whether or not they are familiar with your location, and if they would be willing to take a walk through of the location with you. You should also inquire into the condition of their equipment, and their knowledge of it. Ask them how experienced they are, and how many weddings they have done. Ask how many weddings they do on average. Before the end of the interview, you should also ask about the production process. Particularly, you will want to make sure they are good at editing, and how long it will take to receive your video after the wedding. You also need to cover the copyrights of the video, and if they offer videos in different formats other than DVD.

Once those details are handled, you should ask for their prices and packages. Obtaining a sample invoice from each candidate will make it easier to compare and contrast them. Be wary of cheap quotes, as you really do get what you pay for because experience comes with a cost. If you feel you have the right candidate in front of you, make the decision, write up the contract outlining every detail of labor, and have both parties sign. After you place the deposit, you should have no worries about the results of your wedding video!